Arctic shrub root traits, northern Alaska, summer 2017

• Main Authors: Fraterrigo, Jennifer, Chen, Weile, Tape, Ken, Euskirchen, Eugenie
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; Arctic; Eriophorum; Tundra; Alaska
• Online Access: http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1631262; https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1631262; https://doi.org/10.15485/1631262

This data package contains root trait data collected from 170 plots of rapidly expanding shrub genera (Alnus, Betula, and Salix) and a widespread sedge (Eriophorum vaginatum) along a latitudinal and temperature gradient in northern Alaska. The trait data were collected in July 2017 and include root architecture (root diameter and branching patterns), mycorrhizal colonization (%), nitrogen concentration (%), delta 15N (per mil), and vertical root biomass. These raw data support a submitted manuscript that examines the distribution and interspecific variations of absorptive root traits of shrubs and graminoids across the graminoid-dominated nutrient-poor arctic tundra and reveals how deciduous shrub expansion affects plant nutrient acquisition strategies in tundra ecosystems. Data are presented by site (n=5) and patch (shrub or sedge plot) in separate csv files. The location data are provided in the “plot coordinates” file; all other files contain the data in the file title. Detailed methods are in Chen et al. (2020).