Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
10,929
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.7.1
Dataset results
10,929 results for “Communities”
Peeking under the canopy: anomalously short fire-return intervals alter subalpine forest understory plant communities
Changing climate and fire regimes are profoundly affecting temperate coniferous forests, driving greatly reduced tree cover postfire. However, whether similar changes are present in the understory of these forests remains less well-understood. We sampled understory plant communities in 20 plot pairs across Greater Yellowstone (Wyoming, USA) in July and August 2021, with each including one plot burned at short (<30 year) fire-return interval and one plot burned in the same most recent fire but not burned previously for >125 years. We also included 11 plot pairs meeting our definition of short- and long-interval fire that were sampled 12 years after the 1988 Yellowstone fires in summer 2000. We also used previously collected published and unpublished data to compare understory communities following recent (2016) short-interval fires to those following the previous long-interval fire in the same general area. In each plot, percent cover of understory plant species was estimated in 0.25-m2 quadrats, and species richness determined via a whole-plot sweep. Understory plant community cover, richness, and diversity did not differ by interval class, but species able to persist in drier conditions and in lower vegetation zones became more abundant following shot interval fire. Further, previously distinct understory communities following long-interval fire in two regions of Greater Yellowstone became slightly more similar following recent short-interval fire. Dissimilarity between plot pairs increased with greater historical snowfall and decreased with time since fire and postfire winter snowfall. These changes to understory plant communities may continue with ongoing shifts in climate and fire across temperate and boreal forests.
Community-level flowering & fitness data across an elevational gradient, Rocky Mountain Biological Lab, 2021-2022
We collected data at three sites in Washington Gulch near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL, Gothic, Colorado, USA) from June to August 2021 and 2022. RMBL is located in the East River valley of the West Elk mountains, approximately 10 kilometers from Crested Butte, Colorado. Study sites were located at 2815 m (38°53'50"N, 106°58'43"W), 3165 m (38°57'38"N, 107°01'53"W) and 3380 m (38°58'10"N, 107°01'53"W) in elevation. All sites are approximately 50 m2 and have similar slope and aspect (Sloat et al. 2015). We randomly defined five 1.2 m x 1.2 m plots within each site. Within the plots, we marked all newly open flowering units once per week from early June to mid-August. We counted flowering units as either a single flower (most species), a flowering head (Asteraceae), or an umbel (Apiaceae). We only counted flowering units once as they opened, so counts were not cumulative. We quantified fitness as successful fruit and seed development at the end of the season. When flowers began to produce fruits, we counted the number of units with fruit, the number of developed fruits produced by each flowering unit, and the number of seeds per fruit. We also recorded the week of flowering for each fruit. We could not count fruits and seeds for all species because they disappeared, were consumed too quickly, or did not produce seeds during our field season.
Compiled long-term community composition datasets of primary producers and consumers in both freshwater and terrestrial communities
This data package consists of two files to study long-term changes in communities across a range of systems (freshwater and terrestrial) and organism types (from short-lived (sub annual) to long-lived species) that are both primary producers and consumers. We compiled many datasets from publicly available archives (41 datasets are from 14 LTER sites). All datasets must have had a measure of species level abundance to calculate more derived community ecological metrics beyond species richness. These data can be used to study community dynamics over space and time.
canopy herbivory and leaf traits of tree communities in tropical montane rainforests of southern Ecuador
This dataset contains herbivory data estimated as leaf area loss [cm²] and [%] and several leaf traits measured either conventionally or via spectral sensing-based techniques from canopies of tree communities in tropical montane rainforests of the Andes in southern Ecuador between February and March in 2019. The data were used by Schön et al. (in prep) to evaluate whether leaf traits are valuable indicators of canopy herbivory mainly caused by arthropods and further, whether chemical leaf traits estimated via spectral sensing-based techniques have similar strong relations to herbivory as leaf traits measured conventionally. Herbivory was estimated with the software WinFOLIA ™ 2019a from scanned mature and sun-exposed leaves of tree canopies. Spectral sensing-based leaf traits comprising secondary plant metabolites and both structural and nutritional cell components were estimated from leaves with an OceanOptics spectrometer HDX. Conventionally measured leaf traits comprising morphological and nutritional traits were derived by applying both elemental and morphometrical analyses (e.g., ICP analysis, a digital micrometer and penetrometer). For detailed descriptions of the methodology see Schön et al. (in prep), Homeier et al. (2021), and Limberger et al. (2021). Research was conducted by the subprojects A1, B1, and B4 within the framework of the RESPECT project (Environmental changes in biodiversity hotspot ecosystems of South Ecuador: RESPonse and feedback effECTs) funded by the DFG with the grant numbers: BE1780/51-1, BE1780/51-2, Ho3296/6-1, FA 925/11-1, FA 925/11-2, FA 925/16-1, BR1293/17-1.
