Data from: Genome-wide scans detect adaptation to aridity in a widespread forest tree species.

Patterns of adaptive variation within plant species are best studied through common garden experiments, but these are costly and time-consuming, especially for trees that have long generation times. We explored whether genome-wide scanning technology combined with outlier marker detection could be used to detect adaptation to climate and provide an alternative to common garden experiments. As a case study, we sampled nine provenances of the widespread forest tree species, Eucalyptus tricarpa, across an aridity gradient in southeastern Australia. Using a Bayesian analysis we identified a suite of 94 putatively adaptive (outlying) sequence-tagged markers across the genome. Population-level allele frequencies of these outlier markers were strongly correlated with temperature and moisture availability at the site of origin, and with population differences in functional traits measured in two common gardens. Using the output from a canonical analysis of principal coordinates we devised a metric that provides a holistic measure of genomic adaptation to aridity that could be used to guide assisted migration or genetic augmentation.

植物物种内适应性变异的模式，最佳研究途径为共同花园实验（common garden experiment），但此类实验成本高昂且耗时良久，对于世代周期漫长的树木而言尤为如此。本研究旨在探究，结合全基因组扫描技术与异常位点标记（outlier marker）检测手段，是否可用于检测物种对气候的适应性，并作为共同花园实验的替代方案。作为案例研究，我们在澳大利亚东南部的干旱梯度带上，对分布广泛的林木物种三花桉（Eucalyptus tricarpa）的9个种源进行了采样。通过贝叶斯分析（Bayesian analysis），我们在全基因组范围内鉴定出94个推定具有适应性的异常序列标签标记（sequence-tagged marker）。这些异常位点标记的种群水平等位基因频率，与采样点原产地的温度、水分可获得性显著相关，同时也与在两项共同花园实验中测得的种群功能性状差异显著相关。我们基于主坐标典范分析（canonical analysis of principal coordinates）的输出结果，构建了一个可全面衡量基因组对干旱适应性的量化指标，该指标可用于指导辅助迁移或遗传增强工作。