A greenhouse experiment was conducted to test the ability of the invasive clonal plant, Lepidium draba, to cope with damage to local and different ramets. The experiment was arranged in a fully factorial split-pot design that was blocked by bench position and provenance population of the plant. Plants were grown in 'split pots', where two adjoining pots were glued together with a small opening for a lateral root to pass through. A plant with a long lateral root was placed such that one ramet was in one pot, and a connected ramet was in the adjoining pot. One ramet was randomly assigned as the 'local' ramet and the other was assigned as the 'neighbor' ramet. Three treatments were applied in a fully factorial manner: (1) connection of lateral root (connected / not connected), (2) damage to local ramet by a generalist herbivore Trichoplusia ni (damaged / undamaged); (3) damage to the local ramet by a specialist herbivore Pieris rapae (damaged / undamaged). Measured responses were the amount of foliar damage to plants, the relative growth rate of a newly applied (bioassay) herbivore (T. ni), the belowground and aboveground biomass of each ramet, and the ability of the neighboring ramet to regrow following removal of aboveground biomass.

Data were collected from an experimental greenhouse study in which Lepidium draba plants were grown from root cuttings to create plants at different ontogenic stages. Plants were arranged in mixed-age and single-age stands and exposed to the Lepidopteran herbivore, diamondback moth caterpillars. The success (biomass gain and surivival) of herbivores, the amount of feeding, and the growth of plants were recorded as responses to ontogenic stage. In addition, glucosinolates (a group of secondary metabolites known to act as defenses against herbivores) were quantified on plants of differing ontogenic stage.

Data were collected from an experimental greenhouse study in which Lepidium draba plants were grown from root cuttings to create plants at different ontogenic stages. Plants were arranged in mixed-age and single-age stands and exposed to the Lepidopteran herbivore, diamondback moth caterpillars. The success (biomass gain and surivival) of herbivores, the amount of feeding, and the growth of plants were recorded as responses to ontogenic stage. In addition, glucosinolates (a group of secondary metabolites known to act as defenses against herbivores) were quantified on plants of differing ontogenic stage.

,These data come from a roughly 4-year study on the growth response of a highly invasive woody plant to the damage induced by its biological control agent (an insect) and to soil fertilizer levels. The study design was an interrupted time series in which data were collected from plants for 2 years ("pre"), agents were introduced, and data collection continued for 2 years with sustained agent releases ("post"). Each month, stem tip counts and other measurements were collected from roughly 200 plants: 100 in each of two garden plots (IPRL and UF/IRREC). As plants grew larger (eventually to ~250 cm tall), data collection was spaced to roughly every 2 months and some replicates within each treatment were dropped. In addition to the "interruption" of introducing the agents, the other treatment was the addition of various concentrations of liquid fertilizer to the soil throughout the study. While there were no control plants that did not receive insects, each plant was followed over the course of the pre-post design experiment and Bayesian mixed modelling was used to interpret the effect of releasing the insect on how plant growth parameters changed over time and under different fertilizer levels. We have included raw data in .csv and .xlsx formats, one set for each garden plot as plots were analyzed separately. The Excel files have notes in the header column providing more information about each variable. However, not all variables were analyzed in the published study. The R code is also attached, which runs the Bayesian analyses for each plot and each response variable of interest in the published study. Raw data are also provided for soil and foliar nitrogen content. Soil nitrogen was analyzed at both plots, but foliar nitrogen was only analyzed at one of the plots (IPRL).,

Abstract Ecological factors favoring either resprouting or obligate seeding in plants have received considerable attention recently. Three ecological models have been proposed to explain patterns of these two life history types. In this study we test these three models using data from California chaparral. We take an innovative approach to testing these models by not testing community or landscape patterns, but instead, investigating environmental patterns characteristic of pairs of either resprouting or obligate seeding subspecies of Arctostaphylos (Ericaceae), a dominant and diverse shrub genus in chaparral. Four species were investigated that contain both a resprouting and an obligate seeding subspecies. Data were analyzed for % bare ground, elevation, annual precipitation, number of fires, and time between fires and were compared independently for each subspecies pair. Results were consistently supportive of the gap-dependent model suggesting that obligate seeders are favored when post-disturbance gaps are large. Results for other aspects were inconclusive or contrary to expectations for either of the other models.

Abstract Ecological factors favoring either resprouting or obligate seeding in plants have received considerable attention recently. Three ecological models have been proposed to explain patterns of these two life history types. In this study we test these three models using data from California chaparral. We take an innovative approach to testing these models by not testing community or landscape patterns, but instead, investigating environmental patterns characteristic of pairs of either resprouting or obligate seeding subspecies of Arctostaphylos (Ericaceae), a dominant and diverse shrub genus in chaparral. Four species were investigated that contain both a resprouting and an obligate seeding subspecies. Data were analyzed for % bare ground, elevation, annual precipitation, number of fires, and time between fires and were compared independently for each subspecies pair. Results were consistently supportive of the gap-dependent model suggesting that obligate seeders are favored when post-disturbance gaps are large. Results for other aspects were inconclusive or contrary to expectations for either of the other models.

