Dryland plant co-occurrence and associated functional trait data

This data is associated with the MSc dissertation titled "Drivers of plant-plant interactions in global drylands". The first aim of this research was to determine whether climate, edaphic and grazing variables drive plant-plant interactions in global drylands. The second aim was to determine whether the functional traits of plants play a role in determining the interaction outcome. This research uses data collected as part of the BIODESERT project, a global collaborative survey conducted in drylands, led by Dr. Fernando T. Maestre. Data were collected in 97 plots from 29 sites in 10 countries. The data include a co-occurrence survey (used to estimate plant-plant interaction outcomes), a functional trait survey, as well as climate, edaphic and grazing pressure data for each plot. For more details on the BIODESERT project, and the survey methods employed, see the following reference:

Maestre, F. T., Eldridge, D. J., Gross, N., Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Y., Saiz, H., Gozalo, B., Ochoa, V., & Gaitan, J. J. (2022). The BIODESERT survey: assessing the impacts of grazing on the structure and functioning of global drylands. Web Ecology, 22(2), 75-96. doi:10.5194/we-22-75-2022.