Data from 14 labortories testing the impact of introduced variability on the reproducibility of a microcosm ecological experiment

Although microcosm experiments are a frequent tool used to address fundamental ecological questions, there has been no quantitative assessment of the reproducibility of any microcosm experiment. This dataset contains the response variables measured in a multi-laboratory microcosm study in which the same microcosm experiment was repeated in 14 laboratories across Europe. All laboratories simultaneously run a simple microcosm experiment using grass (Brachypodium distachyon L.) monocultures and grass and legume (Medicago truncatula Gaertn.) mixtures. All twelve variables were then used to calculate the effect of the presence of nitrogen-fixing legume on the grass-legume mixtures (i.e. the net legume effect).

微宇宙实验（microcosm experiment）是解答基础生态学核心问题的常用研究手段，但目前尚无针对任意微宇宙实验可重复性的定量评估研究。本数据集收录了一项跨实验室微宇宙研究中测得的响应变量（response variables）：该研究在欧洲14个实验室中重复开展了同一套微宇宙实验。所有实验室同步实施了一项简易微宇宙实验，实验设置包括单一栽培的禾本科植物（二穗短柄草，*Brachypodium distachyon* L.）以及禾本科与豆科植物（蒺藜苜蓿，*Medicago truncatula* Gaertn.）的混培群落。随后利用全部12项观测变量，计算固氮豆科植物存在对禾本科-豆科混培群落的影响（即净豆科效应）。