Data from: Cascading effects of earthworm invasion in tundra increase graminoid density and rodent grazing intensities ...

• Main Authors: Jonsson, Hanna, Olofsson, Johan, Blume-Werry, Gesche, Klaminder, Jonatan
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2023
• Subjects: FOS Natural sciences; Normalized Difference Vegetation Index NDVI; soil water content; pin pointing; Lumbricidae; Grazing; Abisko; Arctic; Tundra
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.zpc866tbm; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.zpc866tbm

Earthworms are being introduced to numerous ecosystems through human activities. Some non-native earthworm species have the potential to ‘geoengineer’ soils and increase plant nitrogen (N) uptake, but if the increased plant N concentrations can cause increased rodent grazing is not well known. In this study, we present findings from a common garden experiment with two tundra communities, meadow (forb dominated) and heath (shrub dominated), half of them subjected to four years of earthworm presence (Lumbricus spp. and Aporrectodea spp.). Within four summers, our earthworm treatment changed plant community composition by increasing graminoid density by on average 94 % in the heath vegetation and by 49 % in the meadow. Rodent winter grazing were more intense on plants growing in soils with earthworms, an effect that coincided with higher nitrogen concentrations in plants indicating a higher palatability. Moreover, although the earthworms decreased soil moisture, our proxy for plant community photosynthesis ... : # Cascading effects of earthworm invasion in tundra increase graminoid density and rodent grazing intensities [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.zpc866tbm](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.zpc866tbm) The data set is from a common garden mesocosm experiment in Abisko, sub-Arctic Sweden running between 2017-2020. More information about each variable is provided in the manuscript methods. ## Description of the data and file structure **File ‘Data.xlsx’** Contains variables: *Variables of Mesocosm_properties:* “Plot_nr” = Number ID of each mesocosm “Block_nr” = Number ID of the sand beds in which the mesocosm monoliths were placed. “Treatment” = Worm /No worm whether the mesocosm plot had earthworm treatment or not “Vegetationtype” = Mesocosm vegetation type (Heath or Meadow) *Variables from Vegetation inventory 2020 [hits/pin]:* “FORBS” = Pin intercept inventory of vegetation functional groups, the number of forb hits per pin for each mesocosm. “GRAMINOIDS” = Pin intercept inventory of vegetation functional groups, ...