DOI: 10.5061/dryad.mw6m9067c
title: Several candidate size metrics explain vital rates across multiple populations throughout a widespread species' range

description: Individual plant size often determines the vital rates of growth,
 survival, and reproduction. However, size can be measured in several ways
 (e.g., height, biomass, leaf length). There is no consensus on the best
 size metric for modelling vital rates in plants. Demographic datasets are
 expanding in geographic extent, leading to choices about how to represent
 size for the same species in multiple ecological contexts. If the choice
 of size variable varies among locations, inter-population comparative
 demography increases in complexity. Here, we present a framework to
 perform size metric selection in large-scale demographic studies. We
 highlight potential pitfalls and suggest methods applicable to diverse
 study organisms. We assessed the performance of five different size
 metrics for the perennial herb Plantago lanceolata across 55 populations
 on three continents within its native and non-native ranges, using the
 spatially replicated demographic dataset PlantPopNet. We compared the
 performance of each candidate size metric for four vital rates (growth,
 survival, flowering probability, and reproductive output) using
 generalized linear mixed models. We ranked the candidate size metrics
 based on their overall performance (highest generalized R2) and
 homogeneity of performance across populations (lowest total magnitude of,
 and variance in, population-level error). While all size variables
 performed well for modelling vital rates, the number of leaves (modelled
 as a discrete variable, without transformation) was selected as the best
 size metric, followed by leaf length. We show how to interrogate potential
 trade-offs between overall explanatory power and homogeneity of
 predictions across populations in any organism. Synthesis: Size
 is an important determinant of vital rates. Using a dataset of
 unprecedented spatial extent, we find a) consistent size-based models of
 growth, survival, and reproduction across native and non-native
 populations of this cosmopolitan plant species and b) that several tested
 size metrics perform similarly well. This is encouraging for large-scale
 demographic studies and for comparative projects using different size
 metrics, as they may be robust to this methodological difference.
description: PlantPopNet (www.plantpopnet.com) collaborators collect demographic information on 65 naturally occurring populations of <em>P. lanceolata</em> across three continents. The present study included 55 populations that had at least two consecutive yearly censuses, presented here. Each population consists of an initial 100 individuals marked in naturally occurring populations and re-visited yearly at the peak of the flowering season. New recruits within the original plots were recorded and followed in subsequent years. The number of rosettes, number of leaves per rosette, length of the longest leaf, and width of the longest leaf for each rosette, flowering status (flowered, not flowered), reproductive output, and survival or death of each individual were recorded at each annual census. For further information on the PlantPopNet protocol, see Buckley et al. (2019). This data is presented as it was used to perform a study on a subset of the plantpopnet data. For said study, we used the first transition (from the start of the study at that site to one year after, i.e., the first two years of census data) from each population for the study, which this data accompanies. We considered one genet to be one individual. Rosettes (ramets) linked by the same rooting system were added to the size of the overall genet. This is the level of precision of the data that is presented here. In addition, we estimated size using five candidate size metrics: number of leaves, estimated biomass, total leaf area, total leaf length, and length of the longest leaf for each individual in the dataset (see metadata and accompanying paper for details of the methodology.
description: # Several candidate size metrics explain vital rates across multiple
 populations throughout a widespread species' range
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.mw6m9067c](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.mw6m9067c) ## Description of the data and file structure Code and analysis are described in detail in the main text and supplementary materials of the associated Journal of Ecology paper. If you have any questions regarding the R code files you may contact Maude Baudraz at [baudrazm@tcd.ie](mailto:baudrazm@tcd.ie) or [maude.baudraz@gmail.com](mailto:maude.baudraz@gmail.com) Data provided herein represent a derived version from the PlantPopNet dataset, a Spatially Distributed Model System for Population Ecology. They represent demographic information for all individuals in over 55 populations of the perennial plant *Plantago lanceolata* spread throughout three continents. The data published contains size, growth, reproduction, and survival information. More information about the PlantPopNet network can be found under [www.plantpopnet.com](http://www.plantpopnet.com), and the methods are described in Buckley, Yvonne M; Crone, Elizabeth E.; Csergő, Anna Maria; Ehrlén, Johan; Finn, Alain; García, María B.; et al. (2019). Plantpopnet protocol V1.03 2017. figshare. Journal contribution. [https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.7982477.v9](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.7982477.v9) Additional sources:  Reproduction of the codes published with the data also makes use of the worldclim layers: [http://www.worldclim.org](http://www.worldclim.org/) Fick, S.E. & Hijmans, R.J. (2017). WorldClim 2: new 1‐km spatial resolution climate surfaces for global land areas. Int. J. Climatol., 37, 4302–4315. ### Files and variables #### File: Supplement_2_input_data.7z **Description:**  Supplement_2_input_data.7z: A compressed folder containing the five data sheets used as input for the above-mentioned paper. | 01\_Metadata | 
 
