Effects of Plant Removal on Mineralization Rates at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Gunnison County, Colorado: 2018

• Main Authors: Kenna E Rewcastle, Jeremiah A Henning, Quentin D Read, Rebecca E Irwin, Nathan J Sanders, Aimee T Classen
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Environmental Data Initiative 2021
• Subjects: Carbon cycling; elevational gradient; plant removal; Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory; community composition; montane; nitrogen mineralization; plant cover; Agoseris Agoseris aurantiaca; Alopecurus Alopecurus pratensis; Androsace Androsace septentrionalis; Antennaria Antennaria corymbosa; Antennaria Antennaria rosea; Arnica Arnica mollis; Arnica Arnica parryi; Artemisia Artemisia tridentata; Bistorta Bistorta bistortoides; Boechera Boechera stricta; Campanula Campanula rotundifolia; Carex Carex ebenea; Castilleja Castilleja miniata; Castilleja Castilleja sulphurea; Chrysothamnus Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus; Cirsium Cirsium arvense; Collomia Collomia linearis; Draba Draba spectabilis; Elymus Elymus glaucus; Eremogone Eremogone congesta; Erigeron Erigeron flagellaris; Erigeron Erigeron glacialis; Erigeron Erigeron speciosus; Erysimum Erysimum capitatum; Erythronium Erythronium grandiflorum; Festuca Festuca thurberi; Fragaria Fragaria virginiana; Gentiana Gentiana parryi; Geranium Geranium richardsonii; Heliomeris Heliomeris multiflora; Helianthella Helianthella quinquenervis; Heterotheca Heterotheca villosa; Ipomopsis Ipomopsis aggregata; Iris Iris missouriensis; Juncus Juncus drummondii; Ligusticum Ligusticum porteri; Linum Linum lewisii; Linaria Linaria vulgaris; Mertensia Mertensia ciliata; Muhlenbergia Muhlenbergia montana; Noccaea Noccaea fendleri; Osmorhiza Osmorhiza occidentalis; Poa Poa alpina; Poa Poa glauca; Poa Poa pratensis; Poa Poa secunda; Populus Populus tremuloides; Potentilla Potentilla gracilis; Potentilla Potentilla hippiana; Potentilla Potentilla pulcherrima; Pseudocymopterus Pseudocymopterus montanus; Ranunculus Ranunculus inamoenus; Rosa Rosa woodsii; Senecio Senecio crassulus; Sibbaldia Sibbaldia procumbens; Solidago Solidago multiradiata; Symphoricarpos Symphoricarpos rotundifolius; Taraxacum Taraxacum officinale; Thalictrum Thalictrum fendleri; Tragopogon Tragopogon dubius; Trifolium Trifolium repens; Trisetum Trisetum spicatum; Vaccinium Vaccinium myrtillus; Valeriana Valeriana edulis; Valeriana Valeriana occidentalis; Veronica Veronica wormskjoldii; Vicia Vicia americana; Viola Viola labradorica; Agoseris aurantiaca; Alopecurus pratensis; Androsace septentrionalis; Antennaria corymbosa; Antennaria rosea; Arnica mollis; Arnica parryi; Artemisia tridentata; Bistorta bistortoides; Boechera stricta; Bromopsis inermis; Campanula rotundifolia; Carex ebenea; Castilleja miniata; Castilleja sulphurea; Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus; Cirsium arvense; Collomia linearis; Draba spectabilis; Dugaldia hoopesii; Elymus glaucus; Eremogone congesta; Erigeron flagellaris; Erigeron glacialis; Erigeron speciosus; Eriogonum subalpinum; Erysimum capitatum; Erythronium grandiflorum; Festuca thurberi; Fragaria virginiana; Galium boreale; Galium septentrionale; Gentiana parryi; Geranium richardsonii; Heliomeris multiflora; Helianthella quinquenervis; Heterotheca villosa; Ipomopsis aggregata; Iris missouriensis; Juncus drummondii; Lathyrus leucanthus; Ligusticum porteri; Linum lewisii; Linaria vulgaris; Mahonia repens; Mertensia ciliata; Muhlenbergia montana; Noccaea fendleri; Osmorhiza occidentalis; Poa alpina; Poa glauca; Poa pratensis; Poa secunda; Populus tremuloides; Potentilla diversifolia; Potentilla gracilis; Potentilla hippiana; Potentilla pulcherrima; Pseudocymopterus montanus; Ranunculus inamoenus; Rosa woodsii; Senecio crassulus; Sibbaldia procumbens; Solidago multiradiata; Symphoricarpos rotundifolius; Taraxacum officinale; Thalictrum fendleri; Tragopogon dubius; Trifolium repens; Trisetum spicatum; Vaccinium caespitosum; Vaccinium myrtillus; Valeriana edulis; Valeriana occidentalis; Veronica wormskjoldii; Vicia americana; Viola labradorica
• Online Access: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/edi/866/1

The loss of aboveground plant diversity alters belowground ecosystem function; yet, the mechanisms underpinning this relationship and the degree to which plant community structure and climate mediate the effects of plant species loss remain unclear. Here, we explored how plant species loss through experimental removal shaped belowground function in ecosystems characterized by different climatic regimes and edaphic properties. We measured plant community composition as well as potential carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) mineralization through laboratory soil incubations and microbial extracellular enzyme activity in soils collected from four unique plant removal experiments located along an elevational gradient in Colorado, USA, during the summer of 2018. We found that regardless of the identity of the removed species or the climate at each site plant removal decreased the absolute variation in potential N-mineralization rates and marginally reduced the magnitude of N-mineralization rates. While plant species removal also marginally reduced C-mineralization rates, C-mineralization, unlike N-mineralization, displayed sensitivity to the climatic and edaphic differences among sites, where C-mineralization was greatest at the high elevation site that receives the most precipitation annually and contains the largest soil total C pools. Plant removal had little impact on soil enzyme activity. Removal effects were not contingent on the amount of biomass removed annually, and shifts in mineralization rates occurred despite only marginal shifts in plant community structure following plant species removal. Our results present a surprisingly simple and consistent pattern of belowground response to the loss of dominant plant species across an elevational gradient with different climatic and edaphic properties, suggesting a common response of belowground ecosystem function to plant species loss regardless of which plant species are lost or the broader climatic context.