Data from: Molecular and quantitative signatures of biparental inbreeding depression in the self-incompatible tree species Prunus avium

Genetic diversity strongly influences populations’ adaptability to
changing environments and therefore survival. Sustainable forest
management practices have multiple roles including conservation of genetic
resources and timber production. In this study, we aimed at better
understanding the variation in genetic diversity among adult and offspring
individuals, and the effects of mating system on offspring survival and
growth in wild cherry, Prunus avium. We analysed adult trees and open
pollinated seed-families from three stands in Germany at eight
microsatellite loci and one incompatibility system locus and conducted
paternity analyses. Seed viability testing and seed sowing in a nursery
allowed further testing for the effects of pollen donor diversity and
genetic similarity between mates on the offspring performance at the seed
and seedling stages. Our results were contrasting across stands. Loss of
genetic diversity from adult to seedling stages and positive effect of
mate diversity on offspring performance occurred in one stand only,
whereas biparental inbreeding depression and significant decrease in
fixation index from adults to seedlings was detected in two stands. We
discussed the effects of stand genetic diversity on the magnitude of
biparental inbreeding depression at several life-stages and its
consequences on the management of genetic resources in P. avium.