Evidence of a spatial auto-correlation in the browsing level of four major European tree species

Moran's I of the browsing level of fir, spruce, beech and oak in the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg

Data supporting the results publised in \"Evidence of a spatial auto-correlation in the browsing level of four major European tree species\" by Hagen and Suchant (2020).

The contribution of spatial processes to the spatial patterns of ecological systems is widely recognised, but spatial patterns in the ecology of plant-herbivore interactions have rarely been investigated quantitatively owing to limited budget and time associated with ecological research. Studies of the level of browsing on various tree species reported either no spatial auto-correlation or a small effect size. Further, the effects of disturbance events, such as hurricanes, which create large forest openings on spatial patterns of herbivory are not well understood. In this study, we used forest inventory data obtained from the federal state of Baden-Württemberg (Southern Germany) between 2001 and 2009 (grid size: 1...