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Dryad

Data from: Manipulation of cytosine methylation does not remove latitudinal clines in two invasive goldenrod species in Central Europe

Cite this dataset

Eckert, Silvia et al. (2021). Data from: Manipulation of cytosine methylation does not remove latitudinal clines in two invasive goldenrod species in Central Europe [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.rr4xgxd6s

Abstract

Invasive species frequently differentiate phenotypically in novel environments within a few generations, often even with limited genetic variation. For the invasive plants Solidago canadensis and S. gigantea, we tested whether such differentiation might have happened through heritable epigenetic changes in cytosine methylation. In a two-year common-garden experiment, we grew plants from seeds collected along a latitudinal gradient in their non-native Central European range to test for trait differentiation and whether differentiation disappeared when seeds were treated with the demethylation agent zebularine. Microsatellite markers revealed no population structure along the latitudinal gradient in S. canadensis, but three genetic clusters in S. gigantea. Solidago canadensis showed latitudinal clines in flowering phenology and growth. In S. gigantea, the number of clonal offspring decreased with latitude. Although zebularine had a significant effect on early growth, likely through effects on cytosine methylation, latitudinal clines remained (or even got stronger) in plants raised from seeds treated with zebularine. Thus, our experiment provides no evidence that epigenetic mechanisms by selective cytosine methylation contribute to the observed phenotypic differentiation in invasive goldenrods in Central Europe.

Usage notes

Data from: Manipulation of cytosine methylation does not remove latitudinal clines in two invasive goldenrod species in Central Europe

EckertHerdenStiftJoshivanKleunen_2020_MolEcol_DryadData.zip contains the data from the two-year common-garden experiment 2015-2016:

  • README.txt contains general information on variable description and on data processing.
  • EckertHerdenStiftJoshivanKleunen_2020_MolEcol_PlantTraitData.txt contains the trait data for both, S. canadensis and S. gigantea.
  • EckertHerdenStiftJoshivanKleunen_2020_MolEcol_PlantGrowthData.txt contains the plant growth data for both species from the first year.
  • EckertHerdenStiftJoshivanKleunen_2020_MolEcol_CanadensisMicrosatellitesData.txt contains the microsatellite data for S. canadensis.
  • EckertHerdenStiftJoshivanKleunen_2020_MolEcol_GiganteaMicrosatellitesData.txt contains the microsatellite data for S. gigantea.

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Award: SPP1819 (KL1866/10-1 and JO 777/8-1)