DOI: 10.5061/dryad.n2z34tn6c
title: Data from: Ecotypic differences in drought coping ability in an endemic California oak

description: The frequency and severity of drought in the Western US have significantly
 increased. California endemic blue oaks (Quercus douglasii) are predicted
 to be negatively impacted by extreme drought and are already experiencing
 die-back in the driest areas of their distribution. To explore whether
 there is drought-adaptive variation among blue oak populations, we
 conducted a greenhouse common garden drought experiment with seedlings
 from five sites along a range-wide precipitation gradient. We investigated
 seedling performance under experimental drought (fluorescence/maximum
 fluorescence (Fv/Fm), stomatal conductance, and leaf desiccation). We
 measured physiological and morphological traits, including specific leaf
 area (SLA), leaf margin morphology, C: N, and carbon isotope
 discrimination ( δ13C, a proxy for water use efficiency). We used
 generalized linear mixed models to understand the relationship between
 seedling performance and traits, and the mean annual precipitation (MAP)
 of the seedling source site. We found significant relationships between
 source site MAP and Fv/Fm, percent of green leaves, and plant stomatal
 conductance, with plants from drier source sites performing better under
 the experimental drought. Seedlings from drier sites also had a lower C: N
 ratio and smaller leaves, consistent with adaptation to more arid
 environments. Our study points to population-level variation in seedling
 drought adaptation. Climate-forward conservation strategies that conserve
 or leverage drought-adaptive genetic resources from the species'
 threatened dry range edge could support climate change resilience in a
 future drier environment. 
description: This dataset was collected from a greenhouse experiment conducted
 on blue oak seedlings that were 6 months old and exposed to experimental
 drought where they did not receive any watering, and different
 measurements were taken throughout that time period. There are few
 datasets that were collected in well-watered conditions. 
description: # Ecotypic differences in drought coping ability in an endemic California
 oak
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.n2z34tn6c](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.n2z34tn6c) ## Description of the data and file structure This dataset contains data crucial for understanding the key findings of the greenhouse study we conducted in 2021. It includes ecophysiological data, making it a valuable resource for drought-related ecophysiological studies. The dataset presents various physiological measurements on seedlings of blue oak species, which could be beneficial for those studying the same species or oaks in general in California or Mediterranean climates. This is the raw dataset collected by the primary author and also has R code used to generate figures and run models from the data. ### Files and variables #### File: Average\_leaf\_area.csv **Description:** This dataset has data on leaf area and specific leaf area for seedlings in experimental drought treatment. ##### Variables * S.N: * Tree_tag: Individual seedling's unique name * Sites: Sites from where the acorn was collected * Average_leaf_area(cm2): Average leaf area * Average_SLA(cm2 gm1): Specific Leaf Area calculated based on the average leaf area and leaf biomass * Total_leaves: Total leaves on the plant * Maternal_Tree: Unique identifying maternal tree number for each site from where acorns were collected * MAP (cm): Mean Annual Precipitation of the Sites * n/a: For the missing values #### File: Binomial\_dataset\_ch1.csv **Description:** This dataset is generated from percentage of green leaves data to calculate the % survival. ##### Variables * Sites: Sites from where the acorn was collected * MAP (cm): Mean Annual Precipitation of the Sites * Soil_Type: Soil in which acorns where planted * Dry_Since_Drydown: Day since the experimental drought was initiated * Alive: Atleast one green leaf present in the plant * Dead: No green leaves present * Total: * %_survival: percentage of survival out of total plants for that site #### File: Control\_plant\_height.csv **Description:** This