Effects of oil exposure, plant species composition, and plant genotypic diversity on salt marsh and mangrove assemblages: A mesocosm study from September 2015 to September 2016

This dataset contains images and productivity data from a yearlong mesocosm experiment. We included three plant composition treatments: Spartina alterniflora only, Avicennia germinans only, and S. alterniflora and A. germinans mix (SA+AG). In addition, within the treatments containing S. alterniflora, we examined the effects of plant genotypic identity and diversity using 1 genotype (monoculture) or 3 genotypes (3 genotypes randomly selected from a pool of 6 genotypes; polyculture). In the two oil-exposed mesocosms, we used a 5-day repetitive dosage procedure, with each experimental tub receiving an initial 1 L m-2 of a 1:1 oil-water mixture. In the two non-oiled mesocosms, seawater was added using the same procedure. During each of our four post-oil sampling events (Dec. 2015 - Sept. 2016), we quantified plant survival, growth, morphology, and production of both Spartina and Avicennia as a function of plant diversity and oiling. Related data can be found in GRIIDC datasets R4.x262.000:0025, R4.x262.000:0026, and R4.x262.000:0035.