Data related to article: Shrubs as Nurse Species for Plant Communities in Arid Environments: A Case Study from Socotra (Yemen).

Vegetation surveys were conducted in 144 paired plots under six common shrub species and adjacent open areas. Community data, environmental variables and functional traits were analysed using RLQ and fourth-corner analyses, while Linear Mixed Models (LMMs) evaluated the effects of environmental variables and nurse species on key functional traits based on Community Weighted Means (CWMs). Facilitation effects were quantified using the Relative Interaction Index (RII).