title: Hybridization between Brassica napus and B. rapa on a national scale in the United Kingdom.
abstract: Measures blocking hybridization would prevent or reduce biotic or environmental change caused by gene flow from genetically modified (GM) crops to wild relatives. The efficacy of any such measure depends on hybrid numbers within the legislative region over the life-span of the GM cultivar. We present a national assessment of hybridization between rapeseed (Brassica napus) and B. rapa from a combination of sources, including population surveys, remote sensing, pollen dispersal profiles, herbarium data, local Floras, and other floristic databases. Across the United Kingdom, we estimate that 32,000 hybrids form annually in waterside B. rapa populations, whereas the less abundant weedy populations contain 17,000 hybrids. These findings set targets for strategies to eliminate hybridization and represent the first step toward quantitative risk assessment on a national scale.
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Sciences, The University of Reading, RG6 6AS, UK. m.j.wilkinson@rdg.ac.uk
authors.forename: Mike J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: Luisa J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.forename: Joël
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Allainguillaume
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Norris
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Welters
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sweet
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Mason
mesh_terms: D029688:Brassica napus / Q000235:genetics*; D029741:Brassica rapa / Q000235:genetics*; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000235:genetics*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D017753:Ecosystem; D017343:Genes, Plant; D005828:Genetics, Population; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011058:Pollen; D006113:United Kingdom