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其原生分布范围之外的区域，且引入环境往往与物种原生栖息地的条件存在显著差异。因此，外来物种在实现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。不过，目前关于物种入侵过程中基于遗传的适应性演化的证据仍十分匮乏，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。本研究依托馆藏外来植物腊叶标本资源，对比利牛斯火箭（Sisymbrium austriacum subsp. chrysanthum）的基因区单核苷酸多态性（genic SNPs）开展了频率偏移分析，对比了（i）原生种群、（ii）当前正在扩散的外来种群以及（iii）历史引入种群的基因库。研究结果显示，在物种定殖阶段，开花时间相关基因存在显著分化，这表明该物种在扩散前已发生快速遗传适应，且该适应可能帮助其克服了引入地的环境限制。