Impacts of an omnivorous ungulate on plant communities and soil organic carbon

Ungulates have been shown to affect multiple aspects of ecosystem composition and functions, including species diversity and carbon storage. Specifically, they can impact belowground carbon via both direct and indirect routes – the latter often occurring when ungulates alter plant diversity and/or plant functional traits. To date, the role of indirect routes has been poorly researched, particularly for omnivorous ungulates.
In this study, we investigated both direct and indirect links between an omnivorous ungulate, the wild boar, and soil organic carbon. We estimated wild boar visit frequencies to different survey plots using camera traps, from which we recorded plant species and soil organic carbon.
Weighted average structural equation models suggested wild boar presence was associated with plant communities with more resource-acquisitive traits, which in-turn corresponded to lower soil organic carbon. However, no direct relationships between wild boar and soil organic carbon or plant..., These data are the results of camera trap, plant species, and soil organic carbon surveys, and the results of online database searches for plant functional trait values. More details can be found in the manuscript Lovell et al. 2025 titled 'Impacts of an omnivorous ungulate on plant communities and soil organic carbon'., , # Impacts of an omnivorous ungulate on plant communities and soil organic carbon

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bcc2fqznf](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bcc2fqznf)

## Description of the data and file structure

data_for_publication: contains all the data collected over the course of the study - both from the field and online sources. Variables include:

* plot_ID: the unique ID of the individual plot the data relates to (unique ID number)
* habitat: the landcover class associated with the plot (woodland/grassland/plantation)
* species names (columns from Calluna.vulgaris to Rubus.fruticosus): the estimated percentage cover of each species in each plot (% cover)
* richness: the species richness of the plot (total number of different species)
* shannon: the Shannon–Wiener diversity index for each plot
* percentage_belowground_carbon: the percentage belowground carbon (% carbon mass/total mass w/w)
* long/lat: the longitude and latitude of each plot, respectively
* LDMC: the community we...,