'rtry': An R package to support plant trait data preprocessing.

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Bioinformatics
• Data Science

Background:

• Plant trait data are crucial for understanding ecosystem function and plant responses to environmental factors.
• Interacting effects on traits and non-standardized measurement protocols create challenges in data interpretation.
• The TRY initiative provides a large, integrated database of plant trait data with associated ancillary information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the 'rtry' R package, designed for efficient preprocessing of plant trait data.
• To streamline data exploration and filtering for users working with large plant trait datasets.
• To improve the accessibility and usability of plant trait data for ecological research.

Main Methods:

• Development of the 'rtry' R package, integrating essential preprocessing functions.
• Focus on data exploration and filtering, excluding data retrieval and analysis.
• Providing a consistent syntax for R users, including beginners.
• Demonstrating utility with TRY data and extending to other sources like NEON.

Main Results:

• The 'rtry' package offers a user-friendly interface for plant trait data preprocessing.
• It simplifies complex filtering and exploration tasks, enhancing data quality.
• The package is available on CRAN and GitHub with comprehensive documentation.

Conclusions:

• The 'rtry' package significantly aids researchers in preparing plant trait data for analysis.
• Its design facilitates easier use of large datasets from initiatives like TRY.
• Improved data preprocessing supports more robust ecological research and understanding of plant traits.