Compounding negative effects of leaf litter absence and belowground competition from an invasive spring ephemeral on native spring ephemeral growth and reproduction

Restoring invaded ecological communities requires understanding whether native declines are driven directly by invader competition versus changes to abiotic conditions that are associated with invader presence. In forest understory communities, declines in spring ephemerals could result from invasion or alternatively from loss of leaf litter layers, from which native spring ephemerals evolved to emerge annually. Here, we investigate how native spring ephemerals (Erythronium spp.) are affected by leaf litter absence and direct competition with the functionally similar invader lesser celandine (Ficaria verna). The absence of a litter layer alone reduced Erythronium asexual reproduction (corm biomass), with reductions magnified when celandine was also present. Celandine impacts occurred despite celandine having limited aboveground growth under common garden conditions, indicating belowground competition with celandine is sufficient to elicit substantial impacts on Erythronium. This reduced..., , , # Data from: Compounding negative effects of leaf litter absence and belowground competition from an invasive spring ephemeral on native spring ephemeral growth and reproduction

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.t76hdr8b1](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.t76hdr8b1)

## Description of the data and file structure

This dataset contains all the data and code required to replicate the analysis and figures presented in the manuscript \"**Compounding negative effects of leaf litter absence and belowground competition from an invasive spring ephemeral on native spring ephemeral growth and reproduction**\" (submitted). The experiment was conducted in Columbus, Ohio, USA, in 2022-2023, and data were collected in 2023.  

### Files and variables

#### File: GROW_REP_BA_data.csv

**Description:** All data for growth (GROW), reproduction (REP), and biomass allocation (BA) of the *Erythronium* experimental individuals described in our manuscript (main text and supplemental material). Code is for all analy...,