Breeding Bird Community Surveys in the Huron Mountains, Marquette Co., Michigan (1997-1999).
Dr. Michael Kielb and collaborators conducted repeated surveys in June and July of 1997, 1998, and 1999, of breeding-bird communities along seven permanent transects in diverse habitats (old-growth forests, secondary forests, wetlands, riverine systems, etc.) within the boundaries of the Huron Mt. Club. Permanent 'listening-points' were established along each transect at intervals of ca. 200 m (7-20 points per transect), and numbers of singing birds tallied at each point. Data reported here are totals, by species, per transect. Detailed information on transect and point locations may be found in attached documents (reports to the Huron Mountain Wildlife Foundation) in .pdf format. Documents also include additional ad hoc observations. This study was repeated in 2020-2021, using the same transects and sampling points, by Ryan Buron and Harrison Jones, then graduate students at University of Florida; data from this follow-up study will be archived at EDI as a separate data-package.
Community composition, richness, and density of endobionts from two sponge species in Crete, Greece, June 2021
These data was collected as part of a study titled "The “Single Hotel” hypothesis – Does sponge abundance affect endobionts’ diversity?" that was conducted in the island of Crete, Greece in June 2021. It includes collection of 30 sponge specimens of the common species (Agelas oroides and Sarcotragus foetidus) via SCUBA diving, their dissection and removal and identification of all endobionts living withing them (macroinvertebrates). The diversity of endobionts was then calculated and correlated with sponge properites (such as volume), and the sponges area and site of collection.
Spatiotemporal Assessment and Composition of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities in the Bermejo River Basin in the Ecuadorian Amazonia
The information includes biotic and ecological index data of benthic macroinvertebrates collected in the Ecuadorian Amazon Region. The biotic indexes are taxonomic abundance, richness, evenness, diversity, and dominance. The ecological indexes refer to the ecological water quality as determined by pollution-tolerant macroinvertebrates. The datasets also include physicochemical parameters for water quality determination. The dataset has been completed,; however, it may be updated if new information is generated.
Temporal heterogeneity increases with spatial heterogeneity in ecological communities
Heterogeneity is increasingly recognized as a foundational characteristic of ecological systems. Indeed, spatial heterogeneity is commonly used in alternative state theory as an early indicator of regime shifts. To evaluate if spatial heterogeneity of communities is a predictor of temporal heterogeneity, we used mixed effects models to synthesize 68 community datasets spanning freshwater and terrestrial systems where measures of species abundance were replicated over space and time. Overall, we found a significant positive relationship between spatial and temporal heterogeneity across all ecosystems. In addition, lifespan and successional stage were related to temporal heterogeneity. Therefore we found evidence that spatial heterogeneity is a potential tool to predict temporal heterogeneity in ecological communities. This data package consists of six files. First we used a (1) R script to derive community dynamic metrics from source files to calculate (2) spatial and temporal heterogeneity over time as well as other measures of the community. We used this derived dataset to run analyses (3) with a R script to study the relationship between spatial and temporal heterogeneity communities. These analyses resulted in three figures, (4) the overall relationship between spatial and temporal heterogeneity, (5) output of mixed models investigating how experimental and biological factors affect this relationship, and (6) figures exploring how lifespan of the study organism affects the relationship between spatial and temporal datasets.
