Data from: Bryophyte traits explain climate-warming effects on tree seedling establishment ...

• Main Authors: Lett, Signe, Nilsson, Marie-Charlotte, Wardle, David A., Dorrepaal, Ellen
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2017
• Subjects: Phenols; Mosses; Lophozia floerkii; Sphagnum capillifolium; Betula pubescens; seedling growth; Sphagnum fuscum; Pinus sylvestris; Ptilidium ciliare; Dicranum drummondii; Polytrichum commune; plant-plant interactions; Hylocomium splendens; water retention capacity; Pleurozium schreberi; bryophyte density; Tundra
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.kv145; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.kv145

Above the alpine tree line, bryophytes cover much of the tundra soil surface in dense, often monospecific carpets. Therefore, when climate warming enables tree seedling establishment above the tree line, interaction with the bryophyte layer is inevitable. Bryophytes are known to modify their environment in various ways. However, little is known about to which extent and by which mechanisms bryophytes affect the response of tree seedlings to climate warming. We aimed to assess and understand the importance of bryophyte species identity and traits for tree seedling performance at tree line temperatures and their response to warmer conditions. Seedlings of two common, tree line-forming tree species (Betula pubescens and Pinus sylvestris) were planted into intact cushions of eight common tundra bryophyte species and bryophyte-free soil and grown for 18 weeks at current (7·0 °C) and near-future (30–50 years; 9·2 °C) tree line average growing-season temperatures. Seedling performance (biomass increase and ... : Tree seedling growth responses to temperature and bryophyte traitstree seedling responses (biomass and N uptake) to growing in 8 bryophyte species at 7.2 and 9.0 °C for 4 months plus data for 6 traits of the 8 bryophyte species. Bryophyte Traits are: water holding capacity, density, height and water extractable NH4+ and dissolved organic N and total phenolsDATA for Lett et al. .xls ...