Data from: Epigenetic variation predicts regional and local intraspecific functional diversity in a perennial herb

The ecological significance of epigenetic variation has been generally
inferred from studies on model plants under artificial conditions, but the
importance of epigenetic differences between individuals as a source of
intraspecific diversity in natural plant populations remains essentially
unknown. This paper investigates the relationship between epigenetic
variation and functional plant diversity by conducting epigenetic
(methylation-sensitive amplified fragment length polymorphisms, MSAP) and
genetic (amplified fragment length polymorphisms, AFLP) marker-trait
association analyses for 20 whole-plant, leaf and regenerative functional
traits in a large sample of wild-growing plants of the perennial herb
Helleborus foetidus from ten sampling sites in southeastern Spain. Plants
differed widely in functional characteristics, and exhibited greater
epigenetic than genetic diversity, as shown by percent polymorphism of
MSAP fragments (92%) or markers (69%) greatly exceeding that for AFLP ones
(41%). After controlling for genetic structuring and possible cryptic
relatedness, every functional trait considered exhibited a significant
association with at least one AFLP or MSAP marker. A total of 27 MSAP
(13.0% of total) and 12 AFLP (4.4%) markers were involved in significant
associations, which explained on average 8.2% and 8.0% of trait variance,
respectively. Individual MSAP markers were more likely to be associated
with functional traits than AFLP markers. Between-site differences in
multivariate functional diversity was directly related to variation in
multilocus epigenetic diversity after multilocus genetic diversity was
statistically accounted for. Results suggest that epigenetic variation can
be an important source of intraspecific functional diversity in H.
foetidus, possibly endowing this species with the capacity to exploit a
broad range of ecological conditions despite its modest genetic diversity.