Data from: Global biogeography of mating system variation in seed plants

• Main Authors: Moeller, David A., Briscoe Runquist, Ryan D., Moe, Annika M., Geber, Monica A., Goodwillie, Carol, Cheptou, Pierre-Olivier, Eckert, Christopher G., Elle, Elizabeth, Johnston, Mark O., Kalisz, Susan, Ree, Richard H., Sargent, Risa D., Vallejo-Marin, Mario, Winn, Alice A.
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2018
• Subjects: sexual system; floral evolution; self-fertilisation; breeding system; plant–pollinator interaction; outcrossing; latitudinal gradient; taiga
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.577q1; http://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.577q1

Latitudinal gradients in biotic interactions have been suggested as causes of global patterns of biodiversity and phenotypic variation. Plant biologists have long speculated that outcrossing mating systems are more common at low than high latitudes owing to a greater predictability of plant–pollinator interactions in the tropics; however, these ideas have not previously been tested. Here, we present the first global biogeographic analysis of plant mating systems based on 624 published studies from 492 taxa. We found a weak decline in outcrossing rate towards higher latitudes and among some biomes, but no biogeographic patterns in the frequency of self-incompatibility. Incorporating life history and growth form into biogeographic analyses reduced or eliminated the importance of latitude and biome in predicting outcrossing or self-incompatibility. Our results suggest that biogeographic patterns in mating system are more likely a reflection of the frequency of life forms across latitudes rather than the strength of plant–pollinator interactions. : Database with biogeographic and mating system informationThe datafile contains all of the data on biogeography and outcrossing rates. The column heading definitions are as follows: year: Year in which the study was published reference: Reference containing estimates of outcrossing rate family: Plant family name of the species studied genus: Genus-level name of the species studied species: species-level name of the species studied m.d.g: Broad taxonomic category; m = monocot, d = dicot, g = gymnosperm latitude: Degree of latitude (range from 0 – 90) for the population in which outcrossing rate was measured. If multiple populations were studied for a given species this value is the average of the population-level latitudes. Latitudes are expressed as decimal degrees and the absolute value from the equator. hemisphere: N = northern hemisphere; S = southern hemisphere biome: Biome categories ordered by net ecosystem productivity: 1 = Desert/arid scrub; 2 = Temperate grasslands; 3 = Shrubland/chaparral; 4 = Taiga; 5 = Tropical savannah; 6 = Temperate deciduous forest and rainforest; 7 = Tropical seasonal forest; 8 = Tropical rainforest growth: Growth form categories: 1 = Herbaceous; 2 = Vine; 3 = Schrub; 4 = Tree; 5 = Varies life.history: Life history categories: 1 = Annual; 2 = Biennial; 3 = Semelparous perennial; 4 = Iteroparous perennial; 5 = Varies si: 0 = Self-incompatible; 1 = Self-compatible mean.tm: Outcrossing rate. If multiple populations were studied for a given species this value is the average of the population-level outcrossing rates. References: A list of references used to gather biological data on species.Database_BioGeo_mating.csv