DOI: 10.5061/dryad.s558287
title: Data from: Rapid and positive responses of plants to lower predictability in precipitation

description: Current climate change is characterized by an increase in weather
 variability, which includes altered means, variance and predictability of
 weather parameters, and which may affect an organism’s ecology and
 evolution. Few studies experimentally manipulated the variability of
 weather parameters, and very little is known about effects of changes in
 the intrinsic predictability of weather parameters on living organisms.
 Here we experimentally tested effects of differences in intrinsic
 precipitation-predictability on two herbaceous plants (Onobrychis
 viciifolia and Papaver rhoeas). Lower precipitation predictability led to
 phenological advance and to an increase in reproductive success, and
 population growth. Both species exhibited rapid transgenerational
 responses in phenology and fitness-related traits across four generations
 that mitigated most effects of precipitation-predictability on fitness
 proxies of ancestors. Transgenerational responses appeared to be the
 result of changes in phenotypic plasticity rather than local adaptation.
 They mainly existed with respect to conditions prevailing during early,
 but not during late growth, suggesting that responses to differences in
 predictability during late growth might be more difficult. The results
 show that lower short-term predictability of precipitation positively
 affected fitness, that rapid transgenerational responses existed, and that
 different time-scales of predictability (short-term, seasonal, and
 transgenerational predictability) may affect organisms differently. This
 shows that the time-scale of predictability should be considered in
 evolutionary and ecological theories, and in assessments of the
 consequences of climate change.
description: G0_ONOData of the ancestral
 generation (G0) of Onobrychis viciifolia Plot Plot Year: Year (with four
 levels: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015), Early: "Early predictability
 treatment" (with two levels: M = More predictable; L = Less
 predictable), Late: "Late predictability treatment" (with two
 levels: M = More predictable; L = Less predictable), t to flowering: Time
 to flowering (in weeks), N seeds: Number of produced seeds, Seed mass:
 Seed mass average (in g), P seed production: Probability of seed
 productionG0_PAData of the ancestral
 generation (G0) of Papaver rhoeas Plot: Plot, Year: Year (with four
 levels: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015), Early: "Early predictability
 treatment" (with two levels: M = More predictable; L = Less
 predictable), Late: "Late predictability treatment" (with two
 levels: M = More predictable; L = Less predictable), t to flowering: Time
 to flowering (in weeks), N seeds: Number of seeds produced, Seed mass:
 Seed mass average (in g), P seed production: Probability of seed
 productionTemerge_ONOData of "Time to seedling emergence" of the ancestral generation (G0) of Onobrychis viciifolia Plot: Plot, Year: Year (with four levels: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015), Early: "Early predictability treatment" (with two levels: M = More predictable; L = Less predictable), T to emergence: Time to emergence (in days)Temerge_PAData of "Time to seedling emergence" of the ancestral generation (G0) of Papaver rhoeas" Plot: Plot, Year: Year (with four levels: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015), Early: "Early predictability treatment" (with two levels: M = More predictable; L = Less predictable), T to emergence: Time to emergence (in days)Trans_ONOData of the ancestral (G0) and descendant (Gn) generations of Onobrychis viciifolia that allows testing for a transgenerational responses Plot: Plot, Year: Year (with three levels: 2013, 2014, 2015), Early: "Early predictability treatment" (with two levels: M = More predictable; L = Less predictable), Late: "Late predictability treatment" (with two levels: M = More predictable; L = Less predictable), t to flowering: Time to flowering (in weeks), N seeds: Number of produced seeds, Seed mass: average seed mass (in g), P seed production: Probability of seed production, PTR: Potential Transgenerational Response (with two levels: ancestors (G0) and descendants (Gn)), Matriline ID: ID of the matrilineTrans_PAData of the ancestral (G0) and descendant (Gn) generations of Papaver rhoeas that allow testing for a transgenerational responses Plot: Plot, Year: Year (with three levels: 2013, 2014, 2015), Early: "Early predictability treatment" (with two levels: M = More predictable; L = Less predictable), Late: "Late predictability treatment" (with two levels: M = More predictable; L = Less predictable), t to flowering: Time to flowering (in weeks), N seeds: Number of produced seeds, Seed mass: average seed mass (in g), P seed production: Probability of seed production, PTR: Potential Transgenerational Response (with two levels: ancestors (G0) and descendants (Gn)), Matriline ID: ID of the matrilineG0_PAData of the ancestral generation (G0) of Papaver rhoeas Plot: Plot, Year: Year (with four levels: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015), Early: "Early predictability treatment" (with two levels: M = More predictable; L = Less predictable), Late: "Late predictability treatment" (with two levels: M = More predictable; L = Less predictable), t to flowering: Time to flowering (in weeks), N seeds: Number of seeds produced, Seed mass: Seed mass average (in g), P seed production: Probability of seed production