Seed limitation interacts with biotic and abiotic factors to constrain novel species’ impact on community biomass and richness
Data files
Mar 20, 2023 version files 65.18 KB
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README.md
4.26 KB
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Seed_limitation_code.R
2.97 KB
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Seed_limitation_dataset_all.txt
29.10 KB
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Seed_limitation_dataset_seeded_unseeded.txt
9.62 KB
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Seed_limitation_dataset_traits.txt
19.22 KB
Sep 25, 2023 version files 65.24 KB
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README.md
4.32 KB
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Seed_limitation_code.R
2.97 KB
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Seed_limitation_dataset_all.txt
29.10 KB
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Seed_limitation_dataset_seeded_unseeded.txt
9.62 KB
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Seed_limitation_dataset_traits.txt
19.22 KB
Abstract
Seed limitation can narrow down the number of coexisting plant species, limit plant community productivity, and can also constrain community responses to changing environmental and biotic conditions. In a 10-year full-factorial experiment of seed addition, fertilisation, warming, and herbivore exclusion, we tested how seed addition alters community richness and biomass, and how its effects depend on seed origin and biotic and abiotic context. We found that seed addition increased species richness in all treatments, and increased plant community biomass depending on nutrient addition and warming. Novel species, originally absent from the communities, increased biomass the most, especially in fertilised plots and in the absence of herbivores, while adding seeds of local species did not affect biomass. Our results show that seed limitation constrains both community richness and biomass, and highlight the importance of considering trophic interactions and soil nutrients when assessing novel species immigrations and their effects on community biomass.
Datasets used in "Seed limitation interacts with biotic and abiotic factors to constrain novel species impact on community biomass and richness" from Nomie Pichon, Elina Kaarlejrvi and Anu Eskelinen, 2023, Ecology Letters.
Biomass, richness and trait values measured in 2019 on a seed addition experiment started in 2009, in Kilpisjrvi, Finnish Lapland.
The experiment manipulates factorially seed addition from local and novel species, warming, NPK fertilisation, and mammal herbivore exclosure (levels are always untreated/treated).
The experiment consists in 56 plots. Plots are cut in two subplots, one subplot is unseeded, the other subplot is seeded, summing up to 112 subplots.
See methods for more info on the design. If you have further questions: noemie.pichon@yahoo.fr
The models used in the analyses are found in "Seed_limitation_code.R"
We included here three different datasets:
- Seed_limitation_dataset_all.txt
This dataset contains species richness and biomass in each plot, for the whole community, for novel species, for local species, and for resident species. Total community richness is the sum of novel, local and resident richness. Same goes for biomass. N = 112.
Typical model:
lme(Richness ~ Fertilization * Warming * Exclosure * Seeding, random = ~ 1|Plot_Nb, subset(ds_all, Species_origin == "Total_community"))
Variable Description
Plot_Nb individual plot number, 1 to 56
Exclosure herbivore exclusion treatment, fenced or unfenced
Fertilization fertilization treatment, fertilized or unfertilized
Warming warming treatment, warmed or unwarmed
Seeding seed addition treatment, seeded or unseeded
Species_origin category for the origin of the species: novel, local, resident, or total.
Richness number of vascular plant species
Biomass vascular plant dry biomass, g per 25 25 cm plot
- Seed_limitation_dataset_seeded_unseeded.txt
This dataset contains the difference in species richness and biomass between seeded and unseeded plots, for novel, local and resident species. N = 56.
Typical model:
lm(Richness_seeded_unseeded ~ Species_origin + Fertilization * Warming * Exclosure, ds_seeded_unseeded)
or
lm(Richness_seeded_unseeded ~ Fertilization * Warming * Exclosure, subset(ds_seeded_unseeded, Species_origin == "Novel_seeded"))
Variable Description
Plot_Nb individual plot number, 1 to 56
Exclosure herbivore exclusion treatment, fenced or unfenced
Fertilization fertilization treatment, fertilized or unfertilized
Warming warming treatment, warmed or unwarmed
Species_origin category for the origin of the species: novel, local, or resident.
Richness_seeded_unseeded difference in number of vascular plant species between seeded and unseeded plots
Biomass_seeded_unseeded difference in vascular plant dry biomass between seeded and unseeded plots, g per 25 25 cm plot
- Seed_limitation_dataset_traits.txt
This datatset contains community weighted mean functional trait values (cover x species specific trait value) measured on site (or from litterature for four species, see methods).
Traits: specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf C:N ratio, leaf C:P ratio, height, leaf N:P ratio, tannins content, phenols content. N = 112.
Typical model:
lme(CWM_LDMC ~ Fertilization * Warming * Exclosure * Seeding, random = ~ 1|Plot_Nb, ds_traits)
Variable Description
Plot_Nb individual plot number, 1 to 56
Exclosure herbivore exclusion treatment, fenced or unfenced
Fertilization fertilization treatment, fertilized or unfertilized
Warming warming treatment, warmed or unwarmed
Seeding seed addition treatment, seeded or unseeded
CWM_Height community weighted mean height, cm
CWM_SLA community weighted mean specific leaf area, m2 kg-1
CWM_CN community weighted mean leaf C:N ratio
CWM_CP community weighted mean leaf C:P ratio
CWM_Tannins community weighted mean tannins content, mg g-1
CWM_Phenols community weighted mean phenols content, mg g-1
CWM_LDMC community weighted mean leaf dry matter content, mg g-1
CWM_C community weighted mean leaf % carbon
CWM_N community weighted mean leaf % nitrogen
CWM_P community weighted mean leaf % phosphorus
CWM_NP community weighted mean leaf N:P ratio