Data and code from: Effects of ploidy on relationship between outbreeding response and fitness in a plant selfing species
Data files
Nov 04, 2025 version files 1.19 MB
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Data_OutbreedingResponse_2025.csv
254.54 KB
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README.md
3.22 KB
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Scripts_OR_EcolEvol.html
932.92 KB
Abstract
Outbreeding response, the phenotypic differences observed between selfed parental lines and their outcrossed offspring, can influence the evolution of selfing strategies. However, such an effect remains poorly understood in non-crop species. We explored the phenotypic outbreeding response variation across ploidy levels in Erysimum incanum, a predominantly selfing plant complex with diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid populations distributed across the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco. We performed controlled within-population crosses to generate offspring with varying heterozygosity levels across ploidy types. We quantified individual, flower, and reproductive traits, and we estimated fitness components, and assessed trait modularity and phenotypic integration to see how heterozygosity affects trait coordination. Tetraploids showed the strongest and most consistently positive outbreeding responses, particularly in gamete production. Trait-specific outbreeding responses were positively associated with fitness across ploidy levels. Increasing heterozygosity was linked to a reduction in phenotypic integration, suggesting a loosening of trait correlations. Results show that outbreeding response is ploidy-dependent and functionally connected to fitness and it may act as a selective force promoting outcrossing in highly inbred lineages. We suggest that outbreeding response is a dynamic and evolvable trait, with implications for mating system transitions and diversification in selfing plant populations. Outbreeding response in Erysimum incanum is both ploidy-dependent and functionally tied to fitness, highlighting its potential role in promoting outcrossing and driving mating system evolution in inbred plant populations.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.ngf1vhj7w
Description of the data and file structure
Here we provide the dataset generated during the performance of experiments done for the article "Effects of ploidy on relationship between outbreeding response and fitness in a plant selfing species" and a HTML file with a detailed development of written code to analyze them using R.
Files and variables
File: Scripts_OR_EcolEvol.html
Description: HTML file containing detailed explanations and code to analyse data.
File: Data_OutbreedingResponse_2025.csv
Description: CSV separated by semi-colon with comma as decimal mark containing all phenotypic data collected in the experiment and used for statistical analysis. NAs contained in the file indicate there was not a given measurement for that individual due to loss of data or impossibility to measure while other measurements were done.
Variables
- Name: Family name (from the same mother plant).
- Ploidy: Level of ploidy (2n / 4n / 6n).
- Heterozygosity: Level of heterozygosity (0=null; 1=maximum; 0.5=reduced).
- Survival: Number of plants which survived per family.
- Germination: Rate of germination of seeds per pot.
- Leaves: Number of leaves at beginning of life cycle of each plant.
- Pop: Population where seed came from.
- Petal: Petal length (mm).
- Diametre: Corolla diametre (distance between edges of two opposed petals, in mm).
- Corolla_Length: Corolla tube length from petals to the base of the corolla (in mm).
- FL: Long stamen length (mm).
- FC: Short stamen length (mm).
- E: Stigma length (mm).
- HK: Herkogamy (difference between long stamen and stigma, in mm).
- Height: Plant height (cm).
- Stalk: Number of stalks in a given plant.
- Stalk_dmt: Diametre of the stalk rosette (cm).
- Fruits: Number of fruits.
- Flowers: Number of flowers.
- Fruitset: Ratio of fruits.
- mean_pollen_log: Mean amount of pollen per flower (grains/flower). Standardized.
- Mean_seeds: Mean amount of seeds per flower.
- Mean_abortions: Mean amount of abortions per flower.
- Mean_ovules: Mean amount of ovules per flower.
- Mean_total_ovules: Total sum in mean amount of ovules.
- Total_ovules_plant: Total amount of ovules per plant.
- Total_polen_planta_log: Total amount of pollen per plant standardized.
- Total_polen_planta: Total amount of pollen per plant.
- P.Ov: Ratio of total polen amount / total ovule amount.
- Fitness: Product of seedset and fruitset in each individual.
- Fitness_Norm: Fitness normalized by the maximum product of seedset and fruitset at each ploidy level.
- seedset: Ratio seeds/fruits.
- mean_pollen: Mean amount of pollen per flower.
Code/software
We used R 4.3.3 to develop the code to analyse data and generate tables and figures following the scripts contained in HTML file. HTML file was made with R Markdown in RStudio. We indicate libraries and functions used in each script, except PHENIX package which was used to calculate phenotypic integration index.