Data from: Diverse ecological strategies increase invasion resistance in an experimental grassland restoration
Data files
Jul 24, 2025 version files 336.28 KB
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dau_mono_aster.csv
66.82 KB
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Daucus_wt.csv
4.28 KB
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designed_diversity.csv
4.01 KB
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div_hier_trait_dist.csv
13.38 KB
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div_inv_phy_dist.csv
5.95 KB
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invader_surv_19.csv
45.40 KB
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mono_hier_trait_dist.csv
33.47 KB
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mono_inv_phy_dist.csv
19.43 KB
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oen_div_aster.csv
25.61 KB
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oen_mono_aster.csv
43.57 KB
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Oenothera_caps.csv
7.98 KB
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Oenothera_wt.csv
1.77 KB
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README.md
11.39 KB
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rum_mono_aster.csv
40.08 KB
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Rumex_wt.csv
13.14 KB
Abstract
Understanding how the characteristics of native plant communities influence invasion is a pressing question, with implications for both theory and management. For decades, the primary native community characteristic used in tests of biotic resistance was species richness. However, previous studies have demonstrated that evolutionary history and functional traits both shape the invasion process, as ecological theory predicts. Theoretically, restoration and land management projects would benefit from designing seed mixtures around maximizing resistance to invasion. However, there is little empirical evidence on the importance of evolutionary diversity for management and still less guidance available to practitioners on how to apply these ecological theories effectively. We sought to empirically test how several native community characteristics (phylogenetic diversity, functional diversity, phylogenetic relatedness, and mean trait values) affected the survival of three introduced invasive species. We explored this question in experimentally restored 15 species prairie plots with three levels of phylogenetic diversity and two levels of functional diversity. Our experiment also had monocultures planted of all native species occurring in the plots that were also experimentally invaded. We found evidence that phylogenetic diversity conferred biotic resistance against one invasive species. We also found evidence that tall species better suppressed invaders. Surprisingly, we found patterns in leaf and seed traits linked to invasion resistance which were associated with both conservative and resource-acquisitive strategies. We also found evidence in both the diversity and monoculture plots that invaders were more successful with more closely related native species. Taken together, our results indicate that invasion resistance emerges from nuanced interactions between phylogenetic diversity, functional traits, and community composition, rather than from any single community characteristic. Taken together, our results underscore the complexity of biotic resistance and suggest that practitioners should prioritize phylogenetic diversity and strategic species selection when designing restoration plantings to enhance invasion resistance.
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2jm63xt0j
Description of the data and file structure
We planted an experimental prairie restoration with 72 diversity plots, established from plugs. For each of the 127 species included in the diversity experiments, we also established two monoculture plots. We experimentally invaded these plots with three species: Rumex crispus, Oenothera biennis, and Daucus carota. We tracked the survival and growth of these species over two years. We also collected trait data from the experiment to fill in gaps for species which were missing trait values in existing databases, including all three of the invaders.
For all flowering data, a 0 indicates the plant was not flowering, a 1 indicates the plant was flowering. For survival data, a 0 indicates mortality, a 1 indicates the plant survived.
For all data, NA indicates a missing value.
Trait data acronyms and units:
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SLA - Specific Leaf Area (cm2/g)
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LNC - Leaf Nitrogen Content (% weight N)
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LCC - Leaf Carbon Content (% weight C)
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Height (cm)
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Seed mass (mg)
Phylogenetic diversity metric acronyms:
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MPD - Mean Pairwise Distance
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MNTD - Mean Nearest Taxon Distance
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Faith's PD - Faith's Phylogenetic Diversity
Files and variables
File: Daucus_wt.csv
Description: Daucus carota weights from 2020
Variables
- Tag.Number: tag number of plant, unique identifier
- Plot: plot number associated with each plant
- Growth.Form: growth form of plant (either basal or seeds)
- Weight: weight in grams of each plant
File: mono_inv_phy_dist.csv
Description: Phylogenetic distance between each planted species and each of the invaders
Variables
- Plot: Plot number
- Plot_Type: Plot type (monoculture or diversity)
- Spp_code: Six letter code used for each species (first three letters of genus, first three letters of species)
- Species: Scientific name of each plant species
- dau_pdist: Phylogenetic distance between planted species and Daucus carota
- oen_pdist: Phylogenetic distance between planted species and Oenothera biennis
- rum_pdist: Phylogenetic distance between planted species and Rumex crispus
File: rum_mono_aster.csv
Description: Rumex crispus variables needed for Aster models - includes response variables for Rumex and predictor variables from monoculture plots
Variables
- surv19: survival of plant in 2019
- surv20: survival of plant in 2020
- fl20: was the plant flowering in 2020?
