School of Biological Science, Monash University, Blg18, Clayton, Vic., 3800, Australia.
Mol Ecol. 2014 May;23(9):2141-3. doi: 10.1111/mec.12717.
Large-scale anthropogenic changes in the environment are reshaping global biodiversity and the evolutionary trajectory of many species. Evolutionary mechanisms that allow organisms to thrive in this rapidly changing environment are just beginning to be investigated (Hoffmann & Sgrò 2011; Colautti & Barrett 2013). Weedy and invasive species represent 'success stories' for how species can cope with human modified environments. As introduced species have spread within recent times, they provide the unique opportunity to track the genetic consequences of rapid range expansion through time and space using historic DNA samples. Using modern collections and herbarium specimens dating back to 1873, Martin et al. (2014) have provided a more complete understanding of the population history of the invasive, agricultural weed, common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia; Fig. 1) in its native range with surprising results. They find that the recent population explosion of common ragweed in North America coincided with substantial shifts in population genetic structure with implications for invasion.
大规模的人为环境变化正在重塑全球生物多样性和许多物种的进化轨迹。允许生物在这种快速变化的环境中茁壮成长的进化机制才刚刚开始被研究（Hoffmann 和 Sgrò 2011；Colautti 和 Barrett 2013）。杂草和入侵物种代表了物种如何应对人类改造环境的“成功案例”。随着引入物种在最近的时间内传播，它们提供了一个独特的机会，通过使用历史 DNA 样本，在时间和空间上追踪快速分布范围扩张的遗传后果。利用现代收集品和标本馆标本（可追溯到 1873 年），Martin 等人（2014）更全面地了解了入侵的农业杂草普通豚草（Ambrosia artemisiifolia；图 1）在其原生范围内的种群历史，结果令人惊讶。他们发现，普通豚草在北美的近期种群爆发与种群遗传结构的重大变化同时发生，这对入侵具有影响。
