Cannabis de-domestication and invasion risk

Susan Canavan, Z. T. Brym, Giuseppe Brundu, Katharina Dehnen-Schmutz, D Lieurance, T. Petri, W. H. Wadlington, John R.U. Wilson, S. L. Flory

Research output: Contribution to journalComment/debatepeer-review

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Abstract

Cultivated plants provide food, fiber, and energy but they can escape, de-domesticate, colonize agroecosystems as weeds, and disrupt natural ecosystems as invasive species. Escape and invasion depend on traits of the species, type and rate of domestication, and cultivation context. Understanding this “de-domestication invasion process” is critical for managing conservation efforts that reduce unintended consequences of cultivated species in novel areas. Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) is an ideal case study to explore this process because it was one of the earliest plants to co-evolve with humans, has a crop to weed history, and has been introduced and cultivated globally. Moreover, recent liberalization of cannabis cultivation and use policies have raised concerns about invasion risk. Here, we synthesize knowledge on cannabis breeding, cultivation, and processing relevant to invasion risk and outline research and management priorities to help overcome the research deficit on the invasion ecology of the species. Understanding the transition of cannabis through the de-domestication-invasion process will inform policy and minimize agricultural and environmental risks associated with cultivation of domesticated species.
Original languageEnglish
Article number109709
Number of pages9
JournalBiological Conservation
Volume274
Early online date7 Sept 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2022

Bibliographical note

© 2022, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.

Funder

The work was funded by the UF/IFAS Industrial Hemp Pilot Project sponsored by Green Roads and supported by USDA Hatch Projects FLATRC-005661 and FLA-TRC-005867. GB thanks the University of Sassari (UNISS) for the grant “Fondo di Ateneo per la Ricerca 2020”. JW thanks the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) for funding noting that this publication does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of DFFE or its employees. SC was
supported by grant no. 18-18495S, EXPRO grant 19-28807X (Czech Science Foundation) and long-term research development project RVO 67985939 (Czech Academy of Sciences).

Keywords

  • Crops
  • Hemp
  • Invasion risk
  • Non-native species
  • Weeds
  • Cultivated plants
  • Feral plants
  • Weed ecology
  • Agronomy
  • Invasion ecology

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