- bio_seeds: biomass in grams of plants that produced seeds in 2020
- rum_sla_d.r: Difference in SLA between planted species and invader
- rum_sm_d.r: Difference in seed mass between planted species and invader
- rum_lnc_d.r: Difference in LNC between planted species and invader
- rum_lcc_d.r: Difference in LCC between planted species and invader
- rum_ht_d.r: Difference in height between planted species and invader
- rum_pdist: Phylogenetic distance between planted species and invader
File: dau_mono_aster.csv
Description: Daucus carota variables needed for Aster models - includes response variables for Daucus and predictor variables from monoculture plots
Variables
- Plot: Plot where plant was found
- Tag.Number: Unique identifier for plant
- surv19: survival of plant in 2019
- surv20: survival of plant in 2020
- fl20: was the plant flowering in 2020
- bio_seeds: biomass in grams of plants that produced seeds in 2020
- bio_basal: biomass in grams of plants that did not flower in 2020
- block: Block was plant was found
- dau_sla_d.r: Difference in SLA between planted species and invader
- dau_sm_d.r: Difference in seed mass between planted species and invader
- dau_lnc_d.r: Difference in LNC between planted species and invader
- dau_lcc_d.r: Difference in LCC between planted species and invader
- dau_ht_d.r: Difference in height between planted species and invader
- dau_pdist: Phylogenetic distance between planted species and invader
File: oen_div_aster.csv
Description: Oenothera biennis variables needed for Aster models - includes response variables for Oenothera and predictor variables from diversity plots
Variables
- surv19: survival of plant in 2019
- fl19: was the plant flowering in 2019
- cap19: number of capsules produced in 2019
- surv20: survival of plant in 2020
- fl20: was the plant flowering in 2020
- bio_seeds: biomass in grams of plant in grams for those that flowered
- designed_PD: Faith's PD of planted community
- designed_raw_FDis: Functional dispersion of plant community
- oen_sla_d.r: Difference in SLA between planted community and invader
- oen_sm_d.r: Difference in seed mass between planted community and invader
- oen_lnc_d.r: Difference in LNC between planted community and invader
- oen_lcc_d.r: Difference in LCC between planted community and invader
- oen_ht_d.r: Difference in height between planted community and invader
- oen_mpd: MPD between invader and native community
- oen_mntd: MNTD between invader and native community
File: oen_mono_aster.csv
Description: Oenothera biennis variables needed for Aster models - includes response variables for Oenothera and predictor variables from monoculture plots
Variables
- surv19: survival of plant in 2019
- fl19: was the plant flowering in 2019
- cap19: number of capsules produced in 2019
- surv20: survival of plant in 2020
- fl20: was the plant flowering in 2020
- bio_seeds: biomass in grams of flowering plants in 2020 (in grams)
- oen_sla_d.r: Difference in SLA between planted species and invader
- oen_sm_d.r: Difference in seed mass between planted species and invader
- oen_lnc_d.r: Difference in LNC between planted species and invader
- oen_lcc_d.r: Difference in LCC between planted species and invader
- oen_ht_d.r: Difference in height between planted species and invader
- oen_pdist: Phylogenetic distance between planted species and invader
File: designed_diversity.csv
Description: Diversity levels of each planted community
Variables
- Plot: Plot number
- type: Was the plot planted by plug or seed?
- sp: Unique code for each plot
- block: blocks based on A horizon
- phyD: designed phylogenetic diversity level - H for high, M for medium, L for low
- trtD: designed functional diversity level - H for high or L for low
- designed_PD: Faith's PD of planted community
- designed_raw_FDis: Functional dispersion of planted community
File: Rumex_wt.csv
Description: Rumex crispus weights from 2020
Variables
- Tag.Number: Unique identifier for each plant
- Plot: Plot number
- Growth.Form: Growth form - basal or seeds
- Weight: Mass of plant in grams
File: div_inv_phy_dist.csv
Description: Phylogenetic distance (MPD or MNTD) between planted community and invader
Variables
- Plot: Plot Number
- type: was the plot established from plug or seed?
