Green alder ecophysiological data and shrub patch environmental data, Trail Valley Creek, NT

• Main Authors: Black, Katherine, Baltzer, Jennifer L.
• Other Authors: Rabley, Jenna, Giguere, Tom, Way-Nee, Emily, Marsh, Philip, Tran, Newton, Stevens, Kevin, Berg, Aaron, Wrona, Beth
• Language: English
• Published: Borealis 2017
• Subjects: Earth and Environmental Sciences; Green alder; Sap flow; Water potential; Alnus alnobetula; Trail Valley Creek; Plant functional traits; Resource availability; Arctic; Northwest Territories; Inuvik; Valley Creek; Tundra
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5683/SP2/5O5BRA

At a low Arctic tundra site (Trail Valley Creek) near Inuvik, Northwest Territories, we measured stem sap flow, stem water potential, and productivity-related functional traits of green alder (Alnus alnobetula) and environmental predictors (water and nutrient availability and seasonal thaw depth) across a toposequence in green alder patches. These data were used to evaluate the role of topographic gradients on upland shrub productivity to understand potential constraints on tundra shrub expansion. Sampled patches of green alder spanned from the top of a hill to the bottom of a slope or drainage channel and were located on south to south-east facing slopes. Eight shrub patches were sampled in 2015 and three were more intensively studied in 2016. For a detailed description of methods, please see Black et al. (2021) in Related Publication .