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 | | An overview table repeating the content of this Readme file | 
 
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 | | Name of Sheet | Sheet type | Description | |
 Coordinates\_Oct2020\_site\_level | Excel sheet/tab | Introduces the
 variables contained in the .scv table bearing the same name | |
 Dat\_mm\_flowY0Y0\_Aug\_24 | Excel sheet/tab | Introduces the variables
 contained in the .scv table bearing the same name | |
 Dat\_mm\_growth\_Aug\_24 | Excel sheet/tab | Introduces the variables
 contained in the .scv table bearing the same name | |
 Dat\_mm\_repEff\_Y0\_Y0\_Aug\_24 | Excel sheet/tab | Introduces the
 variables contained in the .scv table bearing the same name | |
 Dat\_mm\_surv\_Aug\_24 | Excel sheet/tab | Introduces the variables
 contained in the .scv table bearing the same name | |
 Coordinates\_Oct2020\_site\_level | 
 
 | 
 
 | | :-------------------------------- | :------------ |
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Name of variable | Variable type | Description | | site\_code | unique | site name, 2 or 3 characters (eg, CH), exact match with site description, destructive samples and community plot | | native | text | Site located in native or non-native range of Plantago lanceolata | | demographics | text | site where demographics of Plantago lanceolata were collected (Yes (Y) or No (N)) | | genetics | text | sites where genetics of Plantago lanceolata were obtained (Yes (Y) or No (N)) | | country | text | Country where site is located | | location | text | Local area/state where site is located | | region | text | continent where site is located | | latitude | numerical | Latitude of site | | longitude | numerical | Longitude of site | | coordinator | text | name of site coordinator  | | Data\_mm\_flowY0Y0\_Aug\_24 | 
 
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 | | :------------------------------------- | ------------- |
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Name of variable | Variable type | Description | | flow\_Y0 | integer | If the individual has flowered from the previous year Y0 to Y1. NAs represent non applicable cases. | | no\_leaves\_Y0 | integer | Number of leaves in the current individual in Y0. NAs represent non available cases. | | site\_code | unique | site name, 2 or 3 characters (eg, CH), exact match with site description, destructive samples and community plot | | unique\_plot\_ID | text | Unique plot ID for each plot | | Log\_no\_leaves\_Y0 | integer | Number of leaves in the current individual in Y0, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | log\_leaf\_length\_per\_no\_leaves\_Y0 | integer | Total Leaf Length (length of the longest leaf multiplied by the number of leaves) of the current individual in Y0, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | BIOMASS\_noSLA\_Jesus\_Y0 | integer | Regressed biomass of the current individual in Y0 (exp⁡(0.556+1.924\*log⁡(number of leaves)- (0.213\* log⁡(number of leaves))\^2+0.003\*length of the longest leaf + 0.833\*log⁡(width of the longest leaf))). NA represents non available cases. | | Log\_longest\_leaf\_Y0 | integer | Leaf Length (length of the longest leaf) for the current individual in Y0, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | Log\_leaf\_length\_width\_Y0 | integer | Total Leaf Area (length of the longest leaf multiplied by its width and the number of leaves in the current individual) of the current individual in Y0, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | Data\_mm\_growth\_Aug\_24 | 
 
