Data from: Rapid genetic adaptation precedes the spread of an exotic plant species

Human activities have increasingly introduced plant species far outside their native ranges under environmental conditions that can strongly differ from those originally met. Therefore, before spreading, and potentially causing ecological and economical damage, non native species may rapidly evolve. Evidence of genetically based adaptation during the process of becoming invasive is very scant however, which is due to the lack of knowledge regarding the historical genetic makeup of the introduced populations and the lack of genomic resource. Capitalizing on the availability of old non-native herbarium specimens, we examined frequency shifts in genic SNPs of the Pyrenean Rocket (Sisymbrium austriacum subsp. chrysanthum), comparing the (i) native, (ii) currently spreading non-native, and (iii) historically introduced gene pool. Results show strong divergence in flowering time genes during the establishment phase, indicating that rapid genetic adaptation preceded the spread of this species and possibly assisted in overcoming environmental constraints.

人类活动正日益将植物物种引入远超其原生分布范围的区域，而引入地的环境条件往往与物种原生境存在显著差异。因此，外来物种在扩散并可能造成生态与经济损害之前，有可能发生快速演化。然而，目前关于物种入侵过程中基于遗传的适应性演化的相关证据十分匮乏，这主要源于我们对引入种群的历史遗传组成缺乏了解，同时也缺少可用的基因组资源。本研究借助可获取的外来植物标本馆馆藏标本，针对比利牛斯山荠（Sisymbrium austriacum subsp. chrysanthum）的基因区单核苷酸多态性（Single Nucleotide Polymorphism, SNP）位点频率变化展开分析，对比了（i）原生种群基因库、（ii）当前正在扩散的外来种群基因库，以及（iii）历史引入种群基因库三者之间的差异。研究结果显示，在物种定植阶段，开花时间相关基因已出现显著分化，这表明该物种在扩散前已发生快速的遗传适应性演化，且该演化过程或有助于其克服引入地的环境限制。