--- BACKGROUND ---

This README file was generated on 2025-01-08 and is associated with the 
following entry in the Swedish National Data Service’s (SND) online resources 
(https://snd.se; SND-ID: 2024-610), hereafter referred to as the ‘online 
resource’: 
   - Bårdsen, B.-J., Tømmervik, H., Næss, M. W., & Bjerke, J. W. (2025). Data 
    and R-scripts for: “Misreading or living in denial? Reindeer Overstocking 
    and long-term effects on vegetation – an experimental approach” (Version 
    1) [Data set]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5878/tkv6-jp59.  
 
If you choose to use the uploaded data, we would appreciate the following: 
   1) We strongly encourage users to review the documentation before using 
      this dataset. We view familiarising yourself with the study design, data 
      collection methods, potential limitations, and context as essential to 
      using this data.
   2) Please acknowledge the persons who contributed to the data collection: 
      Hans Tømmervik (who also designed and initiated the study), Jarle Werner 
      Bjerke, Bernt Johansen, Corine Davids, Eldar Gaare, Askild Solberg, 
      Gøsta Hansson, Stein-Rune Karlsen and Máaret J. Haetta. 
   3) Please cite us as described in the ‘Recommended Citation’ below. 



   --- GENERAL INFORMATION ---

--> Time of data collection <-- 
  1998, 2005, 2010, 2013, and 2018.  

--> Geographic location of data collection <-- 
  The range for the bounding box for the convex hull for the positions with an 
  added buffer of 10 km: 68.650-69.906 (Latitude); 22.389-25.504 (Longitude). 
  The study area is in Finnmark (County), Northern Norway. 

--> Information about funding sources that supported the data collection <-- 
  Details are provided under “Funding Information” in the online resource (and
  in the published article). 



 --- SHARING/ACCESS INFORMATION ---

--> Licenses/restrictions placed on the data <-- 
  Details are provided under “License” in the online resource. 

--> Links to publications that cite or use the data <-- 
  Details are provided under “Publications and Relations” in the online 
  resource.

--> Recommended citation for this dataset <-- 
  The online resource: 
   - Bårdsen, B.-J., Tømmervik, H., Næss, M. W., & Bjerke, J. W. (2025). Data 
    and R-scripts for: “Misreading or living in denial? Reindeer Overstocking 
    and long-term effects on vegetation – an experimental approach” (Version 
    1) [Data set]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5878/tkv6-jp59. 
  The scientific publication:
  - Bårdsen, B.-J., Tømmervik, H., Næss, M. W., & Bjerke, J. W. (2025). 
    Misreading or living in denial? Reindeer overstocking and long-term 
    effects on vegetation – an experimental approach”. Ecosphere.



   --- DATA & FILE OVERVIEW ---

--> File List <--
  All files are included in one compressed file (‘ToBePublished.zip’): 
  - ‘dataManip_DensAverage5yr’, which is a directory containing 
    ‘data.Manip.xlsx’ and ‘data.Manip.RDATA’ (i.e., the data used as input 
    in the analyses).
  - ‘AnalysesExperiment.R’, the R-script for running the analyses.
  - ‘AnalysesExperiment_DensAverage5yr’, which contains the output from the 
    script (see ‘AnalysesExperiment.R’ and below for details).
  - ‘AreaBuffer.GeoJSON’, a spatial polygon defining our study area.
  - ‘HelperFunctions.R’, R-script with functions used in 
    ‘AnalysesExperiment.R’ (e.g., to plot the results from the Principal 
    Component Analysis).

--> Relationship between files, if important <-- 
  The R-script for the analyses depends on the ‘data.Manip.RDATA’ file in 
  The ‘dataManip_DensAverage5yr’ directory and ‘HelperFunctions.R’ (see 
  script file for details). 

--> Additional related data collected that was not included in the current 
    data package <-- 
  The data on reindeer numbers and area sizes are dependent on official 
  statistics published by the Norwegian Agriculture Agency's Reindeer 
  Division. These data form the basis for calculating our study's reindeer 
  densities (district-level; details provided in the published article). 



   --- METHODOLOGICAL INFORMATION ---

--> Description of methods used for collection/generation of data <-- 
  Further details are provided in “Data Collection” in the online 
  resource and in Bårdsen et al. (2025; see above for bibliographic 
  information).

--> Methods for processing the data <-- 
  Details are provided in Bårdsen et al. (2025).

