Data from: Variation in flower size and shape of Impatiens capensis is correlated with urbanization in Montreal, Canada
Data files
Apr 30, 2024 version files 2.73 GB
Abstract
Urbanization is changing the conditions in which many species live, forcing them to adjust to these novel environments. Floral size and shape are critical traits for the reproduction of plants pollinated by animals as they are involved in the attraction of pollinators and in efficient pollination. Variation in size and shape could be affected by urbanization via its modification of the abiotic environment (habitat fragmentation, water availability, temperature, soil properties), or via its impact on the biotic environment of plants (pollination, herbivory). Although numerous studies have assessed the impact of urbanization on pollinator communities and on many plant traits, few have investigated its impact on floral size and shape while quantifying the proportion of the total urbanization effect that is due to biotic interactions. In this study, we tested if urbanization and pollinator visitation rates affects the flower shape of the spotted jewelweed, Impatiens capensis. We quantified size and shape of flowers in frontal and profile views using geometric morphometrics for 228 individuals from six populations from the region of Montreal, Canada. Pollinator visitation rates were estimated at each site and the main pollinators were found to be bumblebees, honeybees and hummingbirds. We found that floral size and shape are significantly correlated with urbanization as measured by the amount of vegetation in the surrounding environment of the plants (mean normalized vegetation index, NDVI) and by the visitation rates of bumblebees and honey bees. Partitioning of the total flower shape variation suggests that urbanization affects flower shape through abiotic factors and via its impact on pollinator visitation rates. While further studies from other cities are necessary to confirm the role of urbanization in shaping the floral shape of I. capensis, these results support the idea that urbanization could affect flower shapes.
README: Description of dataset
This dataset contains flower shape data for geometric morphometric analyses as well as urbanization and pollinator information to test the effect of these variables on flower shape.
Six populations of Impatiens capensis were studied. Three were located in suburban zones and three in more natural sites. The suburban sites are located in the city of Laval, Quebec, Canada (identified with the prefix “SU” for suburban). One population on Rang St-François (SU-RSF) is a prairie on the side of a calm road near a highway (N45.61418° W73.70214°). The Rue Bergeron population (SU-RB) is at the extremity of a dead end and the population starts in a flowering prairie and continues by a stream in a forest (N45.652144° W73.752036°). The last suburban population is located near the golf course UFO (SU-UFO) and is located along a path crossing a stream in a forest (N45.54913° W73.85662°). The three other populations are located in natural parks and ecological reserves (identified with the prefix “N”). One natural site is in the Oka National Park (N-OKA), in a prairie along the road crossing the park (N45.48597° W74.02457°). Another natural population is in the park Rivière-du-Nord (N-RDN) along a stream (N45.868984° W74.084186°). The last population is located along the road in a protected reserve near the Station de Biologie des Laurentides (N-SBL) of the Université de Montréal, in the town of Saint-Hippolyte (N45.974711° W74.020419°).
The package is composed of 3 zip archived. The content of each archive is described below.
Note: the TPS format is described in Rohlf, F.J. 2015. The tps series of software. Hystrix. 26(1):9-12. It is in standard text format and can be opened with any text editor.
Archive: pictures_by_population.zip
Pictures in front and profile view. Each population is in a different folder. Files are in jpeg format.
Archive: scripts.zip
Scripts to perform the analyses presented in the study. The scripts are in R language.
- Impatiens_script_final.R : Main script
- utility_functions.R : Contains functions associated with geometric morphometrics
Archive: data.zip
Folder: ./data/morpho
File: front.tps
File containing the raw geometric morphometric data of the front pictures in TPS format.
File: front_photo_info.csv
File containing specimen information for the front pictures.
Variables:
- Individual: Number identifying each single individual
- Photo: Name of the photo
- Population: Name of the population
- Stage: Flower developmental stage
- Urbanization: Whether the population in from urban or non-urban environment.
File: profile.tps
File containing the raw geometric morphometric data of the profile pictures in TPS format.
File: profile_photo_info.csv
File containing specimen information for the profile pictures.
Variables:
- Individual: Number identifying each single individual
- Photo: Name of the photo
- Population: Name of the population
- Stage: Flower developmental stage
- Urbanization: Whether the population in from urban or non-urban environment.
File: semilandmarks_front.csv
Semi-landmark information for the front pictures.
Variables:
- slide: The semi-landmark
- before: The landmark preceding the semi-landmark in the curve
- after: The landmark after the semi-landmark in the curve
File: semilandmarks_profile.csv
Semi-landmark information for the profile pictures.
Variables:
- slide: The semi-landmark
- before: The landmark preceding the semi-landmark in the curve
- after: The landmark after the semi-landmark in the curve
Folder: ./data/urbanization
File: urban_data.csv
Data file containing the urbanization information for each site.
Variables:
- Site: Name of the population
- ndvi_500m: Mean normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) value in a circle of 500m radius centered on the population
- ndvi_1km: Mean normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) value in a circle of 1km radius centered on the population
- ndvi_2km: Mean normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) value in a circle of 2km radius centered on the population
- gmis_500m: Mean impervious surfac cover (global man-made impervious surface) value in a circle of 500m radius centered on the population
- gmis_1k: Mean impervious surfac cover (global man-made impervious surface) value in a circle of 1km radius centered on the population
- gmis_2km: Mean impervious surfac cover (global man-made impervious surface) value in a circle of 2km radius centered on the population
Folder: ./data/pollinators
File: Pollinator_raw_data.csv
File containing the raw pollinator data information.
Variables:
- Date: Date of obsdervation
- Population: Name of the population
- Observer: Name of observer
- Time of the observation: Time of the observation
- Species observed: Species name of the animal observed
- Pollinator: Variable indicating whether the animal is a pollinator or not
- Taxonomic group: Taxoomic group of the animal
- Number of flowers observed: Number of flowers that were observed by the observer
- Period of observation: Period of observation (range)
- Duration of observation: Length of observation period in minutes
- Notes: Notes on the observation
Usage notes
The R script and data to repeat the analyses can be opened with any text editor.
The raw images are in jpeg format and can be opened with most imagery software.