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 | | :------------------------------------- | ------------- |
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Name of variable | Variable type | Description | | X | integer | rownumber | | plant\_id | text | A unique id number for each individual | | site\_code | unique | site name, 2 or 3 characters (eg, CH), exact match with site description, destructive samples and community plot | | transect | unique | Identifier of transect eg, T1, T2. T3 etc | | plot | unique | Identifier of plot eg, P1, P2, P3 etc. Maximum of 20 plots per transect NOTE: May contain duplicates so use unique\_plot\_id column instead | | no\_rosettes\_Y1 | integer | The number of rosettes forming the individual in Y1. NA represents non available cases. | | no\_leaves\_Y1 | integer | Number of leaves in the current rosette in Y1. NA represents non available cases. | | survived\_Y1 | integer | Whether the individual has survived from the previous year Y0 to Y1 (0 = negative, 1 = positive). NA represents non applicable cases. | | flow\_Y1 | integer | Whether the individual flowered in Y1 (0 = negative, 1 = positive). NA represents non applicable cases. | | SeedsProxy\_Y1 | integer | Estimate of the number of seeds produced by the individual in Y1. NA represents non available cases. | | RepfEff\_proxy\_Y1 | integer | Number of stems produced by the individual in Y1. NA represents non available cases. | | Log\_no\_leaves\_Y1 | integer | Number of leaves in the current individual in Y1, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | log\_leaf\_length\_per\_no\_leaves\_Y1 | integer | Total Leaf Length (length of the longest leaf multiplied by the number of leaves) of the current individual in Y1, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | BIOMASS\_noSLA\_Jesus\_Y1 | integer | Regressed biomass of the current individual in Y1 (exp⁡(0.556+1.924\*log⁡(number of leaves)- (0.213\* log⁡(number of leaves))\^2+0.003\*length of the longest leaf + 0.833\*log⁡(width of the longest leaf))). NA represents non available cases. | | Log\_longest\_leaf\_Y1 | integer | Leaf Length (length of the longest leaf) for the current individual in Y1, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | Log\_leaf\_length\_width\_Y1 | integer | Total Leaf Area (length of the longest leaf multiplied by its width and the number of leaves in the current individual) of the current individual in Y1, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | no\_rosettes\_Y0 | integer | The number of rosettes forming the individual in Y0. NA represents non available cases. | | no\_leaves\_Y0 | integer | Number of leaves in the current individual in Y0. NA represents non available cases. | | survived\_Y0 | integer | If the individual has survived from the previous year. NA represents non appicable cases. | | flow\_Y0 | integer | Whether the individual flowered in Y0 (0 = negative, 1 = positive). NA represents non applicable cases. | | SeedsProxy\_Y0 | integer | Estimate of the number of seeds produced by the individual in Y0. NA represents non available cases. | | RepfEff\_proxy\_Y0 | integer | Number of stems produced by the individual in Y0. NA represents non available cases. | | Log\_no\_leaves\_Y0 | integer | Number of leaves in the current individual in Y0, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | log\_leaf\_length\_per\_no\_leaves\_Y0 | integer | Total Leaf Length (length of the longest leaf multiplied by the number of leaves) of the current individual in Y0, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | BIOMASS\_noSLA\_Jesus\_Y0 | integer | Regressed biomass of the current individual in Y0 (exp⁡(0.556+1.924\*log⁡(number of leaves)- (0.213\* log⁡(number of leaves))\^2+0.003\*length of the longest leaf + 0.833\*log⁡(width of the longest leaf))). NA represents non available cases. | | Log\_longest\_leaf\_Y0 | integer | Leaf Length (length of the longest leaf) for the current individual in Y0, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | Log\_leaf\_length\_width\_Y0 | integer | Total Leaf Area (length of the longest leaf multiplied by its width and the number of leaves in the current individual) of the current individual in Y0, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | transition | integer | which yearly transition does the data refer to (1 = between Y0 to Y1) | | log\_no\_rosettes\_Y0 | integer | The number of rosettes forming the individual in Y0, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | log\_no\_rosettes\_Y1 | integer | The number of rosettes forming the individual in Y1, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | unique\_plot\_ID | text | Unique plot ID for each plot | | Data\_mm\_repEff\_Y0\_Y0\_Aug\_24 | 
 
