Widen and Space Boxplots

tjsamo · July 10, 2022, 4:56pm

I am trying to make a nice figure of multiple boxplots but I am having trouble getting reasonable width and spacing between them. Can someone please help me widen each boxplot (ideally all being the same width) but prevent them from overlapping? This is what I've tried so far:


library(ggplot2)
library(ggExtra)
library(ggpattern)

structure(list(Data = c("South_Africa", "Lesbos", "Costa_Rica", 
"Lesbos", "South_Africa", "Lesbos", "Lesbos", "Lesbos", "Lesbos", 
"Lesbos", "Costa_Rica", "South_Africa", "South_Africa", "Costa_Rica", 
"Lesbos", "Lesbos", "Lesbos", "Lesbos", "Lesbos", "Lesbos", "Lesbos", 
"Costa_Rica", "South_Africa", "Costa_Rica", "Lesbos", "South_Africa", 
"Lesbos", "South_Africa", "Lesbos", "Lesbos", "Lesbos", "Costa_Rica", 
"South_Africa", "Costa_Rica", "Costa_Rica", "Costa_Rica", "Lesbos", 
"Costa_Rica", "South_Africa", "Lesbos"), Soil = c("NU", "NU", 
"NU", "NU", "NU", "NU", "NU", "U", "NU", "NU", "NU", "NU", "NU", 
"NU", "NU", "NU", "U", "NU", "NU", "U", "NU", "NU", "NU", "NU", 
"U", "NU", "U", "U", "U", "U", "NU", "NU", "NU", "NU", "NU", 
"NU", "U", "NU", "NU", "U"), Taxa = c("Gisekia africana", "Dactylis_glomerata", 
"piper", "Crepis_commutata", "Ruellia patula", "Hordeum_bulbosum", 
"Bromus_commutatus", "Torilis_nodosa", "Lagoecia_cuminoides", 
"Aegilops_biuncialis", "guamac", "Celtis africana", "Ziziphus mucronata", 
"exomex", "Trachynia_distachya", "Lolium_rigidum", "Trifolium_angustifolium", 
"Plantago_lagopus", "Torilis_nodosa", "Lolium_rigidum", "Trifolium_arvense", 
"bauung", "Senecio latifolius", "mactin", "Aegilops_biuncialis", 
"Geigeria ornativa", "Trachynia_distachya", "Faurea saligna", 
"Lagoecia_cuminoides", "Cynosurus_echinatus", "Phleum_pratense", 
"casser", "Polygala hottentotta", "luespe", "steobo", "chospi", 
"Hordeum_bulbosum", "calcan", "Combretum apiculatum", "Dactylis_glomerata"
), SLA = c(39.35278345, 39.2, 38.7204594, 38.193, 37.16119821, 
36.5482, 36.423, 36.3955172, 35.7273333, 34.58675, 34.236364, 
33.88607569, 33.8744023, 33.8530125, 33.366, 32.9338, 32.7803704, 
32.579, 31.9593878, 31.7509091, 31.3455, 31.3426755, 30.89855185, 
30.2421874, 30.2008955, 29.9203306, 29.7844828, 29.43251529, 
29.36, 29.1293333, 29.09, 29.0699486, 28.72968653, 28.7162493, 
28.5190057, 28.1025365, 27.94175, 27.8320321, 27.29171929, 27.266
), Clim = c("Subtropical", "Meditteranean", "Tropical", "Meditteranean", 
"Subtropical", "Meditteranean", "Meditteranean", "Meditteranean", 
"Meditteranean", "Meditteranean", "Tropical", "Subtropical", 
"Subtropical", "Tropical", "Meditteranean", "Meditteranean", 
"Meditteranean", "Meditteranean", "Meditteranean", "Meditteranean", 
"Meditteranean", "Tropical", "Subtropical", "Tropical", "Meditteranean", 
"Subtropical", "Meditteranean", "Subtropical", "Meditteranean", 
"Meditteranean", "Meditteranean", "Tropical", "Subtropical", 
"Tropical", "Tropical", "Tropical", "Meditteranean", "Tropical", 
"Subtropical", "Meditteranean"), AnnTemp = c(18.9, 15.6, 25.8, 
15.6, 18.9, 15.6, 15.6, 15.1, 15.6, 15.6, 25.8, 18.9, 18.9, 25.8, 
15.6, 15.6, 15.1, 15.6, 15.6, 15.1, 15.6, 25.8, 18.9, 25.8, 15.1, 
18.9, 15.1, 19.3, 15.1, 15.1, 15.6, 25.8, 18.9, 25.8, 25.8, 25.8, 
15.1, 25.8, 18.9, 15.1), AnnPrecip = c(716, 620.5, 1662, 620.5, 
716, 620.5, 620.5, 636.5, 620.5, 620.5, 1662, 716, 716, 1662, 
620.5, 620.5, 636.5, 620.5, 620.5, 636.5, 620.5, 1662, 716, 1662, 
636.5, 716, 636.5, 699, 636.5, 636.5, 620.5, 1662, 716, 1662, 
1662, 1662, 636.5, 1662, 716, 636.5)), row.names = c(NA, 40L), class = "data.frame")

dodge <- position_dodge2(padding = 0.5,
                         preserve = c("total", "single"))
ClimFigP <- ggplot(ClimDF, aes(x = AnnPrecip, y = SLA, fill = Data, pattern = Soil, alpha=0.4)) +
  geom_boxplot_pattern(
                       color = "black", 
                       pattern_fill = "black",
                       pattern_angle = 45,
                       pattern_density = 0.3,
                       pattern_spacing = 0.025,
                       pattern_key_scale_factor = 0.6,
                       width = 75,
                       position = dodge) +
  scale_pattern_manual(values = c(U = "circle", NU = "none")) +
  scale_fill_manual(values = c('lightblue','lightskyblue','palegreen1','lemonchiffon2','lightsalmon')) +
  theme_classic()
ClimFigP