Data from "Grassland woody plant management rapidly changes woody vegetation persistence and abiotic habitat conditions but not herbaceous community composition"
These files contain microhabitat, soil, vegetation structure, and woody plant species data used in the paper "Grassland woody plant management rapidly changes woody vegetation persistence and abiotic habitat conditions but not herbaceous community composition". The project was conducted at seven publicly accessible remnant (i.e., unplowed or old-growth) tallgrass prairie within 100 miles of Madison, Wisconsin, United States starting in the 2020 growing season and commencing following the 2022 growing season. The goal was to assess the initial effects of different management interventions on woody vegetation persistence, abiotic habitat conditions, and herbaceous community composition, including physical and chemical management interventions and their combination.
Relyea, R. A., and K. L. Yurewicz. 2002. Predicting community outcomes from pairwise interactions: Integrating density- and trait-mediated effects. Oecologia 131:569-579.
Understanding how species interactions shape the structure of ecological communities based on pairwise comparisons has been a difficult undertaking for ecologists because effects in reassembled communities can be different than simple density-mediated interactions would suggest. Part of this complexity occurs because many species change their behavior and morphology with different predators and competitors and, thus, change their per-capita interaction rates (i.e. trait-mediated interactions). Our objective was to use a simple experimental community of two predators (larval dragonflies, Anax longipes, and larval salamanders, Ambystoma tigrinum), two prey (larval green frogs, Rana clamitans, and larval bullfrogs, R. catesbeiana), and a shared prey resource to determine whether we can predict interactions in a reassembled community by combining our knowledge of density- and trait-mediated interactions,. We combined pairwise laboratory experiments on predation rates and predator-induced behaviors with a mesocosm experiment to examine density- and trait-mediated effects. We used a factorial combination of no predators, caged Anax (to induce anti-predator traits without changing prey density), and lethal Anax crossed with no predators, caged Ambystoma, and lethal Ambystoma. The species interactions in the reassembled community were qualitatively predictable based on the pairwise experiments. Lethal Anax preyed upon Ambystoma and green frogs while lethal Ambystoma only preyed upon green frogs. Anax also reduced the activity of the green frogs; this caused a decrease in salamander predation on green frogs, a decrease in green frog acquisition of resources, and an increase in bullfrog acquisition of resources. Ambystoma had no effect on green frog activity, no effect on resource acquisition by green frogs, and no effect on resource acquisition by bullfrogs. These results suggest that we can better understand how species interact in natural communities if we have a more deta
Cothran, R. D., F. Radarian, and R. A. Relyea. 2011. Altering aquatic food webs with a global insecticide: Arthropod-amphibian links in mesocosms that simulate wetland communities. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 30:893-912.
Pesticides play a critical role in maximizing yields of economically important crops and minimizing the human health threats of disease-carrying pests, but they often have collateral effects on nontarget species. We used a mesocosm study to address how the most commonly used insecticide in the USA, malathion, applied at low, ecologically relevant concentrations (20 and 110 mg/L) affects species interactions in aquatic communities. Unlike many community ecotoxicology studies, our study assessed how malathion affects both consumptive and nonconsumptive effects of predators. We also considered how the vertical distribution of predator cues and malathion (caused by potential stratification) affects species interactions. We found no evidence for vertical stratification of malathion, a result suggesting that exposure to the pesticide was uniform throughout the water column. Malathion was lethal to some primary consumers (cladocerans) at both concentrations and to top predators (dragonflies) at the highest concentration (110 mg/L). These lethal effects initiated density-mediated indirect effects in both cases. Malathion also may have decreased dragonfly foraging efficiency, resulting in increased tadpole survival (trait-mediated indirect effect), which decreased the resources used by tadpoles (periphyton). Collectively, our results show that malathion alters species interactions. However, we suggest that the degree to which pesticides affect aquatic communities will depend strongly on the species composition of communities. Therefore, the community-level consequences of pesticide exposure are likely to vary across the ecological landscape.
