MASTREE+: time-series of plant reproductive effort from six continents
Data files
Jul 28, 2026 version files 18.46 MB
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MASTREEplus_2022-02-03_V1.csv
18.46 MB
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README.md
7.32 KB
Abstract
Significant gaps remain in understanding the response of plant reproduction to environmental change. This is partly because measuring reproduction in long-lived plants requires direct observation over many years and such datasets have rarely been made publicly available. Here we introduce MASTREE+, a dataset that collates reproductive time-series data from across the globe and makes these data freely available to the community.
MASTREE+ includes 73,828 georeferenced observations of annual reproduction (e.g., seed and fruit counts) in perennial plant populations worldwide. These observations consist of 5,971 population-level time-series from 974 species in 66 countries. The mean and median time-series length is 12.4 and 10 years respectively, and the dataset includes 1,122 series that extend over at least two decades (>=20 years of observations). For a subset of well-studied species, MASTREE+ includes extensive replication of time-series across geographical and climatic gradients. Here we describe the open-access dataset, available as a .csv file, and we introduce an associated web-based app for data exploration. MASTREE+ will provide the basis for improved understanding of the response of long-lived plant reproduction to environmental change. Additionally, MASTREE+ will enable investigation of the ecology and evolution of reproductive strategies in perennial plants, and the role of plant reproduction as a driver of ecosystem dynamics.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.18931zd02
Description of the data and file structure
This is the official repository of the MASTREE+ dataset Version 1
Files and variables
File: MASTREEplus_2022-02-03_V1.csv
Description: An extended description of each variable is provided in Appendix 5 of the original MASTREE+ paper https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16130
Variables
- Alpha_Number: Unique code associated with each source of data. Numeric, 4 characters.
- Segment: Code to indicate a temporal segment of a time-series containing gaps. Numeric, 2 characters.
- Site_number: Code to differentiate multiple sites from the same original source. Numeric, 3 characters
- Variable_number: Code to differentiate multiple measures of reproductive output from the same species-site combination. Numeric, 1 character
- Year: Year of observation. The calendar year associated with the observation, as indicated in the original record. Where species have a clearly defined phenological season for flowering or fruit/seed maturation (i.e., in the extratropics), this corresponds to the calendar year at the time of flowering or fruit/seed maturation as indicated in the original record. Numeric, 4 characters
- Species: Species identifier. Species identifiers are standardised according to The Plant List nomenclature. “spp.” is used to indicate a record identified to the genus level only, e.g., Quercus spp. refers to a record where reproduction is only identified to the genus level. “MIXED” indicates a non-species-specific community-level estimate of annual reproductive effort. Alphanumeric, variable number of characters
- Species_code: Six-character species identifier, unique for each species. Alphanumeric, 6 characters
- Mono_Poly: Monocarpic (M) or polycarpic (P) species. Alphanumeric, 1 character.
- Value: The measured value of annual reproductive output. Unit provided by Variable "Unit". Numeric, variable number of characters
- VarType: The variable type: Continuous (C) or Ordinal (O). Alphanumeric, 1 character
- Max_value: The maximum value in a time-series. Numeric, variable number of characters
- Unit: The unit of measurement, where VarType is continuous. Ordinal series are unitless, and are indicated by “NA”. Alphanumeric and special characters, variable number of characters
- Variable: Categorical classification of the measured variable. Possible values = cone, flower, fruit, seed, pollen, total reproduction organs. Alphanumeric, variable number of characters
- Collection_method: Classification of the method used to measure reproductive effort. Possible values = cone count, cone scar count, flower count, fruit count, fruit scar count, seed count, seed trap, pollen count, lake sediment pollen count, harvest record, visual crop assessment, other quantification, dendrochronological reconstruction. Alphanumeric, variable number of characters
- Latitude: Latitude of the sample location for the record, in decimal degrees. Numeric, variable number of characters
- Longitude: Longitude of the sample location for the record, in decimal degrees. Numeric, variable number of characters
- Coordinate_flag: A flag to indicate the precision of the latitude and longitude. A = coordinates provided in the original source. B = coordinates estimated by the compiler based on a map or other location information provided in the original source. C= coordinates estimated by the compiler as the approximate centre point of the smallest clearly defined geographical unit provided in the original source. Alphanumeric, 1 character
- Site: A site name or description. Alphanumeric and special characters, variable number of characters
- Country: The country where the observation was recorded. Country names are standardised to the English short name (ISO3166-1), using the “countrycode” package for R (v. 1.2.0). Alphanumeric and special characters, variable number of characters
- Elevation: The elevation of the sample site in metres above sea level, where provided in the original source. Numeric, variable number of characters
- Spatial_unit: Categorical classification of spatial scale represented by the record, estimated by the compiler based on information provided in the original source. stand = <100 ha, patch = 100-10,000 ha, region = 10,000-1,000,000 ha, super-region = >1,000,000 ha. Alphanumeric and special characters, variable number of characters
- No_indivs: Either the number of monitored individual plants, or the number of litter traps. 9999 indicates that while the number of monitored individuals was not specified, the compiler concluded (based on information in the source) that the sample size was likely >=10 individuals or litter traps. NA indicates no information on the sample size in the original source. Numeric, variable number of characters
- Start: The first year of observations for a time-series. Numeric, 4 characters
- End: The final year of observations for a time-series. Numeric, 4 characters
- Length: The number of years of observations for a time-series. Numeric, variable number of characters
- Reference: Identification for the original source of the data. The full list of references is included in Appendix 4 of the original MASTREE+ publication https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16130. Alphanumeric and special characters, variable number of characters
- Record_type: Categorisation of type of original source. Peer-reviewed = data extracted from peer reviewed literature, Grey = data extracted from grey literature, Unpublished = previously unpublished data. Alphanumeric and special characters, variable number of characters
- ID_enterer: Identification of the original compiler of the record. The compiler was responsible for extracting and entering the data and meta data into MASTREE+. AHP = Andrew Hacket-Pain; ES = Eliane Schermer; JVM = Jose Moris; XTT = Tingting Xue; TC = Thomas Caignard; DV = Davide Vecchio; DA = Davide Ascoli; IP = Ian Pearse; JL = Jalene LaMontagne; JVD = Joep van Dormolen. Alphanumeric, variable number of characters
- Date_entry: Date of data entry into MASTREE+ in the format yyyy-mm-dd. Numeric and special character, format yyyy-mm-dd
- Note on data location: Notes made by the compiler on the location of the data within the original source. This might include the page number, figure number or table number. Not always completed. Blank entries filled with “NA”. Alphanumeric and special characters, variable number of characters
- Comments: Contextual notes made by the compiler during data entry, additional information provided by the data contributor, or notes made by by AHP or JJF during data validation. Alphanumeric and special characters, variable number of characters
- Study_ID: Unique code associated with each source of data. Alphanumeric and special characters, 6 characters.
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
Data was derived from the following sources:
- See https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16130 for full list of sources
Please see the associated publication for details of how data was collected and processed.
Details are provided in the associated publication, including full usage notes and example R scripts.
