Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.bzkh189rj

Description of the data and file structure

Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.bzkh189rj

This dataset relates to the article “Effects of DNA-demethylation on the expression of plastic and transgenerational responses to nitrogen availability in annual plant species” published in Evolutionary Ecology (doi: 10.1007/s10682-025-10374-z), by Vanessa Minden, Conchita Alonso, Harry Olde Venterink and Koen J.F. Verhoeven.

Corresponding author Vanessa Minden, email: vanessa.minden@vub.be

The dataset contains plant trait information of 6 annual species (grasses and non legume-forbs). 

A parental generation was raised under N (nitrogen) limitation and balanced nutrient supply, from which an offspring generation was grown under either the same or another option of these nutrient conditions. Further, offspring plants were subjected to a demethylation treatment, with the use of the agent Zebularine (Z). This treatment comprised a control (Z0µM) or Z50µM. Plants of both the parental and offspring generation were raised in a greenhouse. Plants of the offspring generation were harvested after five weeks and traits were measured. 

General information: Species (species name), Family (Poaceae, Onagraceae), Maturity (all plants mature at time of harvest), Status (plant species considered either invasive, endangered or non-endangered in central Europe), Plant Growth Form (grasses and non legume-forbs), Life Span (annual), Start experiment (start date for each individual, MM-DD-YY), End experiment (date of harvest for each individual, MM-DD-YY), Nutrient treatment of parental generation (N limitation or balanced nutrient supply), Nutrient treatment of offspring generation (N limitation or balanced nutrient supply),  Zebularine treatment of offspring generation (Z0µM=Control or Z50µM), Total supply rate of nitrogen (N, in mg) in offspring generation (total amount of N supplied to each individual in the offspring generation in the course of the experiment, i.e., 13.5mg or 40.5mg), Total supply rate of phosphorus (P, in mg) in offspring generation (total amount of N supplied to each individual in the offspring generation in the course of the experiment, i.e., 2.7mg or 8.1mg), repeats per trt (number of repetitions per trt and species, 1-8).

Plant species: Avena sterilis, Epilobium anagallidifolium, Epilobium ciliatum, Epilobium fleischeri, Hordeum murinum, Lolium temulentum

Plant traits include: Relative Growth Rate (RGR, mg/mg*day), Total leaf area (cm²), Total root length (m), Average root diameter (mm), Total Biomass (mg), Specific leaf area (SLA, mm²/mg), SPAD (measure of chlorophyll content, dimensionless), Root surface area (cm²)

Measurement for most traits followed Pérez-Harguindeguy, N., et al. (2013). "New handbook for standardised measurement of plant functional traits worldwide." Australian Journal of Botany 61: 167-234.

Files and variables

File: VMinden_Dryad-Data_FWO-paper3.xlsx

Description: The Excel file contains the raw data and the legend (with units) to the parameters.

Variables

Species, Family, Maturity, Status, Plant growth form, Life span, Start experiment, End experiment, Nutrient treatment parental generation, Nutrient treatment offspring generation, Zebularine treatment offspring generation, Total supply rate N mg Offspring generation, Total supply rate P mg Offspring generation, repeats per treatment, RGR (Relative growth rate), Total leaf area, Total root length, Average root diameter, Total biomass, SLA (Specific leaf area), SPAD, Root surface area

Code/software

Microsoft Excel

Access information

Other publicly accessible locations of the data:

• NA

Data was derived from the following sources:

• all measurements were done by ourselves