Data from: Spatiotemporal interaction of risk-spreading strategies for a seed-dimorphic plant

For plants, the risk of stress-induced reproductive failure can be spread
temporally and spatially by increasing the variation in stress tolerance
and dispersibility, respectively. Yet, we have limited understanding on
how intraspecific stress tolerance can be interactively adjusted by these
two risk-spreading strategies. Seed-dimorphic plants, which are
frequently found in stressful and fluctuating environments, can produce
dimorphic offspring with different stress tolerances and dispersibilities.
Using a seed-dimorphic Asteraceae, Synedrella nodiflora, we illustrated
how maternal-drought-induced changes in drought tolerance and
dispersibility may interactively increase intraspecific drought tolerance
variation, and thus potentially improve adaptation to various water
conditions. Maternal drought stress increased the mean or
variation of drought tolerance of the less-dispersible (R-type) offspring,
whereas it had variable effects on the drought tolerance of the
more-dispersible (D-type) offspring depending on maternal seed morph
(R-type vs. D-type) and habitat (dry vs. wet). Because the relative
abundances of these two types of offspring remained largely unchanged by
maternal drought, there was an overall increase in the intraspecific mean
and variation of drought tolerance under maternal drought stress, driven
by the changes in the less-dispersible offspring. Synthesis. Our results
indicate a strong interaction between stress tolerance variation and seed
dispersibility in seed-dimorphic plant species. Using drought tolerance as
an indicator, we demonstrate a potential pathway for the adaptive
evolution of seed-dimorphic plants that may contribute to their wide
distribution. More importantly, our findings highlight the ecological
significance of seed dimorphism and the variation of stress tolerance to
avoid reproductive failure under various environmental conditions.