Data: Induced plasticity alters responses to conspecific interactions in seedlings of a perennial grass

Data from a two-part greenhouse study in Glencoe, IL, USA the first of which had 3 interaction treatments (control group, intraspecific interactions with 3 Pascopyrum smithii conspecific plants, and interspecific interactions with 2 Bromus tectorum as heterospecific neighbors in each pot). Data in experiment one are collected on the focal P. smithii plant for root mass, shoot mass, root mass fraction (RMF), plant height, and number of leaves. This experiment showed that interactions between P. smithii and conspecifics resulted in largely canalized traits and size similar to the control group, whereas, and P. smithii with the invasive grass Bromus tectorum resulted in plastic responses for root mass (p = 0.02), shoot mass (p &lt; 0.0001), root mass fraction (p = 0.003) and plant height (p &lt; 0.0001). For experiment two, a subset of individuals transplanted from these two interaction treatments with new, same aged conspecific P. smithii showed that interspecific-induced P. smithii produced more leaves than the intraspecific-induced focal plant (p &lt;0.0001) and that the previous interactions led to differing relationships in which increases in the number of leaves for the interspecific-induced plant was related to increases in non-focal leaf production, whereas increases in the number of leaves for the intraspecific-induced plant was related to decreases in the non-focal plant (R2 = 0.52, p = 0.006). Intraspecific-induced focal plants imposed greater competition on new neighbors than invasive-interspecific interactions. Publication in (Foxx 2021; Induced plasticity alters responses to conspecific interactions in seedlings of a perennial grass. Scientific Reports)本数据集源自美国伊利诺伊州格伦科市开展的一项两阶段温室实验。第一阶段设置3种交互处理组：对照组（仅种植目标细穗披碱草）、每盆搭配3株细穗披碱草（Pascopyrum smithii）同种个体的种内交互组，以及每盆搭配2株旱雀麦（Bromus tectorum）作为异种邻株的种间交互组。第一阶段实验针对目标细穗披碱草植株采集了根生物量、地上生物量、根生物量分数（root mass fraction, RMF）、株高及叶片数共5项指标数据。实验结果表明，细穗披碱草与同种个体发生交互时，其性状整体呈现稳态化特征，植株大小与对照组相近；而当细穗披碱草与入侵禾草旱雀麦（Bromus tectorum）产生种间交互时，其根生物量（p=0.02）、地上生物量（p<0.0001）、根生物量分数（p=0.003）及株高（p<0.0001）均表现出显著的可塑性响应。第二阶段实验中，研究人员从上述两种交互处理组中选取部分个体，移栽至新的同龄同种细穗披碱草植株群落中，结果显示：经种间交互诱导的细穗披碱草，其叶片数显著多于经种内交互诱导的目标植株（p<0.0001）；且此前的交互经历会形成截然不同的关联模式：经种间交互诱导的植株，其叶片数增加与非目标植株的叶片产量提升呈正相关，而经种内交互诱导的植株，其叶片数增加则与非目标植株的叶片产量下降相关（R²=0.52, p=0.006）。此外，经种内交互诱导的目标植株，对新邻株施加的竞争强度显著高于经入侵物种介导的种间交互植株。本数据集相关研究成果已发表于《Scientific Reports》期刊，论文信息为Foxx 2021，《诱导可塑性改变多年生禾草幼苗的种内交互响应》。