Data from: Winter warming effects on tundra shrub performance are species-specific and dependent on spring conditions ...

• Main Authors: Krab, Eveline J., Rönnefarth, Jonas, Becher, Marina, Blume-Werry, Gesche, Keuper, Frida, Klaminder, Jonatan, Kreyling, Juergen, Makoto, Kobayashi, Milbau, Ann, Dorrepaal, Ellen, Roennefarth, Jonas
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2018
• Subjects: winter climate change; snowmelt timing; plant phenology; Betula nana; Shrubs; Empetrum nigrum; Vaccinium vitis-idaea; spring climate; cryoturbation; Arctic; Climate change; Tundra
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.90d2g; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.90d2g

1. Climate change driven increases in winter temperatures positively affect conditions for shrub growth in arctic tundra by decreasing plant frost damage and stimulation of nutrient availability. However, the extent to which shrubs may benefit from these conditions may be strongly dependent on the following spring climate. Species-specific differences in phenology and spring frost sensitivity likely affect shrub growth responses to warming. Additionally, effects of changes in winter and spring climate may differ over small spatial scales, as shrub growth may be dependent on natural variation in snow cover, shrub density and cryoturbation. 2. We investigated the effects of winter warming and altered spring climate on growing-season performance of three common and widespread shrub species in cryoturbated non-sorted circle arctic tundra. By insulating sparsely vegetated non-sorted circles and parts of the surrounding heath with additional snow or gardening fleeces we created two climate change scenarios: Snow ... : AbioticsSnow depth over and soil temperatures in manipulated and unmanipulated non-sorted-circles. Snowdepths have been measured from west to east at every 50 cm, at three dates in the springs of 2013 and 2014. Soil temperatures measured in the center of non-sorted circles at approximately -1 cm in the autumn-spring of 2012-2013, and autumn-mid summer 2013-2014. 'ctrl' plots are unmanipulated, 'fleece' plots were covered with gardening fleeces, and 'snow' plots had snow added by use of a stone wall catching snow.Plant_responsesCanopy greenness, frost damage, shoot biomass and shoot length growth (cumulative an interpolated). Canopy greenness was measured on 8 occassions during the spring of 2014. Greenness is expressed per % of maximum greenness. Frost damage measured at two dates in late spring as relative electrolyte leakage (%). Shoot biomass (mg) at the peak of the growing season (mid-July 2014). Shoot length growth (cm) measured at 8 consecutive dates in the summer of 2014, and cumulative length growth ...