Also if you could help me get rid of the uneccessary alpha key and remove the stripes in the Data key that would be much appreciated!

M_AcostaCH · July 11, 2022, 7:08am

Remember put a reproducible example of data for better help you all the community.

Its easy like that: dput(dataframe[1:40, ]). And try to select all the case in AnnPrecip

FAQ: What's a reproducible example (`reprex`) and how do I create one? meta

Why reprex? Getting unstuck is hard. Your first step here is usually to create a reprex, or reproducible example. The goal of a reprex is to package your code, and information about your problem so that others can run it and feel your pain. Then, hopefully, folks can more easily provide a solution. What's in a Reproducible Example? Parts of a reproducible example: background information - Describe what you are trying to do. What have you already done? complete set up - include any library() calls and data to reproduce your issue. data for a reprex: Here's a discussion on setting up data for a reprex make it run - include the minimal code required to reproduce your error on the data…

tjsamo · July 11, 2022, 1:15pm

Thank you. I have now included reproducible data.

M_AcostaCH · July 12, 2022, 6:12am

Hi @tjsamo , Im find this solution. Add position = position_dodge2(preserve = "single"). Now try with the all data.

dodge <- position_dodge2(padding = 0.5,
                         preserve = c("total", "single"))
ClimFigP <- ggplot(ClimDF, aes(x = AnnPrecip, y = SLA, fill = Data, pattern = Soil, alpha=0.4)) +
  geom_boxplot_pattern(
                       color = "black", 
                       pattern_fill = "black",
                       pattern_angle = 45,
                       pattern_density = 0.3,
                       pattern_spacing = 0.025,
                       pattern_key_scale_factor = 0.6,
                       width = 75,
                       position = position_dodge2(preserve = "single")) + # Check this 
  scale_pattern_manual(values = c(U = "circle", NU = "none")) +
  scale_fill_manual(values = c('lightblue','lightskyblue','palegreen1',
                               'lemonchiffon2','lightsalmon')) +
  theme_classic()
ClimFigP

tjsamo · July 12, 2022, 11:25am

Thank you! That looks much better.
Now I am combining two plots using ggarrange. How do I get the boxplot widths to be the same for each? I don't like how the top plot's boxes are wider.

dodge <- position_dodge2(padding = 0.5,
                         preserve = c("total", "single"))
ClimFigT <- ggplot(ClimDF) +
  geom_boxplot_pattern(aes(x = AnnTemp, y = SLA, fill = Data, pattern = Soil, alpha=0.4),
                       color = "black", 
                       pattern_fill = "black",
                       pattern_angle = 45,
                       pattern_density = 0.3,
                       pattern_spacing = 0.025,
                       pattern_key_scale_factor = 0.6,
                       width = 0.1 + 
                       position = position_dodge2(preserve = "single")) +
  scale_pattern_manual(values = c(U = "circle", NU = "none")) +
  scale_fill_manual(values = c('lightblue','lightskyblue','palegreen1','lemonchiffon2','lightsalmon')) +
  labs(y = expression(paste("SLA (", mm^{2},mg^-1,")")),y = "", fill="",
       x = "Mean Annual Temperature (ºC)" ) +
  theme_classic(base_size = 14)
ClimFigT
dev.off()
dev.new()

dodge <- position_dodge2(padding = 0.5,
                         preserve = c("total", "single"))
ClimFigP <- ggplot(ClimDF, aes(x = AnnPrecip, y = SLA, fill = Data, pattern = Soil, alpha=0.4)) +
  geom_boxplot_pattern(
                       color = "black", 
                       pattern_fill = "black",
                       pattern_angle = 45,
                       pattern_density = 0.3,
                       pattern_spacing = 0.025,
                       pattern_key_scale_factor = 0.6,
                       width = 150,
                       position = position_dodge2(preserve = "single")) +
  scale_pattern_manual(values = c(U = "circle", NU = "none")) +
  scale_fill_manual(values = c('lightblue','lightskyblue','palegreen1','lemonchiffon2','lightsalmon')) +
  labs(y = expression(paste("SLA (", mm^{2},mg^-1,")")),y = "", fill="",
       x = "Mean Annual Precipitation (mm)" ) +
  theme_classic(base_size = 14)
ClimFigP

library(ggpubr)
fig1 <- ggarrange(ClimFigT,
                  ClimFigP,
                  #labels = c("A", "B", "C"),
                  ncol = 1, nrow = 2,
                  common.legend = TRUE,
                  label.y = 1,
                  legend="right")
print(fig1)

system · August 2, 2022, 11:26am

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