Data from: The thermal dependency of locomotor performance evolves rapidly within an invasive species

Biological invasions can stimulate rapid shifts in organismal performance, via both plasticity and adaptation. We can distinguish between these two proximate mechanisms by rearing offspring from populations under identical conditions, and measuring their locomotor abilities in standardized trials. We collected adult cane toads (Rhinella marina) from invasive populations that inhabit regions of Australia with different climatic conditions. We bred those toads, and raised their offspring under common-garden conditions before testing their locomotor performance. At high (but not low) temperatures, offspring of individuals from a hotter location (northwestern Australia) outperformed offspring of conspecifics from a cooler location (northeastern Australia). This disparity indicates that, within less than 100 years, thermal performance in cane toads has adapted to the novel abiotic challenges that cane toads have encountered during their invasion of tropical Australia.

生物入侵可通过表型可塑性与适应性演化，快速改变生物体的性能表现。我们可通过将不同种群的后代置于统一可控的环境中饲养，并在标准化实验中测定其运动能力，以此区分这两种近距作用机制。我们从栖息于澳大利亚不同气候区域的入侵种群中采集了成年海蟾蜍（Rhinella marina）。我们对这些海蟾蜍开展繁育工作，并将其后代饲养于同质园环境（common-garden conditions）下，随后测定其运动性能。在较高（而非较低）温度条件下，来自更炎热区域（澳大利亚西北部）的海蟾蜍后代，其运动性能优于来自较凉爽区域（澳大利亚东北部）的同种个体后代。这一差异表明，在不足百年的时间内，海蟾蜍的热性能已适应其入侵热带澳大利亚过程中所遭遇的新型非生物胁迫。