Datasets

The Echinacea project has datasets saved in many places. This page consolidates links to most datasets and will help you find everything. We aim to consolidate links to our previously published datasets here and make available our datasets from previously published papers. We will continue to add links as we go. Our goal is to share all datasets publicly, without restriction, as soon as they are published, along with metadata and reproducible analyses. We share most datasets and scripts as they become available, provided sharing does not conflict with a project member’s plan for publishing. If you have any questions, please email Stuart or Gretel at echinaceaproject@gmail.com.

Our core dataset with metadata of annual fitness records for all ~10,000 plants in our main common garden experimental plot (exPt1) is available to the public. We update this dataset about twice each year to add field and lab measurements.

Two sections of the core dataset are included as a dataset in the R package aster. The analysis of one of these datasets serves as a tutorial for the aster package. It’s a great way to learn aster and learn about our core dataset!

Many of the shorter-term projects associated with the core dataset have been posted on our field blog, affectionately known as the flog. Here are some example flog posts on flowering phenology, pollinator efficiency, ant occurrence on Echinacea, and mating compatibility between E. angustifolia and E. pallida.

A flowering phenology dataset is included in the R package echPhenology. We posted a new & improved version of this package on CRAN on 29 Feb 2016. It’s called mateable.

Kittelson et al. (2015) posted their data package on leaf functional traits, herbivory, and genetic diversity.

Microsatellite sequences from Ison et al. (2013) are posted in GenBank. Links are here.

List of datasets

Published analyses and datasets

We have datasets, code, and analyses for all published papers. Here is a list of those available on web repositories of published datasets, like Dryad. Each of these packages includes datasets and scripts:

  • Ashley, Mary; Maton, Dathan; Wagenius, Stuart; Beck, Jared. 2025. Data from: Persistence in a fragmented habitat: Genetic diversity and pollination patterns in Asclepias viridiflora. Dryad. https://datadryad.org/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.pzgmsbd17
  • Waananen, A., J.L. Ison, S. Wagenius, R.G. Shaw. 2025. Supporting data for The fitness effects of outcrossing distance depend on parental flowering phenology in fragmented populations of a tallgrass prairie forb. Data Repository for the University of Minnesota (DRUM). https://hdl.handle.net/11299/271643.
  • Beck, J.J. and S. Wagenius. 2024. Data and code: Herbivory exacerbates pollen limitation by isolating unconsumed plants from prospective mates. Figshare. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24614223
  • Thoen, R. D., A. Southgate, G. Kiefer, R.G. Shaw, S. Wagenius. 2024,. Data from: The conservation value of small population remnants: variability in inbreeding depression and heterosis of a perennial herb, the narrow-leaved purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia). Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.zcrjdfnp2
  • Thoen, Riley; Southgate, Andrea; Kiefer, Gretel; Shaw, Ruth; Wagenius, Stuart. 2024. Data from: The conservation value of small population remnants: variability in inbreeding depression and heterosis of a perennial herb, the narrow-leaved purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia). Dryad. https://datadryad.org/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.zcrjdfnp2
  • Beck, J.J., A. Waananen, and S. Wagenius. 2023. Data and code: Habitat fragmentation decouples fire-stimulated flowering from plant reproductive fitness. Figshare. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.23994528.v1
  • Waananen, A., L.K. Richardson, R.D. Thoen, S.W. Nordstrom, E.G. Eichenberger, G. Kiefer, A.B. Dykstra, R.G. Shaw, S. Wagenius. 2022. R Code and Data for: High juvenile mortality overwhelms benefits of mating potential for reproductive fitness. Data Repository for the University of Minnesota (DRUM). https://doi.org/10.13020/b74k-7f48.
  • Beck, J.J., M. McKone, & S. Wagenius. 2022. Data and code for: Masting, fire-stimulated flowering, and the evolutionary ecology of synchronized reproduction. Figshare. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.21568509.v2
  • Richardson, Lea K.; Gallagher, M. Kate; Hayes, Tracie E.; Gallinat, Amanda S.; Kiefer, Gretel; et al. 2020. Competition for pollination and isolation from mates differentially impact four stages of pollination in a model grassland perennial. Dryad. https://datadryad.org/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.k98sf7m4x
  • Ison, Jennifer L.; Prescott, Leah J.; Nordstrom, Scott W.; Waananen, Amy; Wagenius, Stuart. 2018. Data from: Pollinator-mediated mechanisms for increased reproductive success in early flowering plants. Dryad. https://datadryad.org/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.t6v47p1
  • Waananen, Amy; Kiefer, Gretel; Ison, Jennifer L.; Wagenius, Stuart. 2018. Data from: Mating opportunity increases with synchrony of flowering among years more than synchrony within years in a nonmasting perennial. Dryad. https://datadryad.org/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.487db24
  • Gallagher, M. Kate; Wagenius, Stuart. 2016. Data from: Seed source impacts germination and early establishment of dominant grasses in prairie restorations. Dryad. https://datadryad.org/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.r7g8q
  • Shaw, Ruth G.; Wagenius, Stuart; Geyer, Charles J. 2016. Data from: The susceptibility of Echinacea angustifolia to a specialist aphid: eco-evolutionary perspective on genotypic variation and demographic consequences. Dryad. https://datadryad.org/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.3s85r
  • Ison, Jennifer L.; Wagenius, Stuart. 2015. Data from: Both flowering time and distance to conspecific plants affect reproduction in Echinacea angustifolia, a common prairie perennial. Dryad. https://datadryad.org/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.6h82b
  • Shaw, R.G., C.J. Geyer, S. Wagenius, H.H. Hangelbroek, and J.R. Etterson. 2008. Yet More Supporting Data Analysis for “Unifying Life History Analysis for Inference of Fitness and Population Growth.” Technical Report No. 666. School of Statistics, University of Minnesota. http://www.stat.umn.edu/geyer/aster/tr666.pdf
  • Shaw, R.G., C.J. Geyer, S. Wagenius, H.H. Hangelbroek, and J.R. Etterson. 2007. More Supporting Data Analysis for “Unifying Life History Analysis for Inference of Fitness and Population Growth.” Technical Report No. 661. School of Statistics, University of Minnesota. http://www.stat.umn.edu/geyer/aster/tr661.pdf
  • Shaw, R.G., C. J. Geyer, S. Wagenius, H.H. Hangelbroek, and J.R. Etterson. 2007. Supporting Data Analysis for “Unifying Life History Analysis for Inference of Fitness and Population Growth.” Technical Report No. 658. School of Statistics, University of Minnesota. http://www.stat.umn.edu/geyer/aster/tr658.pdf
  • Geyer, C.J., S. Wagenius, and R.G. Shaw. 2005. Aster Models for Life History Analysis. Technical Report No. 644. School of Statistics, University of Minnesota. http://www.stat.umn.edu/geyer/aster/tr644.pdf