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 | | :------------------------------------- | ------------- |
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Name of variable | Variable type | Description | | SeedsProxy\_Y0 | integer | Estimate of the number of seeds produced by the individual. NA represents non available cases. | | no\_leaves\_Y0 | integer | Number of leaves in the current individual in Y0. NA represents non available cases. | | site\_code | unique | site name, 2 or 3 characters (eg, CH), exact match with site description, destructive samples and community plot | | unique\_plot\_ID | text | Unique plot ID for each plot | | Log\_no\_leaves\_Y0 | integer | Number of leaves in the current individual in Y0, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | log\_leaf\_length\_per\_no\_leaves\_Y0 | integer | Total Leaf Length (length of the longest leaf multiplied by the number of leaves) of the current individual in Y0, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | BIOMASS\_noSLA\_Jesus\_Y0 | integer | Regressed biomass of the current individual in Y0 (exp⁡(0.556+1.924\*log⁡(number of leaves)- (0.213\* log⁡(number of leaves))\^2+0.003\*length of the longest leaf + 0.833\*log⁡(width of the longest leaf))). NA represents non available cases. | | Log\_longest\_leaf\_Y0 | integer | Leaf Length (length of the longest leaf) for the current individual in Y0, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | Log\_leaf\_length\_width\_Y0 | integer | Total Leaf Area (length of the longest leaf multiplied by its width and the number of leaves in the current individual) of the current individual in Y0, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | Data\_mm\_surv\_Aug\_24 | 
 
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 | | :------------------------------------- | ------------- |
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Name of variable | Variable type | Description | | survived\_Y1 | integer | If the individual has survived from the previous year Y0 to Y1. NA represents non applicable cases. | | no\_leaves\_Y0 | integer | Number of leaves in the current individual in Y0. NA represents non available cases. | | site\_code | unique | site name, 2 or 3 characters (eg, CH), exact match with site description, destructive samples and community plot | | unique\_plot\_ID | text | Unique plot ID for each plot | | Log\_no\_leaves\_Y0 | integer | Number of leaves in the current individual in Y0, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | log\_leaf\_length\_per\_no\_leaves\_Y0 | integer | Total Leaf Length (length of the longest leaf multiplied by the number of leaves) of the current individual in Y0, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non available cases. | | BIOMASS\_noSLA\_Jesus\_Y0 | integer | Regressed biomass of the current individual in Y0 (exp⁡(0.556+1.924\*log⁡(number of leaves)- (0.213\* log⁡(number of leaves))\^2+0.003\*length of the longest leaf + 0.833\*log⁡(width of the longest leaf))). NA represents non available cases. | | Log\_longest\_leaf\_Y0 | integer | Leaf Length (length of the longest leaf) for the current individual in Y0, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non-available cases. | | Log\_leaf\_length\_width\_Y0 | integer | Total Leaf Area (length of the longest leaf multiplied by its width and the number of leaves in the current individual) of the current individual in Y0, logarithmically transformed (to the basis of e). NA represents non-available cases. | ## Code/software No code is necessary to visualise the data. You are welcome to use the R code published with the paper to reproduce the analysis.  ## Access information Data was derived from the following source: [www.plantpopnet.com](http://www.plantpopnet.com)