Beyond the trail: understanding non-native plant invasions in mountain ecosystems

In an era of rapid climate change and increased human pressure on mountains, the introduction and spread of non-native plant species have become a critical focus of research. Road construction and motorized vehicle traffic are often cited as major sources of disturbance and dispersal vectors facilitating the encroachment of non-native plants into these ecosystems. In contrast, the impacts of outdoor activities, such as hiking, remain less studied, despite hiking trails being a key component of tourist movements in mountains and providing access to higher elevations that are often free of plant invasions. Our aim was to conduct a multi-regional assessment of the abiotic, biotic, and anthropogenic drivers of non-native plant species distribution along hiking trails. To achieve this, we implemented a standardized sampling design across nine mountain regions on six continents. By establishing T-shaped sample sites parallel to trails and leading perpendicular into adjacent vegetation, we ass..., The dataset has been collected using the MIREN T trail protocol, as described in Liedtke et al. (2020) [Liedtke, R., Barros, A., Essl, F., Lembrechts, J.J., Wedegärtner, R.E.M., Pauchard, A. & Dullinger, S. (2020) Hiking trails as conduits for the spread of non-native species in mountain areas. Biological Invasions, 22, 1121–1134.]. The dataset   includes nine mountain regions on six continents, including countries in North America (USA), South America (Argentina and Chile), Europe (Sweden, Norway, Czech Republic), Africa (South Africa), Asia (China) and Oceania (Australia) (Table 1). It covers 55 mountain trails, 680 sample sites and more than 2000 plots.
Each regional contributor/s submitted the dataset to the lead authors (Barros, A., Fuentes Lillo, E., Lembrechts, J.) using the template format developed through the MIREN T trail protocol. The dataset includes information on: environmental information (site code, transect, plot, elevation, geographic coordinates, d..., , # Data from: Beyond the trail: understanding non-native plant invasions in mountain ecosystems

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2rbnzs807](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2rbnzs807)

## Description of the data and file structure

#### File: Barros_et_al._2024.R

**Description:**  The R script was used to conduct the analyses for the manuscript entitled: \"**Beyond the trail: understanding non-native plant invasions in mountain ecosystems\".**

#### File: Trail_data_Final.xlsx

**Description:** The Excel file contains information on the MIREN T trail survey for the 9 mountain regions and 55 trails. The dataset includes 680 sample sites and 2112 plots. 

##### Variables

* Country = name of the country where the study was conducted (categorical)
* Region = the MIREN region within the country where the study was conducted (categorical)
* Trail= the name of the trail where the MIREN T trail survey was conducted (categorical)
* Transect= the number of the transect of the MIREN T trail survey (int..., , **Changes after May 27, 2025:** We have updated the data file to include latitude and longitude, in decimal degrees.