Data from: Increased duration of aquatic resource pulse alters community and ecosystem responses in a subarctic plant community ...

• Main Authors: Gratton, Claudio, Hoekman, David, Dreyer, Jamin, Jackson, Randall D.
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2018
• Subjects: Betula nana; subsidy; allochthony; carryover; Chironomus; Arctostaphylos uva-ursi; heathland; N enrichment; lake-land linkage; Tantarsus; Subarctic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.hc93j; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.hc93j

Allochthonous resource movement across ecosystem boundaries creates episodic linkages between ecosystems. The sensitivity of the community to external resources of varying duration can alter the baseline upon which future pulses of allochthony can act. We explored the terrestrial ecosystem response to pulsed inputs of lake-derived resources with a manipulative experiment in a subarctic heathland where we assessed plant community and nutrient availability responses to additions of midge carcasses (Diptera: Chironomidae). Insect carcasses were added as either a one-time pulse or a 4-year press to simulate differing durations of allochthony, which is common in the area. We found that midge pulses significantly elevated soil inorganic [N] in the first year (7× over background levels) but were significantly diminished (1.5×) by the second year after the initial pulse. The press treatment continued to elevate total soil inorganic [N] to 13× over background levels by the fourth year of midge additions, but then ... : HEL_Biomass_Data_2009_2015Plant biomass data from experimental plots, XLS formatHEL_Veg_PhotoQuadrat_Data_2011_2015Plant community composition data, XLS formatHEL_Nitrogen_Data_2008_2012Soil Nitrogen data from resin bags, XLS formatHEL_Biomass_Data_2009_2015Plant biomass data from experimental plots, CSV formatHEL_Nitrogen_Data_2008_2012Soil Nitrogen data from resin bags, CSV formatHEL_Veg_PhotoQuadrat_Data_2011Plant community composition 2011, CSV formatHEL_Veg_PhotoQuadrat_Data_2015Plant community composition 2015, CSV format ...