Data underpinning: The invasive Rudbeckia laciniata in a high-density sika deer landscape (Shobugahama, Nikko National Park)

This dataset underpins the article "The invasive Rudbeckia laciniata in a high-density sika deer landscape: light-governed distribution and seasonal, non-lethal deer herbivory" (T. Takahashi). It comprises two data files and a README: • mesh_data.csv — a 20-m mesh distribution and environment survey (303 cells) of the invasive plant Rudbeckia laciniata at Shobugahama, a former ski slope in Nikko National Park, Tochigi Prefecture, central Japan (surveyed 17–19 August 2024). Fields include cell coordinates (WGS84 latitude/longitude and UTM zone 54N), tree-overstorey presence, R. laciniata presence/cover/height, understorey cover, and mean canopy height, elevation, slope and aspect derived from Tochigi Prefecture 0.5-m airborne-LiDAR products (DCHM/DEM) released via the G-Spatial Information Center. • camera_records.csv — cleaned camera-trap records of deer behaviour at nine plots (three treatments: untreated, rock-salt, saltwater-spray) over 5 June – 31 August 2025, giving for each record the timestamp, the number of deer present, the number of fawns of the year among them, and the number of animals observed feeding on R. laciniata and on its apical (reproductive) parts. • README.txt — full column definitions, treatment coding, age classification, coordinate reference systems, data provenance, and the event-based summary reproducible from the records (consecutive records more than 30 minutes apart treated as independent events). Study site: Shobugahama, Lake Chuzenji, Nikko National Park (ca. 36.756°N, 139.447°E; ca. 1300 m a.s.l.). Research permits: Nikko National Park Office, Ministry of the Environment; national-forest surveys: Nikko District Forest Office, Forestry Agency. Funding: JSPS KAKENHI JP22K05705. License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).