Tillandsia landbeckii is securing high phenotypic plasticity and population fitness via clonal propagation at the dry limits of plant life in the Chilean Atacama Desert

Sarina Jabbusch, Marcus A. Koch*

*Correspondence: Marcus A. Koch, [e-mail]

General description of data

Tillandsia landbeckii is an epiarenically (on sand and without roots) growing Bromeliaceae from the Atacama Desert. We gathered genetic (genotyping-by-sequencing) as well as phenotypic data. The phenotypic data included growth rate, leaf length and stem diameter of one Tillandsia landbeckii population. Growth rate and leaf length were collected from nine study plots distributed across the population at different elevations and with different vegetation densities. This data was gathered for one year in situ in the Atacama Desert and for two years ex situ at Heidelberg Botanic Garden with T. landbeckii plants collected from the nine study plots. Leaf length and stem diameter were measured across the whole T. landbeckii population in addition to the phenotypic measurements in the nine plots.
With the genetic data, we determined the genetic diversity in the Tillandsia landbeckii population, assigned genetic variation into genepools and characterized clonally distributed individuals and their respective frequency.
In combination with the phenotypic data, we evaluated which effect genetic and phenotypic variability in concert have on the fitness of the T. landbeckii population.
Furthermore, the phenotypic field data are used to compare growth rates and leaf length under differing environmental conditions and to evaluate seasonal differences in the growth rate.

The file explanation.docx will provide details about data files and scripts.

Sarina Jabbusch, Marcus A. Koch*
*通讯作者：Marcus A. Koch，邮箱：[e-mail]

数据集总体说明
兰氏铁兰（Tillandsia landbeckii）是一种沙生附生型（生长于沙面且无根系）凤梨科（Bromeliaceae）植物，原生分布于阿塔卡马沙漠。本研究收集了该物种的遗传数据（基于测序的基因分型，genotyping-by-sequencing）与表型数据。表型数据涵盖单个兰氏铁兰种群的生长速率、叶长与茎径。研究人员从分布于该种群内不同海拔、植被密度各异的9个样地中采集了生长速率与叶长数据。该数据的采集分为两部分：在阿塔卡马沙漠原位开展为期1年的野外观测，以及利用从上述9个样地采集的兰氏铁兰植株，在海德堡植物园开展为期2年的迁地栽培观测。除9个样地内的表型测定外，研究人员还对整个兰氏铁兰种群的叶长与茎径进行了测量。
借助遗传数据，本研究解析了兰氏铁兰种群的遗传多样性，将遗传变异划分为不同基因库（genepool），并鉴定了无性繁殖个体的分布情况及其出现频率。结合表型数据，本研究评估了遗传变异与表型变异协同作用对兰氏铁兰种群适合度的影响。此外，本研究利用野外表型数据，对比了不同环境条件下的生长速率与叶长差异，并评估了生长速率的季节变化特征。
文件explanation.docx将提供数据文件与分析脚本的详细说明。