Data from: Resource limitation and competition shape reproductive allocation and synchrony
Data files
Oct 30, 2025 version files 579.08 KB
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DATA_ResourceLimitation.xlsx
446.77 KB
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Rcode.txt
128.02 KB
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README.md
4.28 KB
Abstract
This dataset accompanies the publication “Resource limitation and competition shape reproductive allocation and synchrony” (Oikos, 2025). It contains four linked data tables compiled in a single Excel file, which together describe the structure, design, and outcomes of a five-year mesocosm experiment on reproductive allocation and flowering synchrony in clonal wetland plants.
- Data_Ramets – Records the number of ramets per individual, including species identity, pot, and year, providing the base for calculating reproductive allocation (RA).
- DATA_RametsSum – Summarizes total numbers of ramets per pot across all years, enabling community- and treatment-level analyses.
- DATA_Treatments – Describes the experimental design, specifying hydrological (water-level) treatments and dominant-species removal.
- DATA_Flowering – Reports the number of flowering ramets per individual and seed mass measured in 2015.
Data values are numeric and categorical, standardized for analysis in R (as used in the publication). Together, they support replication of analyses on reproductive allocation, inter- and intraspecific synchrony, and treatment effects under contrasting water regimes and competitive contexts.
The dataset can be reused for comparative studies of clonal plant reproduction, experimental design replication, or meta-analyses on reproductive strategies under environmental stress. All data derive from controlled experiments with plant material.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.djh9w0wdm
Description of the data and file structure
The dataset originates from a five-year mesocosm experiment conducted in an experimental garden in the Czech Republic (2011–2015). The experiment tested how drought stress and the removal of a dominant species influence reproductive allocation and flowering synchrony in clonal wetland plants. Four species commonly co-occurring in temperate wetlands were grown in controlled containers under three hydrological regimes and two competition treatments. Annual measurements included the number of total and flowering ramets per individual and species, allowing assessment of inter- and intraspecific patterns of reproductive investment over time.
Files and variables
File: DATA_ResourceLimitation.xlsx
Description:
This Excel file contains four worksheets summarizing data from a five-year mesocosm experiment testing the effects of drought stress and dominant-species removal on reproductive allocation and flowering synchrony in clonal wetland plants.
Each sheet contains numeric and categorical variables standardized for analysis in R.
Sheet 1: Data_Ramets
Description:
Number of total ramets (shoots) per individual plant recorded annually, used to calculate reproductive allocation (RA).
Variables:
- ID (sequential identifier);
- PlantType (Type of individual origin: P – originally planted individual, N – new individual originating from seed (generative reproduction), S – clonal individual of Calamagrostis canescens (vegetative origin).);
- Pot (unique pot ID);
- Species (species identifier: Ela = Carex elata, Celo = Carex elongata,Cal = Calamagrostis canescens, Des = Deschampsia cespitosa);
- Year (unique identifier for each year 2012, 2013, 2014,2015)
- Nramet (number of ramets, including both flowering and non-flowering per individuum);
- Position (Unique identifier of each original plant within the pot)
Sheet 2: DATA_RametsSum
Description:
Summarized total number of ramets per pot across years, used for community-level analyses.
Variables:
- ID (sequential identifier);
- Species (species identifier: Ela = Carex elata, Celo = Carex elongata, Cal = Calamagrostis canescens, Des = Deschampsia cespitosa);
- Pot (unique pot ID);
- Year (unique identifier for each year 2012, 2013, 2014,2015)
- NrametSum (total number of ramets, including both flowering and non-flowering, in a given pot)
Sheet 3: DATA_Treatments
Description:
Metadata describing the experimental design and treatments applied to each pot.
Variables:
- ID (sequential identifier);
- Pot (unique pot ID);
- WaterLevel (three treatments: l = low, M = intermediate, H = high water level);
- DominantRemoval (two treatments: R = Carex elata removal, N = no removal);
- Block (factorial block ID)
Sheet 4: DATA_Flowering
Description:
Number of flowering ramets per individual and seed mass recorded in 2015, used to evaluate reproductive investment.
Variables:
- Pot (unique identifier for each pot);
- PlantType (N = newly recruited plants during the experiment);
- Species (species identifier: Ela = Carex elata, Celo = Carex elongata, Cal = Calamagrostis canescens, Des = Deschampsia cespitosa);
- Seeds_g (weight of achenes produced in 2015, in grams);
- NrametFruit (number of flowering ramets);
- Year (unique identifier for each year 2012, 2013, 2014,2015);
- WaterLevel (three treatment levels: l = low, M = intermediate, H = high water level);
- DominantRemoval (two treatments: R = Carex elata removal, N = no removal);
- Block (factorial block ID);
- Position (Unique identifier of each original plant within the pot)
Code/software
The submission includes an R script (Rcode.txt) that reproduces the analyses and figures described in the associated publication. The script loads the experimental data from the four Excel sheets, calculates reproductive allocation (RA) and synchrony indices, fits Bayesian mixed models (using rstanarm and bayestestR), and generates summary plots with ggplot2. All code is written for R (v. 4.3 or later) and uses only open-source packages available from CRAN.