AFLP and MS-AFLP data for Spartina alterniflora and Borrichia frutescens collected from three habitats (i.e. low, medium, and high salt) within five sites, respectively, on Sapelo Island, GA in May 2011

Using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and methylation sensitive (MS)-AFLP we assessed genetic and epigenetic variation in two salt marsh perennials, Spartina alterniflora and Borrichia frutescens, in Sapelo Island, Georgia. We sampled Apex (A), Cabretta (C), Hunt Camp (H), Lighthouse (L), and Marsh Landing (M) for S. alterniflora, and C, H, L, M, and Shell Hammock for B. frutescens due to site specific differences in species among the sites. We tested the hypothesis that populatation structure at the habitat level would be due to epigenetic loci and not genetic. The presence and absence AFLP bands and MS-AFLP methylation respresents a genome-wide snapsnot of variation within individuals. We used hierarchical AMOVAs, permutational MANOVA, Bayesian clustering (genetic only), Mantel and partial Mantel tests, and generalized linear models to assess the spatial structure of genetic and epigenetic variation among our two study organisms across five sites for each organism. (Note: genetic and habitat distance tables were normalized for database compatibility. These data must be formatted as a square dissimilarity matrix for input to the code files.)