Data from: Hurricane-induced habitat change alters growth and microclimate for fungal diseases in the endangered Florida torreya

Florida torreya (Torreya taxifolia), a critically endangered conifer
endemic to steephead ravines of northwest Florida and southwest Georgia,
has declined for decades due to a fungal canker disease. Hurricane
Michael, a Category 5 storm in 2018, caused extensive canopy loss within
this refugial habitat. We investigated how such disturbance influenced
tree health and microclimatic conditions relevant to disease dynamics. We
monitored 40 wild T. taxifolia individuals for four years following the
hurricane, measuring branch growth and mortality, temperature and light
conditions, and the abundance and area of fungal cankers.
Hurricane-induced treefall was quantified as the diameter at breast height
(DBH) of fallen and standing trees within a 10 m radius of each focal
individual. Hurricane-induced treefall was associated with increased
branch mortality but also increased branch growth, likely due to greater
light availability. Canopy loss significantly elevated local temperatures,
which were positively associated with canker abundance, though not with
total canker area. These results demonstrate that severe disturbance can
simultaneously reduce competition and intensify pathogen pressure in rare
species. In T. taxifolia, hurricane disturbance appears to alleviate light
limitation while creating warmer microclimates that favor fungal disease.
This work highlights the complex interplay between natural disturbance and
invasive pathogens, with implications for the persistence of endangered
plants under global change.