dataset has data on plant height on the well-watered seedlings. ##### Variables * Block: The block the acorn was planted in the greenhouse * Sites: Sites from where the acorn was collected * Treatment: Whether or not the plant was exposed to drought * Soil_Type: Soil in which acorns where planted * Tree_tag:  Individual seedling's unique name * plant_height_cm: Plant height in cm * Maternal_Tree: Unique identifying maternal tree number for each site from where acorn was collected * MAP (cm): Mean Annual Precipitation of the Sites #### File: isotope\_LS.csv **Description:** This dataset is generated by the leaf isotope data from the leaves collected from the well-watered seedlings. ##### Variables * Tree_tag: * Site: * MAP (cm): * R13C: * delta13C: * delta15N: * microg_C: * microg_N: * C:N: * Weight (microg): * wt%C: * wt%N: * Notes: #### File: Fv\_Fm.csv **Description:** This dataset has weekly measures of Fv/Fm in experimental drought seedlings ##### Variables * Block: * Sites: * Treatment: * Soil_Type: * Tree_tag: * Day_Since_DryDown_FvFm: * Fv/Fm: * Acorn_Weight (g): * Maternal_Tree: * Mean_Annual_Precipitation (cm): * Climate_Water_Deficit: * Total_leaves: * Total_Leaf_Area(cm2): * Largest_Stem_Height(cm): * Aboveground_Biomass (g): * Belowground_Biomass (g): * Root:Shoot_Ratio: * Missing data: There are missing values for aboveground, belowground biomass and root to shoot ratio but not marked n/a as it interferes with the R code. Missing data for Fv/Fm is that the instrument did not record any measurements. #### File: Leaf\_spikiness.csv **Description:** This dataset has leaf morphology data of leaf spikes counted on well-watered seedlings. ##### Variables * Sites: * MAP (cm): * Leaf_Spikes : * Avg_Leaf_Spikes: * Leaf_Area_cm2: * Avg_Leaf_Area_cm2: * avg_leaf_spike_per_area: * Blade_length_cm: Leaf blade length * Avg_Blade_length_cm: * Leaf_widest_width_cm: * Avg_Leaf_widest_width_cm: * Leaf_hair_P=1_A=0: * Maternal_Tree: #### File: Root\_Shoot\_Ratio.csv **Description:** This is the dataset generated after the experimental drought ended and we oven dried the root and shoot samples for each seedling. ##### Variables * Block: * Sites: * Treatment: * Soil_Type: * Tree_tag: * Aboveground_Biomass (g): * Corrected_Aboveground_Biomass (g): * Belowground_Biomass: * Root:Shoot_Ratio: * Mean_Annual_Precipitation(cm) : * Ecotype: * Acorn_Weight (g): * Maternal_Tree: #### File: Leaf\_main\_data\_.csv **Description:** This dataset has percentage of green leaves data for each seedling in experimental drought. ##### Variables * Block: * Sites: * Treatment: * Soil_Type: * Tree_tag: * Dry_Since_Drydown: * State_of_leaves: * Total_green_leaves: * Acorn_Weight (g): * Maternal_Tree: * Mean_Annual_Precipitation (cm): * Total_leaves: * Aboveground_Biomass (g): * Belowground_Biomass (g): * Root:Shoot_Ratio: * n/a: For the missing values #### File: Stomat\_Soil\_Moist\_control\_plants.csv **Description:** This dataset has stomatal conductance data with soil moisture data measured using TDR (time domain reflectometry**) **probes for the well-watered (control) treatment seedlings. ##### Variables * Block: * Sites: * Tree_tag: * Treatment: * Soil_Type: * Soil_Moisture_TDR: * Stomatal_Conductance (**mmol m−2 s−1**): * Day_Since_DryDown_stomat: * Acorn_Weight (g): * Maternal_Tree: * Average_Annual_Precipitation (cm): * Total_leaves: * Total_Leaf_Area: * Aboveground_Biomass(g): * Belowground_Biomass(g): * Root:Shoot_Ratio: * n/a: For the missing values File: Stomat_conduct.csv **Description:** This dataset has stomatal conductance data for experimental drought seedlings with soil moisture data. ##### Variables * Block: * Sites: * Tree_tag: * Treatment: * Soil_Type: * Soil_Moisture_TDR: * Stomatal_Conductance (**mmol m−2 s−1**): * Day_Since_DryDown_stomat: * Acorn_Weight (g): * Maternal_Tree: * Mean_Annual_Precipitation (cm): * Total_leaves: * Total_Leaf_Area: * Aboveground_Biomass(g): * Belowground_Biomass(g): * Root:Shoot_Ratio: * Missing data: There are missing values for aboveground, belowground biomass and root to shoot ratio but not marked n/a as it interferes with the R code.  #### Code/software We used the R package and my code in an R markdown file. I have added all the packages required to run the code I generated.