Data from: Comparing the genetic architecture and potential response to selection of native and invasive populations of reed canary grass

Evolutionary processes such as migration, genetic drift, and natural selection are thought to play a prominent role in species invasions into novel environments. However, few empirical studies have explored the mechanistic basis of invasion in an evolutionary framework. One promising tool for inferring evolutionarily important changes in introduced populations is the genetic variance-covariance matrix (G matrix). G matrix comparisons allow for the inference of changes in the genetic architecture of introduced populations relative to their native counterparts that may facilitate invasion. Here, we compare the G matrices of reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) populations across native and invasive ranges, and between populations along a latitudinal gradient within each range. We find that the major differences in genetic architecture occur between populations at the Northern and Southern margins within each range, not between native and invasive populations. Previous studies have found that multiple introductions in introduced populations caused an increase in genetic variance on which selection could act. In addition, we find that differences in the evolutionary potential of Phalaris populations are driven by differences in latitude, suggesting that selection also shapes the evolutionary trajectory of invasive populations.

迁移、遗传漂变与自然选择等进化过程，被认为在物种入侵全新环境的过程中发挥着关键作用。然而，目前鲜有实证研究从进化框架下探讨物种入侵的机制基础。用于推断引入种群进化相关重要变化的一种极具潜力的工具，便是遗传方差-协方差矩阵（G matrix）。通过G矩阵比较，可推断引入种群相较于其本土对应种群的遗传结构变化，而这类变化或可促进物种入侵。本研究对比了芦苇金丝雀草（Phalaris arundinacea L.）在本土与入侵分布区的种群G矩阵，同时也对比了各分布区内沿纬度梯度分布的种群间的G矩阵。研究结果显示，遗传结构的主要差异出现在各分布区内南北边缘的种群之间，而非本土与入侵种群之间。既往研究表明，入侵种群经历的多次引入事件提升了其遗传方差，为自然选择提供了作用基础。此外，本研究还发现，该物种种群的进化潜力差异由纬度差异驱动，这表明自然选择同样塑造了入侵种群的进化轨迹。