- Code: Diversity levels - first letter corresponds to phylogenetic diversity level, second to functional diversity level (H - high, M - medium, L - low)
- dau_mpd: MPD between Daucus carota and native community
- oen_mpd: MPD between Oenothera biennis and native community
- rum_mpd: MPD between Rumex crispus and native community
- dau_mntd: MNTD between Daucus carota and native community
- oen_mntd: MNTD between Oenothera biennis and native community
- rum_mntd: MNTD between Rumex crispus and native community
File: div_hier_trait_dist.csv
Description: Difference in traits between planted community and each invader
Variables
- Plot: Plot number
- type: was the plot established from plug or seed?
- Code: Diversity levels - first letter corresponds to phylogenetic diversity level, second to functional diversity level (H - high, M - medium, L - low)
- dau_sla_d.r: Difference in SLA between planted community and Daucus carota
- oen_sla_d.r: Difference in SLA between planted community and Oenothera biennis
- rum_sla_d.r: Difference in SLA between planted community and Rumex crispus
- dau_sm_d.r: Difference in seed mass between planted community and Daucus carota
- oen_sm_d.r: Difference in seed mass between planted community and Oenothera biennis
- rum_sm_d.r: Difference in seed mass between planted community and Rumex crispus
- dau_lnc_d.r: Difference in LNC between planted community and Daucus carota
- oen_lnc_d.r: Difference in LNC between planted community and Oenothera biennis
- rum_lnc_d.r: Difference in LNC between planted community and Rumex crispus
- dau_lcc_d.r: Difference in LCC between planted community and Daucus carota
- oen_lcc_d.r: Difference in LCC between planted community and Oenothera biennis
- rum_lcc_d.r: Difference in LCC between planted community and Rumex crispus
- dau_ht_d.r: Difference in height between planted community and Daucus carota
- oen_ht_d.r: Difference in height between planted community and Oenothera biennis
- rum_ht_d.r: Difference in height between planted community and Rumex crispus
File: mono_hier_trait_dist.csv
Description: Difference in traits between planted species and each invader
Variables
- Plot: Plot number
- Plot_Type: Monoculture or diversity plot
- Spp_code: Six letter code used for each species (first three letters of genus, first three letters of species)
- Species: Scientific name of planted species
- dau_sla_d.r: Difference in SLA between planted species and Daucus carota
- oen_sla_d.r: Difference in SLA between planted species and Oenothera biennis
- rum_sla_d.r: Difference in SLA between planted species and Rumex carota
- dau_sm_d.r: Difference in seed mass between planted species and Daucus carota
- oen_sm_d.r: Difference in seed mass between planted species and Oenothera biennis
- rum_sm_d.r: Difference in seed mass between planted species and Rumex carota
- dau_lnc_d.r: Difference in LNC between planted species and Daucus carota
- oen_lnc_d.r: Difference in LNC between planted species and Oenothera biennis
- rum_lnc_d.r: Difference in LNC between planted species and Rumex carota
- dau_lcc_d.r: Difference in LCC between planted species and Daucus carota
- oen_lcc_d.r: Difference in LCC between planted species and Oenothera biennis
- rum_lcc_d.r: Difference in LCC between planted species and Rumex carota
- dau_ht_d.r: Difference in height between planted species and Daucus carota
- oen_ht_d.r: Difference in height between planted species and Oenothera biennis
- rum_ht_d.r: Difference in height between planted species and Rumex carota
File: Oenothera_caps.csv
Description: Oenothera capsules produced by each plant in 2019
Variables
- Tag.Number: Unique identifier for each plant
- Plot: Plot number
- Capsules: Number of capsules
File: invader_surv_19.csv
Description: Invader survival in 2019
Variables
- Plot: Plot Number
- TagNumber: Unique identifier for each plant
- Species: Invader species
- Survivorship: Survival of species
File: Oenothera_wt.csv
Description: Weight of Oenothera collected in 2020
Variables
- Tag.Number: Identifier
- Measurement: Mass in grams
Code/software
R version 4.4.0 (2024-04-24 ucrt)