Data from: The genomics of invasion: characterization of red lionfish (Pterois volitans) populations from the native and introduced ranges

Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity
and ecosystem health, and population genetics provides promising tools for
understanding the evolutionary process of successful invaders. The
well-documented introduction of the red lionfish (Pterois volitans) to the
western Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean has decimated native fauna
due to the invader’s voracious predation and growth rate. We tested
whether our samples were within the region of the source of invasion into
the Atlantic and Caribbean and investigated whether hybridization in the
native or introduced range was responsible for the success of this
invasive species. We used a reduced representation sequencing method to
generate over 50,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms and sequence data
from two mitochondrial DNA genes to analyze the population patterns. We
found one location in the southeastern Pacific that was genetically
similar to one location the southwestern Atlantic and evidence of the
subsequent spread south to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, which
supports previous findings. Within the native range, we found genetic
divergences commensurate with distinct species and evidence of
hybridization. We found limited structure within the introduced range and
no evidence of Pterois miles or hybrids within this range. Finally, we
found signatures of selection between the native and introduced range that
may be a result of the introduction. Overall, this study of the red
lionfish showed the pattern of introduction and suggested a deeper
sampling of genomic data from individuals within the native range may
reveal hybridization between species as the source of the aggressive
invasion.