Data from: Reindeer control over subarctic treeline alters soil fungal communities with potential consequences for soil carbon storage ...

• Main Authors: Ylänne, Henni, Madsen, Rieke L., Castaño, Carles, Metcalfe, Daniel B., Clemmensen, Karina E.
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2021
• Subjects: Metcalfe; Norway; Fennoscandia; Rangifer tarandus; Subarctic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.mkkwh70zs; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.mkkwh70zs

Here we present the data and R script from “Reindeer control over subarctic treeline alters soil fungal communities with potential consequences for soil carbon storage” by Henni Ylänne, Rieke L. Madsen, Carles Castaño, Daniel B. Metcalfe and Karina E. Clemmensen (Global Change Biology, 2021). In this study we reported the impacts of grazing regime and mountain birch vicinity on the abundance, diversity and community composition of the soil fungal community, and explored how the soil fungal communities relate to vegetation and, ultimately, to the observed variation in soil carbon stocks. The study was conducted at a treeline ecotone in northern Fennoscandia, where two adjacent 65-year-old grazing regimes with or without summer grazing by reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) could be compared. As these grazing regimes differ in the abundance of mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii), the own effects of mountain birch vicinity on the fungal communities were assessed by collecting soil samples directly ... : Study site, experimental design and soil sampling The study was conducted at Jávrrešduoddarat, an alpine treeline ecotone at the border between Finland and Norway (68°45ʹN, 23°43ʹE; altitude 430–480 m a.s.l.). Since the late 1950’s, the Norwegian side of the Jávrrešduoddarat area is grazed by reindeer only during snow-covered winter months. In contrast, the Finnish side of the Jávrrešduoddarat area is grazed all year round. As reindeer exert less control over vegetation during winter months, when soil and vegetation are mostly protected by snow and ice, the year-round grazed side is more exposed to reindeer browsing, trampling and fertilization by excreta than the winter grazed side. This long-term grazing difference is reflected in higher lichen cover and greater abundance of mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii) in the winter grazing regime when compared to the year-round grazing regime. Here we compared the open woodland in the year-round grazing regime (YGR) to the denser mountain birch ...