Invertebrate herbivory data across a natural soil temperature gradient in Iceland from May-July 2017

• Main Authors: O’Gorman, E.J., Warner, E., Marteinsdóttir, B., Helmutsdóttir, V.F., Ehrlén, J., Robinson, S.I.
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: NERC Environmental Information Data Centre 2021
• Subjects: climate change; global warming; natural experiment; trophic; Hengill; Iceland
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5285/da5d7028-2aec-4da2-96ff-f347a0dfa77e; https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/da5d7028-2aec-4da2-96ff-f347a0dfa77e

This is a dataset of environmental data, vegetation cover, and community- and species-level invertebrate herbivory, sampled at 14 experimental soil plots in the Hengill geothermal valley, Iceland, from May to July 2017. The plots span a temperature gradient of 5-35 °C on average over the sampling period, yet they occur within 1 km of each other and have similar soil moisture, pH, nitrate, ammonium, and phosphate. : Herbivory assessments were made at the plant community and species levels. We focused on three plant species with a widespread occurrence across the temperature gradient: cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis, Linnaeus), common mouse-ear (Cerastium fontanum, Baumgerten), and marsh violet (Viola palustris, Linnaeus). For assessments of invertebrate herbivory at the species level, thirty individuals per species of C. pratensis, C. fontanum, and V. palustris were marked in each of ten plots, using a stratified random sampling method where individuals were randomly selected, but the full range of within-plot soil temperatures was represented. For assessments of invertebrate herbivory at the community level, five 50 × 50 cm quadrats were marked at random points in eight of the plots that best captured the full temperature gradient. The community-level herbivory assessment was conducted on 19th June. The number of damaged plants was recorded out of 100 random individuals, selected using a 10 × 10 grid within each 50 × 50 cm quadrat. For the species-level herbivory assessment, individual marked plants were surveyed for signs of invertebrate herbivory every two weeks from 30th May to 2nd July, generating three time-points per species. At each survey, all marked individuals for each species were assessed within a 48-hour period. Plants were recorded as damaged or not damaged by invertebrate herbivores at each time-point. Further details of how phenological stage of development, vegetation community composition, soil temperature, moisture, pH, nitrate, ammonium, and phosphate were recorded are provided in the supporting documentation.