DOI: 10.5061/dryad.mgqnk9976
title: Data from: Correlations among genetic, epigenetic, and phenotypic variation of Phragmites australis along latitudes

description: Aim: Estuarine vegetation routinely experiences natural tidal fluctuations
 and is highly vulnerable to extreme events such as heavy rainfall, leading
 to changes in plant population structure and adaptability. Genetic and
 epigenetic modifications are widely considered to be mechanisms of
 phenotypic variation, triggered in plants responding to extreme changing
 environments. However, understanding on correlations among genetic,
 epigenetic, and phenotypic variation of wild plant populations is still
 limited. Location: China. Methods: In this study, populations of the
 typical wetland clonal species Phragmites australis were selected from
 four estuaries along various latitudes in China. Genetic and epigenetic
 diversity, and phenotypic variation of these populations were analyzed.
 Results: Phenotypic variation of P. australis populations was the highest
 at Yellow River Estuary and the lowest at Min River Estuary. Across all
 estuaries, Genetic and epigenetic diversity was strongly
 linear-correlated. Genetic diversity had significant correlations with
 variation in reproductive traits, while epigenetic diversity had
 significant correlations with variation in growth traits. Climatic factors
 of mean annual temperature and precipitation, as well as soil nitrogen and
 phosphorus, were negatively correlated with variation in genetic
 diversity, epigenetic diversity, and variation in reproductive traits of
 P. australis populations along latitudes. Variation in growth traits was
 negatively correlated with soil salinity, reflecting the limiting effect
 of salinity on plant growth. Main Conclusion: Our findings found that
 genetic and epigenetic variation may play different roles in phenotypic
 variation of P. australis populations along latitudes, the variation
 becomes greater when the climatic and edaphic conditions deteriorate. The
 findings shed new light on the adaptation and evolution of wetland plant
 populations along a large latitudinal scale, and may contribute to the
 revegetation of estuary wetlands.
description: Details of the methods are provided in the associated
 publication. 
description: # Description of the data and file structure All raw data for the
 manuscript. ## Descriptions ### **SSR data** * Sample:  Individual ID of
 the 380 plants * L: Liaohe Estuary * YR: Yellow River Estuary * Y: Yangtze
 Estuary * M: Min River Estuary * Pop: 38 population of the 380 plants *
 270-290: Different loci * 0: No amplification product at this locus * 1:
 Amplification product present at this locus ## **MSAP data** * Sample: 
 Individual ID of the 380 plants * L: Liaohe Estuary * YR: Yellow River
 Estuary * Y: Yangtze Estuary * M: Min River Estuary * Pop: 38 population
 of the 380 plants * EX3Allele1——eX4Allele562: Different loci * 0: No
 amplification product at this locus * 1: Amplification product present at
 this locus ### Phenotype raw data * Plant:  Individual ID of the 380
 plants * Base diameter, Functional leaf length, Plant height, Longest
 internode length, Leaf biomass, Stem biomass, Spike length, Average
 internode rhizome biomass, Spike biomass: Phenotype data we measured and
 calculated directly. The third to the fifth mature leaves from the top of
 plants were defined as functional leaves. Average internode rhizome
 biomass was fresh mass of spacers (rhizomes between two adjacent nodes)
 divided by nodes number ### Z-score normalization transformation of GEN
 diversity data * ID:  ID of the 38 populations with Estuary * L: Liaohe
 Estuary * YR: Yellow River Estuary * Y: Yangtze Estuary * M: Min River
 Estuary - Pop: 38 population - Z-trans-P-gen: Z-score normalization
 transformation of genetic percentage of polymorphic loci  -
 Z-trans-I-gen: Z-score normalization transformation of genetic
 shannon's information index - Z-trans-He-gen: Z-score normalization
 transformation of genetic expected heterozygosity index ### Z-score
 normalization transformation of EPI diversity data * ID:  ID of the 38
 populations with Estuary * L: Liaohe Estuary * YR: Yellow River Estuary *
 Y: Yangtze Estuary * M: Min River Estuary - Pop: 38 population -
 Z-trans-P-epi: Z-score normalization transformation of epigenetic
 percentage of polymorphic epiloci  - Z-trans-I-epi: Z-score normalization
 transformation of epigenetic shannon's information index -
 Z-trans-He-epi: Z-score normalization transformation of epigenetic
 expected heterozygosity index ### RDA indexes * Labels:  ID of the 38
 populations with Estuary * L: Liaohe Estuary * YR: Yellow River Estuary *
 Y: Yangtze Estuary * M: Min River Estuary - Genetic.diversity:  Mean
 levels of genetic diversity, and it was evaluated by averaging the Z-score
 normalization transformation of genetic percentage of polymorphic
 loci, genetic shannon's information index, and genetic expected
 heterozygosity index in each population - Epigenetic.diversity: Mean
 levels of epigenetic diversity, and it was evaluated by averaging the
 Z-score normalization transformation of epigenetic percentage of
 polymorphic loci, epigenetic shannon's information index, and
 epigenetic expected heterozygosity index in each population -
 Growth.CV: Mean CVs (CV = 100 × standard deviation/mean) of growth traits,
 it was obtained by averaging the CVs of functional leaf length, plant
 height, longest internode length, stem basal diameter, leaf biomass, and
 stem biomass - Reproductive.CV: Mean CVs of reproductive traits, it was
 obtained by averaging the CVs of average internode rhizome biomass, spike
 length, and biomass \# Other environmental data used in RDA analysis were
 in the supplementary table (ddi13907-sup-0001-TablesS1-S6.docx)