DOI: 10.5061/dryad.bnzs7h4nf
title: Data from: Inheritance of somatic mutations can affect fitness in monkeyflowers

description: Plants have the ability to transmit mutations to progeny that arise
 through both meiotic and mitotic (somatic) cell divisions. This is because
 the same meristem cells responsible for vegetative growth will also
 generate gametes for sexual reproduction. Despite the potential for
 somatic mutations to contribute to genetic variation and adaptation, their
 role in plant evolution remains largely unexplored. We conducted
 experiments with the bush monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus) to assess the
 phenotypic effects of somatic mutations inherited across generations. By
 generating self-pollinations within a flower (autogamy) or between flowers
 on different stems of the same plant (geitonogamy), we tracked the effects
 of somatic mutations transmitted to progeny. Autogamy and geitonogamy lead
 to different segregation patterns of somatic mutations among stems, with
 only autogamy resulting in offspring that are homozygous for somatic
 mutations specific to that stem. This allowed us to compare average
 phenotypic differences between pollination treatments that could be
 attributed to the inheritance of somatic variants. While most experimental
 units showed no impacts on fitness, in some cases, we detected increased
 seed production, as well as significant increases in drought tolerance,
 even though M. aurantiacus is already well adapted to drought conditions.
 We also found increased variance in drought tolerance following autogamy,
 consistent with the hypothesis that somatic mutations transmitted between
 generations can impact fitness. These results highlight the potential role
 of inherited somatic mutations as a relevant source of genetic variation
 in plant evolution.
description: # Inheritance of somatic mutations can affect fitness in monkeyflowers
 Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.bnzs7h4nf](10.5061/dryad.bnzs7h4nf) ##
 Description of the data and file structure Plants can transmit mutations
 to their offspring through both meiotic and mitotic divisions, as meristem
 cells responsible for growth also produce gametes. Despite their potential
 role in plant evolution, the impact of somatic mutations remains
 understudied. We conducted experiments with Mimulus aurantiacus to assess
 the phenotypic effects of somatic mutations passed across generations. By
 comparing self-pollination (autogamy) and pollination between flowers on
 different stems (geitonogamy), we tracked somatic mutations inherited by
 progeny. Only autogamy led to homozygous offspring for specific mutations.
 While most cases showed no fitness impacts, some exhibited increased seed
 production and drought tolerance, indicating that inherited somatic
 mutations may influence plant evolution. ### Files and variables ####
 File: 4\_units\_all\_data\_final\_transformed.txt **Description:** 5
 fitness estimates from the four units analyzed via MANOVA ##### Variables
 * unit: experimental unit * cross: autogamy (A) or geitonogamy (G) *
 days_to_germinate: germination time * growth_rate_day: growth rate *
 drought_b: drought tolerance * survival_time: survival time (days) *
 biomass: above ground biomass (g) * sqrt_germ: square root of germination
 time * log_germ: log of germination time * sqrt_growth: square root of
 growth rate * log_growth: log of growth rate * sqrt_b: square root of
 drought tolerance * log_b: log of drought tolerance * sqrt_surv: square
 root of survival * log_surv: log of survival * sqrt_bio: square root of
 biomass * log_bio: log of biomass #### File:
 10\_units\_perc\_dev\_long.txt **Description:**  percent deviation in the
 mean and standard deviation between pollination treatments for each
 fitness variable in each unit ##### Variables * unit: experimental unit *
 trait: fitness estimate * A_mean: mean value from autogamous plants in
 that unit * G_mean: mean value from geitonogamous plants in that unit *
 perc_dev_mean: percent deviation in the mean fitness between autogamy and
 geitonogamy * perc_dev_sd: percent deviation in the standard deviation
 between autogamy and geitonogamy #### File:
 fruit\_seed\_wt\_count\_paired\_all\_units\_05-06-2024.txt
 **Description:** seed count, weight and fruit weight data from all 42
 units ##### Variables * genet: the genotype of the plant * pollen_donor:
 flower that donated the pollen to create the experimental unit * unit:
 experimental unit * A_seed_wt: seed weight from autogamy fruit *
 A_fruit_wt: fruit weight from autogamy fruit * G_avg_seed_wt: mean seed
 weight among the 2-3 fruits created via geitonogamy * G_avg_fruit_wt: mean
 fruit weight among the 2-3 fruits created via geitonogamy * A_seed_count:
 seed count from the autogamy fruit * G_avg_seed_count: mean seed count
 among the 2-3 fruits created via geitonogamy #### File:
 ten\_units\_drought\_survival\_biomass\_transform\_data.txt
 **Description:** data on drought tolerance, survival, and biomass from all
 10 units ##### Variables * unit: experimental unit * cone: individual pot
 (NA= missing data) * cross: autogamy or geitonogamy * drought_b: drought
 tolerance * survival_time: survival time (days) * biomass: above-ground
 biomass (g) * log_surv: log survival time * sqrt_surv: square root
 survival time * log_biomass: log biomass * sqrt_biomass: square room
 biomass #### File: Germination\_photos.zip **Description:** raw photos
 taken from each tray (A1, A2, C1, C2) from the four experimental units
 where germination and growth rates were measured. ## Code/software All
 analyses conducted in R. The code required to produce the figures and run
 the analyses of the related paper are uploaded to Zenodod:
 drought_survival_biomass_anova_code_10_units.txt , fig_2.txt,
 MANOVA_4_units.txt, paired_t_tests_seed_data.txt, fig_1.txt,
 logistic_fits_drought_tolerance.txt