Quantitative genetics of developmental stability in flower traits of Solanum rostratum
Data files
Jun 20, 2025 version files 1.84 MB
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Pedigree.csv
15.93 KB
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Phenotypic_data_Solanum_rostratum.csv
1.82 MB
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README.md
4.30 KB
Abstract
Within-individual variation in floral organs is an important phenotypic component that can influence fitness in flowering plants. While the genetic basis of this variation has been previously studied, the structure of its G-matrix and evolutionary potential remained unexplored. We characterize the G-matrix of within-individual floral organ variation in Solanum rostratum and evaluate potential evolutionary constraints. Within-individual variation was estimated as residual deviations from a repeatability model. Using an animal model on mean-standardized phenotypic data, we quantified narrow-sense heritabilities, conditional and unconditional evolvabilities, and genetic correlations for floral organ sizes and their within-individual variation. We found that within-individual variation exhibited higher conditional and unconditional evolvabilities compared to floral organ sizes. Evolvabilities of floral organ sizes were constrained by both additive genetic variance and genetic correlations. In contrast, within-individual variation was primarily limited by additive genetic variance, as only a few genetic correlations were detected for this component. Our study provides the first analysis of how genetic correlations constrain the evolutionary potential of within-individual variation, a metric reflecting developmental stability in floral phenotypes.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.b5mkkwhr5
Description of the data and file structure
This dataset comprises phenotypic measurements of 11 floral traits obtained from a full-sib/half-sib crossing design in Solanum rostratum (Solanaceae). Floral organ sizes are reported in centimeters (cm), and within-individual variation is quantified as the residual deviations derived from a repeatability model. The experimental design includes Block (spatial grouping) and Year (temporal replication) as factors, along with total plant height as a proxy for overall plant size. The dataset is unbalanced and was analyzed using linear mixed-effects models in ASReml-R; thus, it is not amenable to traditional ANOVA frameworks. Phenotypic data were collected exclusively from F1 progeny, with parental measurements excluded. The accompanying pedigree file lists parental individuals (sires and dams) in the initial rows, followed by progeny with assigned parentage.
Files and variables
File: Pedigree.csv
Description: This file contains family relationships ready to use in Asreml-R software.
Variables
- ID: Identity of individuals, equivalent to "animal" in some animal model software
- Dam: Mother identity
- Sire: Father identity
File: Phenotypic_data_Solanum_rostratum.csv
Description: This file contains phenotypic data of floral organ sizes and within-individual variation (residuals) of floral traits of Solanum rostratum
Variables
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ID: Identity of individuals, equivalent to "animal" in some animal model software
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Family: Full-Sib family identity
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Individual: Identity of individuals within families
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Year: Planting year
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Block: Spatial arrangement of plants within the greenhouse
In the following columns, the NAs represent missing data due to flower damage at the time of processing or non-taken measurements in 2021. Flower trait sizes were taken from equivalent high-resolution images.
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Plant height: Total plant height when it produced the fifth flower
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Corolla length: This is a measurement of the corolla size along the axis of bilateral symmetry, taken in centimeters.
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Corolla width: This is a measurement of the corolla size across the axis of bilateral symmetry, taken in centimeters.
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Style length: This is a measurement of the style filament from its point of union with the ovary to the tip, taken in centimeters
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Ovary width: This is a measurement of the ovary size perpendicular to the style's axis, taken in centimeters
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Feeding anther length: This is a longitudinal measurement of one feeding anther chosen at random, recorded in centimeters.
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Feeding anther width: This is a transverse measurement of one feeding anther chosen at random, recorded in centimeters.
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Pollinating anther length: This is a longitudinal measurement of the pollinating anther, taken in centimeters
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Pollinating anther width: This is a transverse measurement of the pollinating anther, taken in centimeters
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Herkogamy: This is a measurement of the distance between the pollinating anther tip and the style tip in a two-dimensional plane, taken in centimeters.
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Pollinating anther pore area (original): This is the combined area of both pores in the pollinating anther, measured in square centimeters.
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Pollinating anther pore area (square root): This is the square root of the Pollinating anther pore area (original) column.
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Pollinating anther form: This is the ratio between pollinating anther length and pollinating anther curvature.
The next columns are the original residual deviations from a repeatability model; their absolute values represent within-individual variation of the floral traits previously described. The model included Year and Block as fixed effects, and ID as random effects. Models were fitted using ASReml-R.
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Corolla length residuals
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Corolla width residuals
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Style length residuals
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Ovary width residuals
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Feeding anther length residuals
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Feeding anther width residuals
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Pollinating anther length residuals
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Pollinatin anther width residuals
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Pollinating anther pore area (squared root) residuals
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Pollinating anther forma residuals
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Herkogamy residuals