Data from: Genetic variation underlying the expression of a polyphenism

Polyphenic traits are widespread, and represent a conditional strategy sensitive to environmental cues. The environmentally cued threshold (ET) model considers the switchpoint between alternative phenotypes as a polygenic quantitative trait with normally distributed variation. However, the genetic variation for switchpoints has rarely been explored empirically. Here we used inbred lines to investigate the genetic variation for the switchpoint in the mite Rhizoglyphus echinopus, in which males are either fighters or scramblers. The conditionality of male dimorphism varied among inbred lines, indicating that there was genetic variation for switchpoints in the base population, as predicted by the ET model. Our results also suggest a mixture between canalised and conditional strategists in R. echinopus. We propose that major genes that canalise morph expression and affect the extent to which a trait can be conditionally expressed could be a feature of the genetic architecture of threshold traits in other taxa.,Buzatto et al 2012This file contains the body weight of quiescent tritonymphs (QTW, see text) that developed into fighter or scrambler males of the bulb mite Rhizoglyphus echinopus. Males were either from one of eight inbred lines (L10, L18, L19, L27, L29, L30, L36 and L38) or from the base population from which the inbred lines were derived.,

多态表型性状（Polyphenic traits）分布广泛，属于一类响应环境信号的条件性适应策略。环境触发阈值模型（Environmentally Cued Threshold, ET）将不同表型间的转换阈值视为具有正态分布变异的多基因数量性状。然而，学界极少通过实验探究转换阈值的遗传变异。本研究以雄性存在格斗型（Fighter）与滑走型（Scrambler）两种表型的球根螨（Rhizoglyphus echinopus）为研究对象，利用近交系探究其转换阈值的遗传变异。雄性二态性的条件性在不同近交系间存在显著差异，这表明基础种群中确实存在ET模型所预测的转换阈值遗传变异。本研究结果还显示，球根螨种群中同时存在表型稳态化策略者与条件策略者。我们提出，调控表型表达稳态化并影响性状条件表达程度的主效基因，可能也是其他类群阈值性状遗传结构的共同特征。（Buzatto 等，2012）
本数据集包含发育为球根螨（Rhizoglyphus echinopus）格斗型或滑走型雄性的静止期第三若虫体重（quiescent tritonymph weight, QTW，详见正文）数据。供试雄性个体要么来自8个近交系（L10、L18、L19、L27、L29、L30、L36及L38），要么来自构建这些近交系的基础种群。