Data and code from: Dynamics of biotic resistance to plant invasions
Data files
Jun 16, 2026 version files 490.68 KB
Abstract
Biotic resistance, the reduction in invasion success caused by native communities, plays an important role in the long-term dynamics of biological invasions. We conducted a global meta-analysis of 240 experimental studies to assess the mechanisms by which and the extent to which biotic resistance of native communities affects the performance of alien plant species. Furthermore, we expanded the limited empirical evidence on temporal dynamics by presenting a conceptual causal network and an accompanying mathematical model to explore the eco-evolutionary dynamics of biotic resistance mechanisms. This dataset contains the extracted information from the 240 experimental studies, the R-code for the meta-analysis on biotic resistance, and the R-code for the mathematical model to explore the eco-evolutionary dynamics of biotic resistance.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.c2fqz61qr
Description of the data and file structure
We collected data from 240 published studies on biotic resistance to plant invasions. We calculated Hedges’ g effect size statistic to measure the magnitude and direction of biotic resistance and analysed the data using multilevel mixed-effects meta-analytic models, controlling for phylogenetic and other types of statistical non-independence. Additionally, we modelled biotic resistance to invaders by native antagonists using an eco-evolutionary version of the Lotka-Volterra model for predator-prey interactions. All analyses were performed in R v4.4.0 (R Core Team, 2024).
Files and variables
File: Sheppard_etal_Golivets_Biotic_resistance_meta-analysis.R
Description: R-code for the meta-analysis on biotic resistance to plant invasions.
File: Sheppard_etal_Golivets_data_metaanalysis.xlsx
Description: Data from 240 experimental studies on biotic resistance to plant invasions are included in our meta-analysis. Data originates from the papers indicated in the respective rows and was extracted and structured by the authors of this dataset.
Variables
- All variables are explained in the datasheet "Metadata".
File: Sheppard_etal_Schurr_Model_for_the_temporal_dynamics_of_biotic_resistance_by_native_antagonists.R
Description: R-code for the mathematical model on biotic resistance by native antagonists to plant invasions.
Code/software
The data was collected using the online software CADIMA, then exported to and further edited in Microsoft Excel. The R-code was run in R v4.4.0.
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
- None.
Data was derived from the following sources:
- Data was derived from the 240 papers listed in the Excel file or in Appendix 1 of the paper.