--> Instrument- or software-specific information needed to interpret the 
    data <-- 
  The file ‘SessionInfo.txt’ in the output directory provides details 
  regarding the software used and the required packages (versions, platforms,
  operating systems, etc.) used in our analyses. 


--> Environmental/experimental conditions <-- 
  Fencing (manipulation), otherwise natural conditions: details provided in 
  Bårdsen et al. 2025 (bibliographic information provided above).

--> Describe any quality-assurance procedures performed on the data <-- 
  Peer-review of the scientific article linked to the data. 

--> People involved with sample collection, processing, analysis and/or 
  submission <-- 
  Bård-Jørgen Bårdsen*, Hans Tømmervik*, Marius Warg Næss**, & Jarle Werner 
  Bjerke*. 
    *Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Arctic Ecology 
       Department, Fram Centre, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway. 
    **Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU), High North 
       Department, Fram Centre, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway.



   --- DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION: ‘dataManip_DensAverage5yr’ (‘dataManip.xlsx’ 
       and ‘dataManip.RDATA’) --- 

--> Number of variables <-- 
  Referring to either a sheet in the file ‘dataManip.xlsx’ or an object in the 
  file ‘dataManip.RDATA’:
  - 19 in ‘dataManip’ (used in the primary analyses).
  - 15 in ‘data.init’ (used in the analyses of initial conditions).
  - three in ‘data.ReinDens’ (used in the analyses of temporal variability of 
    reindeer density). 
  - two in ‘Metadata’. 

--> Number of cases/rows <--
  Referring to either a sheet in the file ‘dataManip.xlsx’ or an object in the 
  file ‘dataManip.RDATA’ (excluding header rows):
  - 488 in ‘dataManip’ (used in the primary analyses).
  - 122 in ‘data.init’ (used in the analyses of initial conditions).
  - 26 in ‘data.ReinDens’ (used in the analyses of temporal variability of 
    reindeer density). 
  - 16 in ‘Metadata’. 

--> Metadata (Variable List) <--
  Provided as ‘Metadata’ either as a separate sheet in ‘dataManip.xlsx’ or as 
  an object in ‘dataManip.RDATA’. This consists of a table where each variable 
  is described. These data are thus available in two formats – one accessible 
  to view (in Excel or other spreadsheet software) and one easy to import in  
  the software R for further analyses and plotting.    

--> Missing data codes <-- 
  ‘NA’ (‘dataManip.RDATA’) or ‘empty cells’ (‘dataManip.xlsx’). 

--> Specialized formats or other abbreviations used <-- 
  Not relevant. 



   --- DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION: ‘AnalysesExperiment.R’ (including the files 
       in the ‘AnalysesExperiment_DensAverage5yr’ directory) --- 

--> Number of variables <-- 
  Not relevant as this is an R-script file. 

--> Number of cases/rows <-- 
  Not relevant.

--> Metadata (Variable List) <--
  This script requires the data in the directory ‘dataManip_DensAverage5yr’ 
  (‘dataManip.RDATA’). The output from this script is stored in the 
  ‘AnalysesExperiment_DensAverage5yr’ directory. Details regarding the files 
  in this directory are explained at the beginning of the script (under the 
  heading “NOTES ON THE USE OF THE SCRIPT”. If our use of Norwegian characters 
  causes issues, please try to run 'Sys.setlocale(category="LC_ALL", locale= 
  "Norwegian_Norway.1252")' (tested on Windows), 'Sys.setlocale(category = 
  "LC_CTYPE", locale = "nb_NO.UTF-8")' (tested on Windows but should work on 
  Mac and Linux), or 'Sys.setlocale("LC_CTYPE", "C")' (tested on Windows) 
  before running the script. 

--> Missing data codes <-- 
  Not relevant. 

--> Specialized formats or other abbreviations used <-- 
  Not relevant.  



   --- DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION: ‘AreaBuffer.GeoJSON’ --- 

--> Number of variables <-- 
  Not relevant as this is a spatial polygon (one name: ‘AreaBuffer’). 

--> Number of cases/rows <-- 
  Not relevant.

--> Metadata (Variable List) <--
  This is the polygon shown on the map in the online resource (“Geometries”). 
  The polygon represents the convex hull for the positions of our field sites 
  with an added buffer of 10 km. This file is only meant to place the study 
  area objectively on a map and contains no positions for the plots used in 
  the study. 

--> Missing data codes <-- 
  Not relevant. 

--> Specialized formats or other abbreviations used <-- 
  This file uses the EPSG:4326 projection, is in GeoJSON format, and contains 
  a 'FeatureCollection' data type. 
