Negative shoot phototropism in a climber and an epiphyte

When a root-climber Ficus pumila and an epiphyte Peperomia quadrangularis were exposed to a light gradient, over 90% of the shoots grew away from light. This is the first demonstration of negative phototropism in these species. Whereas in climbers, negative phototropism of the shoots may help in remote location of support, its function in epiphytes remains uncertain., This is an experimental test of the occurrence of negative phototropism in an adventitious-root climber Ficus pumila L. from S.E. Asia, and a neotropical epiphyte Peperomia quadrangularis A.Dietr. The plant material was obtained from cultivated stock. Rooted cuttings of Ficus pumila were planted in round pots 11 cm in diameter and 10 cm tall, and those of P. quadrangularis in square pots 6.5 cm wide and 8 cm tall. The test for phototropic growth involved exposing young plants to a gradient of light intensity from fluorescent sources and recording the growth direction of new shoots. 
In the experiment with F. pumila the method described in Wyka (2023, Tree Physiol 43:1874–1885) was used. Each young potted plant (n=33) was placed centrally in a larger (22 cm in diameter, 95 mm deep) pot and stabilized by filling the space in the outer pot with keramsite. The outer pot was inserted into a 30 cm tall tube made of glossy white photo paper. Half of the inner surface of the tube was lined with..., , # Data for \"Negative shoot phototropism in a climber and an epiphyte\"

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0p2ngf28k](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0p2ngf28k)

The data set is organized into two spreadsheets, each containing experimental results for an individual species (*Ficus pumila* and *Peperomia quadrangularis*). 

## Description of the data and file structure

*Ficus pumila*:

1. Lengths of shoot projections are given instead of total shoot lengths to facilitate graphic representation of shoot growth direction. The shoots were often arched, therefore their actual lengths were somewhat greater than their projections.
2. Deviation angles are the angles between the projection of the shoot axis and the radius linking the plant base and the middle of the black surface.
3. Angle sign was negative if the shoot was growing to the left of that radius and positive if it was growing to the right. Modulus of the angle was taken for analysis.
4. Discrete choices of shoot growth direction (black vs...