Associations between Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) and common native species in an African savanna

Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) is recognised as a problematic invasive alien plant species in many parts of the world. To eradicate or control this global invader, we need to understand the drivers of its spread and impacts and the potential for native recovery after the invader has been removed.
Here, we tested for species associations between L. camara and native plant species and large herbivores in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. We inventoried 40 100-m2 nested plots spread over a 1 × 1-km grid cell in the park’s savanna landscape, with 11 plots located in uninvaded areas. Most of the plots (30 of 40) had been affected by fire. 
Lantana camara covered 29 (73%) plots, 11 (38%) of which were in open grassland. Of the large herbivores that frequented areas free of L. camara, the Ugandan kob Adenota kob thomasi Sclater tended to avoid the areas invaded. The floristic composition of invaded areas differed significantly from that of noninvaded areas, with several palatable species..., , , # Associations between Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) and common native species in an African savanna

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.c59zw3rhm](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.c59zw3rhm)

## Description of the data and file structure

We inventoried 40 100-m2 nested plots spread over a 1 × 1-km grid cell in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. Each nested plot comprised one 10 × 10-m plot, one 5 × 5-m plot and one 1 × 1-m plot, with the smaller plots located at the centre of the main plot. The invasion of *Lantana camara* was evaluated in 10 × 10-m plots and classified into two classes using the 75th percentile as a threshold: 'uninvaded' (*Lantana* density = 0) and 'invaded' (*Lantana* density ≥ 0.25 stems m-2).

### Files and variables

#### File: Ssali\_et\_al.\_Lantana\_camara\_data\_for\_archiving\_Ecological\_Solutions\_and\_Evidence\_August\_2024.xlsx

**Description:** The file contains two spreadsheets: the first shows floristic data (graminoid, for, and woody plant species pe...