Spatial patterns in neighbourhood effects on woody plant selection and bark stripping by deer in a lowland alluvial forest

This dataset presents the incidence of bark stripping (present or not) and its intensity by two deer species mapped over all woody individuals ≥ 1 cm diameter at breast height (DBH). Stripping intensity was measured as the maximal percentage of the stripped stem circumference at the part of the stem with the horizontally widest stripping wound. A four-hectare square research plot is located in the Ranšpurk old-growth forest reserve in the south-eastern part of the Czech Republic (N48°40´, E16°56´).

Several treefalls damaged the fence around the reserve in late autumn 2017, allowing fallow deer (Dama dama L.) and red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) to enter the reserve from the deer enclosure. The number of fallow deer and red deer individuals in the reserve was unknown, and likely fluctuated over time as they could enter and leave the reserve at any time. Data were collected in July 2018, ca 9–10 months after the fence was damaged. Although the fence was not fixed at the time of data collection (deer could still enter and leave the reserve), stripping wounds were not fresh and were likely received between late autumn 2017 and early spring 2018.

The datasets includes tree and shrub individuals that fell within species-specific DBH range (susceptible individuals). The range was defined for each tree and shrub species as DBHmin ≤ DBH ≤ DBHmax, where DBHmin and DBHmax are DBH of the smallest and largest stripped individuals. Individuals smaller and larger than this range were excluded from analyses, because small and large individuals may be relatively less often stripped. Woody species with ≥ 70 individuals are presented, because stochasticity does not allow meaningful spatial point pattern analyses with fewer individuals per species.

Data contains the x and y coordinates of each individual in a local coordinate system, the woody species, its code, diameter at breast height, the incidence of stripping (present = 1 or not = 0), and the intensity of stripping (%).