Knowledge on the spatial distribution and inter-specific association patterns in tree species is essential in plant ecology to understand ecological mechanisms and dynamic process operating in spatial distribution of a tree population in a plant community. We measured and compiled datasets on three tropical tree species from a moist semi deciduous forest. We used the software Programita to perform univariate and bivariate point pattern analysis by Ripley's L-function. These datasets can be used to inform on possibilities of interaction of these species in forest stands. These datasets can be also used to access the capacity of each tree of <i>Mansonia altissima</i> var. <i>altissima</i> A. Chev. to develop and grow or its exclusion probability within a plant community. <i>Mansonia altissima</i> A. Chev. is a plant species represented by only one-population in a moist semi-deciduous forest in Republic of Benin. Our project aims to understand its ecology for restoration and conservation purposes within its natural habitat as well as other habitats inside of its distribution range.

We established a common garden experiment within a 238 ha restoration site owned and managed by the South Australian Water Corporation (SA Water), near the township of Clarendon (-35.0882°S, 138.6236°E). We grew ca. 1500 seedlings sourced from one local and two non-local provenances of <i>Eucalyptus leucoxylon</i> to test whether local provenancing was appropriate. The three provenances spanned an aridity gradient, with the local provenance sourced from the most mesic area and the distant from the most arid. We explored the effect of provenance on four fitness proxies after 15 months, including survival, above-ground height, susceptibility to insect herbivory, and pathogen related stress.

This dataset contains the effect of stress and herbivory on the establishment of alternate provenances of a foundation tree species. This data relates to plant fitness and could be used for more broader studies in this area. We established a common garden experiment within a 238 ha restoration site owned and managed by the South Australian Water Corporation (SA Water), near the township of Clarendon (-35.0882°S, 138.6236°E). We grew ca.1500 seedlings sourced from one local and two non-local provenances of <i>Eucalyptus leucoxylon</i> to test whether local provenancing was appropriate. The three provenances spanned an aridity gradient, with the local provenance sourced from the most mesic area and the distant provenance sourced from the most arid. We explored the effect of provenance on four fitness proxies after 15 months, including survival, above-ground height, susceptibility to insect herbivory, and pathogen related stress.

We present a High-throughput eDNA dataset of fungi to track functional recovery in ecological restoration in the form of an OTU raw data matrix. We generated a total of 4,993,144 ITS fungal raw reads (118,884 ± 42,210 SD per replicate) across the 42 replicates. A total of 4,955,680 fungal sequences (117,430 ± 42,164 SD per replicate) remained for further analysis after quality filtering. The OTU data provide information on fungal flux at this restoration site through a stagger of years and can be used accordingly.

We generated a total of 2,313,977 16S archaeal raw reads across the 36 replicates (64,277 ± 23,335 SD per replicate). A total of 2,299,955 archaeal sequences (63,888 ± 23,473 SD per replicate) and 1,937 archaeal OTUs (54 ± 20 SD per replicate) remained for further analysis after quality filtering. The OTU data provide information on archaeal flux at an active restoration site at Mt Bold, a water catchment reserve of the Mt Lofty Ranges in South Australia, through a stagger of years and can be used accordingly.

Experimental sites were established in the northern wheat-growing district of western Australia (Lat -29.66°, Long 116.18°) in August 2017, and monitored through to November 2019. We selected five planted old field sites with similar soil types and vegetation composition. Old fields were planted with York gum (Eucalyptus loxophleba Benth.) and dominant shrubs as understorey. At the time of sampling in 2017, vegetation age ranged from 8–13 years and distance from remnant measured 279 m (± 162 m). We established two control and two treatment plots, each measuring 5 m x 5 m, in the interrows of five planted old field sites. Both treatments were randomly assigned to plots within each site. Between August and early November 2017, we measured a total of 30 response variables at each of the control and treatment plots. Response variables included soil physical and chemical properties (bulk density, penetration resistance, soil moisture, nitrogen and carbon pools), microbial biomass, decomposition rate of roiboos and green tea as per the standardized Tea Bag Index (TBI) protocol, herbaceous vegetation cover and richness, and ant abundance and richness, as well as abundance and richness of ant functional groups.