Datasets for microsatellite genotype for natural populations and seedlings from six mother trees, and seedling survival and growth records

To assess genetic factors that affect the fitness of seedlings of
Rubroshorea curtisii, a dominant canopy tree species in hill dipterocarp
forests, the inter- and intra-population genetic structure of individuals
with reproductive stage and, survival rate and seedling growth performance
in relation to the bi-parental genetic relationship were studied. A
Bayesian based clustering analysis revealed that three genetically
distinct clusters were observed in almost all populations throughout the
distributional range of the species in Malay Peninsula and provided the
optimum explanation for the genetic structure of 182 mature individuals in
two permanent plots in a hill dipterocarp forest. The two clusters showed
larger genetic differentiation from the ancestral admixture population,
but the other one was not differentiated. A total of 460 seedlings derived
from six mother trees in the plot were raised in a nursery, and their
pollen donors were identified using genetic marker based paternity
assignment. Seed weight, bi-parental genetic relatedness, and bi-parental
genetic heterogeneity based on the clustering analysis were used to
analyze their effects on seedling fitness. The bi-parental larger genetic
heterogeneity was associated with a significantly higher probability of
seedling survivorship, and likewise, higher performance of vertical growth
of the seedlings; but the seed weight and genetic relatedness did not
significantly affect those. This evidence suggests that fitter seedlings
derived from mating between parents with different genetic clusters
contribute to maintaining genetic diversity through negative
frequency-dependent selection and may have an important role in adaptation
in the tropical forest plant community.