DOI: 10.5061/dryad.3tx95x6qh
title: Data from: Germination of 10 midland plant species from the eastern Mediterranean Basin: Effects of smoke, syringaldehyde, karrikinolide, and cyanohydrin

description: The beneficial effects of smoke and its constituents, karrikinolide (KAR1)
 and cyanohydrin glyceronitrile, on the germination of Mediterranean
 lowland species are well-documented. However, very little is known about
 the role of these signals on the germination of plants at higher
 altitudes. In addition, lignin-derived chemicals, such as syringaldehyde
 (SAL), have recently been proposed as overlooked cues for smoke-induced
 germination. To address these gaps in the literature, we investigated the
 effects of smoke-water and SAL on the germination of 10 midland species
 growing on serpentine soils. We also sought to determine whether SAL
 interacts with KAR1 and/or mandelonitrile (MAN, a cyanohydrin) to enhance
 seed germination. The results show that smoke-water significantly improved
 the germination of three species (Barbarea duralii, Digitalis
 cariensis, and Turritis laxa). SAL, on the other hand, had no
 positive effect on the germination of the 10 species tested. Furthermore,
 three smoke-sensitive species and Verbascum cariense responded to
 KAR1 and/or MAN. Finally, SAL did not exert any synergistic effects on
 germination in interaction with KAR1 and MAN. In conclusion, we provide
 evidence that smoke is an important germination cue also for Mediterranean
 midland species. Moreover, SAL did not play a role in stimulating
 germination in smoke-sensitive species, either independently or in
 combination with other smoke chemicals.
description: # Germination of 10 midland plant species from the eastern Mediterranean
 Basin: effects of smoke, syringaldehyde, karrikinolide, and cyanohydrin
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.3tx95x6qh](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.3tx95x6qh) **Description of the data and file structure** The datasets are associated with three germination experiments and the mean seed mass of 10 species studied. The datasets are organized into four files in .txt format. The first data file (Germination_data_smoke) contains three replicates of germination percentages for each smoke-water treatment per species. The treatment codes represent the concentration of each smoke-water (SW0 = 0% (v/v) smoke-water; SW1 = 1% (v/v) smoke-water; SW5 = 5% (v/v) smoke-water; SW10 = 10% (v/v) smoke-water). The second data file (Germination_data_sal) contains three replicates of germination percentages for each syringaldehyde (SAL, a compound found in smoke-water) treatment per species. The treatment codes represent the concentration of each syringaldehyde solution (SAL0 = 0 ng µl−1 (w/v) SAL; SAL1 = 1 ng µl−1 (w/v) SAL; SAL2 = 2 ng µl−1 (w/v) SAL; SAL5 = 5 ng µl−1 (w/v) SAL; SAL10 = 10 ng µl−1 (w/v) SAL).  The third data file (Germination_data_smoke_chemicals) contains three replicates of germination percentages for single and combined applications of three smoke chemicals. The codes and concentrations of smoke chemicals are as follows: Syringaldehyde [SAL, 2 ng µl−1 (w/v)], Karrikinolide [KAR, 0.1 µM], and Mandelonitrile [a cyanohydrin, MAN, 50 µM]. In the first and second datasets, treatments were applied to 10 species studied. In the third dataset treatments were applied to 4 selected species. In all germination datasets, Pgerm represents "percent germination". Finally, the fourth data file (seed_mass_data) contains three replicates of "the seed mass of 100 seeds" measured in grams, and "the mean seed mass (mg)" calculated from the first parameter for 10 species studied. **Code/Software** The code used to analyze the data using R software will be made available to any interested researcher upon request to the corresponding author.