Data from: Natural soil microbes alter flowering phenology and the intensity of selection on flowering time in a wild Arabidopsis relative

Plant phenology is known to depend on many different environmental
variables, but soil microbial communities have rarely been acknowledged as
possible drivers of flowering time. Here, we tested separately the effects
of four naturally occurring soil microbiomes and their constituent soil
chemistries on flowering phenology and reproductive fitness of Boechera
stricta, a wild relative of Arabidopsis. Flowering time was sensitive to
both microbes and the abiotic properties of different soils; varying soil
microbiota also altered patterns of selection on flowering time. Thus,
soil microbes potentially contribute to phenotypic plasticity of flowering
time and to differential selection observed between habitats. We also
describe a method to dissect the microbiome into single axes of variation
that can help identify candidate organisms whose abundance in soil
correlates with flowering time. This approach is broadly applicable to
search for microbial community members that alter biological
characteristics of interest.