Data from: Constructing an invasion machine: the rapid evolution of a dispersal-enhancing phenotype during the cane toad invasion of Australia

Biological invasions can induce rapid evolutionary change. As cane toads (Rhinella marina) have spread across tropical Australia over an 80-year period, their rate of invasion has increased from around 15 to 60 km per annum. Toads at the invasion front disperse much faster and further than conspecifics from range-core areas, and their offspring inherit that rapid dispersal rate. We investigated morphological changes that have accompanied this dramatic acceleration, by conducting three-dimensional morphometric analyses of toads from both range-core and invasion-front populations. Morphology of heads, limbs, pectoral girdles and pelvic girdles differed significantly between toads from the two areas, ranging from 0.5% to 16.5% difference in mean bone dimensions between populations, with invasion-front toads exhibiting wider forelimbs, narrower hindlimbs and more compact skulls. Those changes plausibly reflect an increased reliance on bounding (multiple short hops in quick succession) rather than separate large leaps. Within an 80-year period, invasive cane toads have converted the basic anuran body plan – which evolved for occasional large leaps to evade predators – into a morphotype better-suited to sustained long-distance travel.生物入侵可引发快速的进化改变。随着甘蔗蟾蜍（Rhinella marina）在80余年时间里扩散至澳大利亚热带地区，其入侵速率已从每年约15公里提升至60公里。入侵前沿种群的蟾蜍比分布核心区的同种个体扩散得更快更远，且其后代会继承这种快速扩散的特性。本研究针对分布核心区与入侵前沿种群的蟾蜍开展三维形态计量分析，探究伴随这一显著扩散速率提升而出现的形态变化。两个区域蟾蜍的头部、四肢、肩带及腰带形态均存在显著差异，种群间平均骨骼尺寸差异介于0.5%至16.5%之间；入侵前沿种群的蟾蜍前肢更宽、后肢更窄，且头骨更为紧凑。这些变化大概率反映出蟾蜍对跳跃模式的偏好转变：从单次大幅跳跃转向快速连续的短距离跳跃。在短短80余年时间里，入侵性甘蔗蟾蜍已将原本为躲避天敌而演化出的、用于偶尔大幅跳跃的基础无尾两栖类体型构型，改造为更适合持续长距离扩散的形态型。