Shifts in soil and plant functional diversity along an altitudinal gradient in the French Alps.
Alexia StokesGuillermo AngelesFabien AnthelmeEduardo Aranda-DelgadoIsabelle BaroisManon BounousNereyda Cruz-MaldonadoThibaud DecaënsStéphane FourtierGrégoire T FreschetQuentin GabriacDaniel Hernández-CáceresLeonor JiménezJing MaZhun MaoBeatriz Eugenia Marín-CastroLuis Merino-MartínAwaz MohamedChristian PiedalluCarlos Pimentel-ReyesHans ReijnenFrédérique ReverchonHervé ReyLavinia SelliChristina Desireé Siebe-GrabachKatrin SieronMonique WeemstraCatherine RoumetPublished in: BMC research notes (2021)
The paper describes soil physical and chemical properties, climatic variables, plant community composition and species abundance, plant community traits, soil microbial functional diversity and macrofaunal abundance and diversity. Data are provided for six elevations (1400-2400 m) ranging from montane forest to alpine prairie. We focused on soil biophysical properties beneath three dominant plant species that structure local vegetation. These data are useful for understanding how shifts in vegetation communities affect belowground processes, such as water infiltration, soil aggregation and carbon storage. Data will also help researchers understand how plant communities adjust to a changing climate/environment.