Biochar is being evaluated as an amendment to improve soil characteristics to increase crop yields, revitalize degraded soils and facilitate the establishment of plant cover. Unfortunately, there are few rapid tests to determine potential effects of biochar on soil and associated plant responses. Seed germination (emergence of hypocotyl) is a critical parameter for plant establishment and may be a rapid indicator of biochar effects. We adapted Oregon State University Seed Laboratory procedures to develop a “rapid-test” to screen for effects of biochar on seed germination and soil characteristics. Soils were amended with 1% biochar by weight and placed in 11.0 cm square x 3.5 cm deep containers fitted with premoistened blotter paper. Seeds were placed in a uniform 5 x 5 pattern and covered with 15 g of the soil-biochar mixtures. Two South Carolina Coastal Plain soils, the Norfolk (Fine-loamy, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Kandiudults) and Coxville (Fine, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Paleaquults), were used. Eighteen biochars were evaluated produced from 6 feedstocks [pine chips (PC), poultry litter (PL), swine solids (SS), switchgrass (SG); and two blends of PC and PL, 50% PC/50% PL (55), and 80% PC/20% PL (82). For each feedstock biochars were made by pyrolysis at 350, 500 and 700°C for 1-2 hours. Percent germination and shoot dry weight were evaluated for cabbage, carrot, cucumber, lettuce, oat, onion, perennial ryegrass and tomato. Soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and extractable phosphorus (EP), factors which can affect seed germination and early seedling growth, were determined after plant harvests. Germination primarily was affected by soil type with few biochar effects. Shoot dry weight was increased for carrot, lettuce, oat and tomato; primarily with biochars containing PL. Soil pH and EC increased with PL, SS, 55 and most 82 treatments across soil types and plant species. Soil EP increased substantially with SS and PL and to a lesser extent with 55 and 82 for both soils across species, and with SG pyrolyzed at 550 and 750°C soil for the Norfolk soil across species. Thus, this rapid-test method can be an early indicator of the effects of biochar on seed germination and important soil health characteristics which can be affected by biochar and effect seed germination. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Olszyk, D.M., T. Shiroyama, J.M. Novak, and M.G. Johnson. A Rapid-Test for Screening Biochar Effects on Seed Germination. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis. Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK, 49(16): 2025-2041, (2018).

Biochar is being evaluated as an amendment to improve soil characteristics to increase crop yields, revitalize degraded soils and facilitate the establishment of plant cover. Unfortunately, there are few rapid tests to determine potential effects of biochar on soil and associated plant responses. Seed germination (emergence of hypocotyl) is a critical parameter for plant establishment and may be a rapid indicator of biochar effects. We adapted Oregon State University Seed Laboratory procedures to develop a “rapid-test” to screen for effects of biochar on seed germination and soil characteristics. Soils were amended with 1% biochar by weight and placed in 11.0 cm square x 3.5 cm deep containers fitted with premoistened blotter paper. Seeds were placed in a uniform 5 x 5 pattern and covered with 15 g of the soil-biochar mixtures. Two South Carolina Coastal Plain soils, the Norfolk (Fine-loamy, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Kandiudults) and Coxville (Fine, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Paleaquults), were used. Eighteen biochars were evaluated produced from 6 feedstocks [pine chips (PC), poultry litter (PL), swine solids (SS), switchgrass (SG); and two blends of PC and PL, 50% PC/50% PL (55), and 80% PC/20% PL (82). For each feedstock biochars were made by pyrolysis at 350, 500 and 700°C for 1-2 hours. Percent germination and shoot dry weight were evaluated for cabbage, carrot, cucumber, lettuce, oat, onion, perennial ryegrass and tomato. Soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and extractable phosphorus (EP), factors which can affect seed germination and early seedling growth, were determined after plant harvests. Germination primarily was affected by soil type with few biochar effects. Shoot dry weight was increased for carrot, lettuce, oat and tomato; primarily with biochars containing PL. Soil pH and EC increased with PL, SS, 55 and most 82 treatments across soil types and plant species. Soil EP increased substantially with SS and PL and to a lesser extent with 55 and 82 for both soils across species, and with SG pyrolyzed at 550 and 750°C soil for the Norfolk soil across species. Thus, this rapid-test method can be an early indicator of the effects of biochar on seed germination and important soil health characteristics which can be affected by biochar and effect seed germination. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Olszyk, D.M., T. Shiroyama, J.M. Novak, and M.G. Johnson. A Rapid-Test for Screening Biochar Effects on Seed Germination. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis. Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK, 49(16): 2025-2041, (2018).

We established a common garden experiment within a 238 ha restoration site owned and managed by the South Australian Water Corporation (SA Water), near the township of Clarendon (-35.0882°S, 138.6236°E). We grew ca. 1500 seedlings sourced from one local and two non-local provenances of Eucalyptus leucoxylon to test whether local provenancing was appropriate. The three provenances spanned an aridity gradient, with the local provenance sourced from the most mesic area and the distant from the most arid. We explored the effect of provenance on four fitness proxies after 15 months, including survival, above-ground height, susceptibility to insect herbivory, and pathogen related stress.