Data for: Sparse subalpine forest recovery pathways, plant communities, and carbon stocks 34 years after stand-replacing fire (Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Wyoming, USA; 2022)
We assessed postfire forest recovery pathways, stem densities, understory plant communities, and carbon stocks across 55 plots in areas exhibiting sparse and reduced forest recovery 34 years after the 1988 Yellowstone Fires in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Wyoming, USA. Recovery pathways were identified using plot-level frequency distributions of tree ages and correlated with potentially important biotic and abiotic variables (e.g., elevation, seed source distance). Species- and age-specific stem densities were similarly regressed across environmental factors to determine variability in forest recovery across the sampled landscape. Understory plant communities were sampled in 0.25m-square quadrats and environmental drivers of individual species occurrence and whole compositional shifts were determined. Finally, carbon stock sizes were derived from field measures of tree characteristics, understory cover, and soil combined with regionally derived allometric equations. Data collection is complete and is part of a forthcoming manuscript at Ecological Monographs.
Salinity is diagnostic of maximum potential chlorophyll and phytoplankton community structure in an Eastern Boundary Upwelling System
Coastal upwelling ecosystems associated with strong physical stirring exhibit fine-scale hydrographic and biological patchiness. Though many studies have found broad correlations between hydrographic properties (e.g., temperature and salinity) and phytoplankton biomass, we lack a detailed understanding of the underlying mechanisms and how to diagnose patchy distributions. Here, using observational data from coastal waters in the California Current System, we demonstrate that the maximum observed chlorophyll in a water parcel increases with salinity—a conservative water-mass tracer. This relationship arises from sub-euphotic zone nitrate concentrations, which also increase with salinity. Therefore, we can define maximum potential chlorophyll as a function of salinity and nitrate. We show that variations in salinity explain patterns in phytoplankton community structure and discuss how growth, grazing, and light and micronutrient limitation can generate chlorophyll values below the maximum potential. Our mechanistic explanation provides a novel framework for diagnosing biological patchiness using salinity observations.
Range size and local abundance data for angiosperm communities across an elevation gradient, Rocky Mountain Biological Lab, 2021-2022
This dataset contains abundance and range size data for angiosperm communities at three sites in Washington Gulch near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL, Gothic, Colorado, USA) for 2021 and 2022. RMBL is located in the East River valley of the West Elk mountains, approximately 10 kilometers from Crested Butte, Colorado. Study sites were located at 2815 m (38°53'50"N, 106°58'43"W), 3165 m (38°57'38"N, 107°01'53"W) and 3380 m (38°58'10"N, 107°01'53"W) in elevation, and contained five 1.2 m x 1.2 m plots each. We identified all vascular plants to species level. Each plot was sampled once per year near the peak of the growing season (approximately mid-July, depending on the year and elevation). In each plot, we counted all individuals of every species. To quantify abundance, we averaged local abundance across all five plots at each site and the two data collection years, and then ranked species by averaged abundance within each site (highest to lowest). We calculated range size as Extent of Occurrence (EOO) and Area of Occupancy (AOO). We calculated AOO and EOO with GBIF data using the ‘red’ package. We then ranked species by AOO within each site (largest to smallest).
Prairie manure application impacts on floral abundance, plant growth, plant community structure, insect and spider community abundance and activity density in experimental plots in Ames, Iowa (2021-2022).
This dataset contains results from a two-year field experiment at Iowa State University’s Horticulture Research Station to evaluate the effects of dairy manure application on native prairie plant and insect communities. We established replicated 4 m² plots across two field types, an established tallgrass prairie and a tilled crop field, and applied four manure treatments (weekly, biweekly, once per season, and control) using liquid slurry from a local dairy farm. Plant responses were monitored through weekly measurements of mortality, ground cover, floral abundance, plant height, and visual obstruction. Insect communities were sampled biweekly using vacuum suction for foliage and flower visitors and pitfall traps for ground-dwelling arthropods. Collected insects were identified to order, with Hymenoptera and Carabidae further resolved to family or genus.
