Metabolomic profiles of kawakawa (<i>Macropiper excelsum</i>) leaves following Lepidopteran herbivory using Rapid Evaporative Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (REIMS)

<p dir="ltr">This dataset contains metabolomic fingerprint data from kawakawa (<i>Macropiper excelsum</i>) leaves subjected to herbivory by three native Aotearoa New Zealand Lepidopteran species: <i>Cleora scriptaria</i>, <i>Epalxiphora axenana</i>, and <i>Ctenopseustis obliquana</i>. Rapid Evaporative Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (REIMS) was used to generate chemical profiles of leaves across four treatment conditions: caterpillar eaten, caterpillar present but not eaten, artifically hole-punched, and untreated control.</p><p dir="ltr">Our study reveals the herbivory-driven metabolomic alterations in <i>Macropiper excelsum</i> leaves, highlighting species-specific responses and integrating mātauranga (Indigenous knowledge) with conventional science to study plant-insect interactions. Multivariate analysis was conducted to explore differences in leaf chemistry across species and treatement.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Files included:</b></p><ol><li>REIMS_kawakawa_cleaned_data for multivariate analysis.xlsx – Cleaned REIMS feature matrix and burnhole averages used for multivariate analysis</li><li>REIMS_kawakawa_variable_Stats.xlsx – Descriptive statistics and corrected p-values for pairwise group comparisons</li><li>REIMS_kawakawa_tentative_IDs_unconfirmed.xlsx – Tentative compound identifications from negative ion mode REIMS (Level 1 only, unconfirmed by MS/MS)</li></ol><p dir="ltr"><b>Note:</b> This dataset is under permanent embargo to protect mātauranga Māori and the status of kawakawa as a taonga species. Researchers may request access, and requests will be reviewed in line with tikanga and data sovereignty principles.</p>