Theory suggests that catastrophic earth-history events can drive rapid biological evolution, but empirical evidence for such processes is scarce. Destructive geological events such as earthquakes can represent large-scale natural experiments for inferring such evolutionary processes. We capitalised on a major prehistoric (800 y BP) geological uplift event affecting a southern New Zealand coastline to test for the lasting genomic impacts of disturbance. Genome-wide analyses of three co-distributed keystone kelp taxa revealed that post-earthquake recolonization drove the evolution of novel, large-scale intertidal spatial-genetic ‘sectors’ which are tightly linked to geological fault boundaries. Demographic simulations confirmed that, following widespread extirpation, parallel expansions into newly vacant habitats rapidly restructured genome-wide diversity. Interspecific differences in recolonization mode and tempo reflect differing ecological constraints relating to habitat choice and dispersal capacity among taxa. This study highlights the rapid and enduring evolutionary effects of catastrophic ecosystem disturbance, and reveals the key role of range expansion in reshaping spatial genetic patterns.

D.antarctica_popmap

population map of Durvillaea antarctica used for de novo SNP calling in STACKS

D.poha_popmap

population map of Durvillaea poha used for de novo SNP calling in STACKS

D.willana_popmap

population map of Durvillaea willana used for de novo SNP calling in STACKS

antarctica.snps.vcf

contains first SNP per locus in 128 samples of Durvillaea antarctica

poha.snps.vcf

contains first SNP per locus in 113 samples of Durvillaea poha

willana.snps.vcf

contains first SNP per locus in 73 samples of Durvillaea willana

antarctica.structure

STRUCTURE input file for 128 samples of Durvillaea antarctica, including individuals' ID and population information

poha.structure

STRUCTURE input file for 113 samples of Durvillaea poha, including individuals' ID and population information

willana.structure

STRUCTURE input file for 73 samples of Durvillaea willana, including individuals' ID and population information

antarctica.DIYABC.snp

DIYABC SNP input file for 108 samples of Durvillaea antarctica

poha.DIYABC.snp

DIYABC SNP input file for 93 samples of Durvillaea poha

antarctica_DIYABC_priors_models

header file generated using DIYABC for demographic model comparison for Durvillaea antarctica

poha_DIYABC_priors_models

header file generated using DIYABC for demographic model comparison for Durvillaea poha