[DEPRECATED] CFC01 Kings Creek long-term fish and crayfish community sampling at Konza Prairie (Reformatted to ecocomDP Design Pattern)
This data package has been deprecated due to several issues in the L0 source dataset that prohibits the creation of an L1 ecocomDP dataset. This data package is formatted according to the "ecocomDP", a data package design pattern for ecological community surveys, and data from studies of composition and biodiversity. For more information on the ecocomDP project see https://github.com/EDIorg/ecocomDP/tree/master, or contact EDI https://environmentaldatainitiative.org. This Level 1 data package was derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?scope=knb-lter-knz&identifier=130&revision=4 The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and is included for context:
Data and analysis code from: Micro-scale geography of synchrony in a serpentine plant community
This package includes data and code to reproduce analyses of micro-scale geography of synchrony in the plant community at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. Plant cover and soil depth data come from long-term experimental plots established by Richard Hobbs. Plant cover is aggregated into 36 1m2 plots across three treatments (control, gopher exclosure, rabbit exclosure) from 1983 to 2015; included herein are data on the 6 most abundant species (Plantago erecta, Bromus hordeaceous, Lasthenia californica, Microseris douglasii, Vulpia microstachys, and Calycadenia multiglandulosa), total plant cover across all species, and records of gopher disturbance in the plots. The data package also includes time series of monthly precipitation and growing season Palmer’s Drought Severity Index for the same time period. An R Markdown file is included that reproduces all analyses described in the manuscript and reproduces all data figures. Data to support: Walter, Hallett et al. in review “Micro-scale geography of synchrony in a serpentine plant community
Virgin Islands National Park: Coral Reef: Decadal-scale changes in community structure from 1987 to 2011
These time series data sample percent cover of Scleractinian corals by genus measured from photo quadrats. Percent cover is given for each quadrat, each site, each year from 1987 to 2011. Counts of juvenile corals conducted in situ and small colonies less than 4 cm diameter are pooled from all sites. Supplementary data include in situ seawater temperature daily mean from 1989 to 2011. These data were used to create the figures in Edmunds, P.J., 2013, Decadal-scale changes in the community structure of coral reefs in St. John, US Virgin Islands, Marine ecology Progress Series. doi:10.3354/meps10424
Journey North - Hummingbird observations by volunteer community scientists across Central and North America (1996-2020)
This data package contains hummingbird migration data (1996 - 2020) across North and Central America collected by 30,703 community scientists for Journey North, a crowdsourced participatory science program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum. The Journey North Hummingbird Project is an ongoing study of hummingbird phenology conducted at broad spatial and temporal scales. Since 1996, community scientists have tracked first arrival dates and breeding and feeding behavior as well as the onset of fall migration and presence of hummingbird species throughout the winter months in the United States. Focal species are the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) and Rufous Hummingbird. However, observational data is also available for Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus), Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri), Calliope Hummingbird (Selasphorus calliope), Costa's Hummingbird (Calypte costae), Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna), Allen’s Hummingbird (Selasphours sasin). Observers also provide estimates of the number of birds sighted. However, observers do not follow standardized methods for counting species observed. Observers do not observe at set times of the day, do not repeat observations regularly, and are not required to provide the length of time during which a specified number of species observed were counted. Therefore, it is recommended that this dataset be analyzed to indicate presence, not abundance. Additional contextual information is provided as text in the comments field of the dataset. The Journey North Hummingbird Project dataset is hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Shared Web Hosting Service.
Journey North - Monarch Butterfly and Milkweed observations by volunteer community scientists across Central and North America (1996-2020)
This data package contains monarch migration data (1996 - 2020) across North America collected by 42,518 community scientists for Journey North, a crowdsourced participatory science program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum. The Journey North Monarch and Milkweed project is an ongoing study of monarch migration phenology conducted at broad spatial and temporal scales. Since 1996, community scientists have tracked first arrival dates and breeding and feeding behavior as well as the onset of fall migration, fall roosts, and peak migration events. Community scientists have also tracked the first emergence of milkweed in the spring and the presence of milkweed across the landscape during the summer, fall-winter months. The focal species is the Monarch Butterfly, Danaus plexippus. Community scientists indicate when known milkweed species in submitted comments. Journey North data is observational and often opportunistic in nature. Observers do provide estimates of the number of adult monarch butterflies sighted during an observation. However, observers do not follow standardized methods for counting species observed. Observers do not observe at set times of the day; do not repeat observations regularly, and are not required to provide the length of time during which a specified number of species observed were counted. Therefore, it is recommended that this dataset be analyzed to indicate presence, not abundance. Additional contextual information is provided as text in the comments field of the dataset. The Journey North Monarch and Milkweed project dataset is hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Shared Web Hosting Service.
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.