Data from: Mating system plasticity promotes persistence and adaptation of colonizing populations of hermaphroditic angiosperms

Persistence and adaptation in novel environments are limited by small population size, strong selection, and maladaptive gene flow. Mating system plasticity is common in angiosperms and may provide both demographic and genetic benefits that promote niche evolution, including reproductive assurance and isolation from maladaptive gene flow. Yet increased self-fertilization may also cause inbreeding depression, accumulation of deleterious mutations, and reduced adaptive potential. Here we use individual-based simulations to examine the consequences of mating system plasticity for persistence and adaptation in a novel environment that imposes selection on a quantitative trait. We examine the joint evolution of local adaptation, inbreeding depression, and genetic load. We find that a plastic shift to a mixed mating system generally promotes niche evolution by decreasing the risk of extinction, providing isolation from maladaptive gene flow, and temporarily increasing genetic variance in the trait under selection, whereas obligate self-fertilization reduces adaptive potential. These effects are most pronounced under conditions of mate limitation, strong selection, or maladaptive gene flow. Our results highlight the diverse demographic and genetic consequences of self-fertilization and support the potential role for plastic shifts in mating system to promote niche evolution in flowering plants.种群规模狭小、选择压力强劲以及适应不良基因流（maladaptive gene flow）会限制物种在全新环境中的存续与适应能力。交配系统可塑性在被子植物（angiosperms）中十分普遍，其可带来促进生态位演化（niche evolution）的种群统计学与遗传学益处，涵盖繁殖保障以及免受适应不良基因流干扰的生殖隔离；然而，自交比例的提升也可能引发近交衰退（inbreeding depression）、有害突变积累以及适应潜力降低。本研究借助基于个体的模拟（individual-based simulations），探究了在对数量性状（quantitative trait）施加选择压力的全新环境中，交配系统可塑性对物种存续与适应的影响，并同时考察了局部适应、近交衰退与遗传负荷（genetic load）的协同演化过程。研究结果显示，向混合交配系统的可塑性转变通常可通过降低灭绝风险、隔绝适应不良基因流以及临时提升目标性状的遗传方差来促进生态位演化，而专性自交则会削弱物种的适应潜力；此类效应在配偶限制（mate limitation）、强选择或适应不良基因流条件下表现最为显著。本研究结果凸显了自交所带来的多样化种群统计学与遗传学后果，并支持交配系统的可塑性转变可作为促进被子植物生态位演化的潜在机制。