Data from: Cushion plant morphology controls biogenic capability and facilitation effects of Silene acaulis along an elevation gradient ...

• Main Authors: Bonanomi, Giuliano, Stinca, Adriano, Chirico, Giovanni Battista, Ciaschetti, Giampiero, Saracino, Antonio, Incerti, Guido
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2016
• Subjects: Stress-gradient hypothesis; Silene acaulis; Plant Community; severity-interaction relationships; soil fertility
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2dq44; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.2dq44

The stress-gradient hypothesis (SGH) predicts that the balance of plant–plant interactions shifts along abiotic environmental gradients, with facilitation becoming more frequent under stressful conditions. However, recent studies have challenged this perspective, reporting that positive interactions are, in some cases, more common at the intermediate level of environmental severity gradients. Here, we test whether and how neighbour effects by Silene acaulis cushions vary along a 700 m wide altitudinal transect, in relation to cushion morphological traits and environmental severity. Field measurements along the gradient, within and outside cushions, included (i) species richness and cover of coexisting vascular plants; (ii) cushion morphology; (iii) above- and below-ground microclimate; and (iv) soil quality. We used the relative interaction index to decouple neighbour trait effects and environmental severity effects on plant diversity at different elevations. The ability of the cushion plant to facilitate ... : 1_Bonanomi_et_al_Funct_Ecol_2015_db_dryadData of plant cover, species richness, soil quality and microclimate (temperature and soil moisture) inside and outside Silene acaulis plant. ...