A guild-based framework for restoring plant diversity on reservoir shorelines through active plant introduction

Reservoir shorelines of regulated rivers, created by over 2.8 million dams worldwide, have experienced substantial biodiversity loss, particularly in plant communities. While actively introducing local riparian plants is a common restoration strategy, existing approaches often lack applicability and transferability across river basins. To address this, we propose a guild-based restoration framework that classifies plant species used for restoration into guilds based on shared functional traits and adaptive strategies. This approach allows for evaluating restoration outcomes across guilds along environmental gradients, optimizing restoration design. We tested this framework along the shorelines of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), characterized by steep environmental gradients. Plant guilds were identified based on shared functional traits, focusing on hydrological and geomorphological associations. The effectiveness of guild introductions was assessed across gradients of submergenc..., , , # A guild-based framework for restoring plant diversity on reservoir shorelines through active plant introduction

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.stqjq2cd8](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.stqjq2cd8)

## Description of the data and file structure

## **Dataset Description**

This dataset accompanies the article \"A guild-based framework for restoring plant diversity in reservoir shorelines through active plant introduction\". It includes 22 restoration sites established through active plant introduction, as well as 6 spontaneously colonized sites. This dataset serves as a resource for testing the proposed guild-based framework along the shorelines of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR).

**Structure and Content**

The dataset is organized into eleven primary tables:

**DataFile1_LME&Tukey**

These data were used to build linear mixed-effects models and perform Tukey's post-hoc tests. The dataset includes four diversity metrics, including the Shannon-Wiener index, functional dispersion (FDis), ...,