The ecosystem impact of tall shrub growth at the taiga-tundra ecotone of the Northwest Territories

These data were collected to explore the impact of Alnus alnobetula shrub growth on ecosystem function and to assess the spatial variability of that impact at the taiga-tundra ecotone. These metadata are associated with five specific data sets: 1) A suite of environmental variables (soil moisture, thaw depth, nutrient availability, snow depth, and organic matter depth) paired with vegetation community composition collected between summer 2015 and spring 2017. Data were taken from Alnus and Alnus-free habitat at ten sites with S-SE facing slopes. 2) Stem map and shrub size information paired with abiotic and biotic information from the first data set. These data were collected in the summers of 2015 and 2016. 3) Field observations of seed and seedling density measured in a grid around three Alnus patches. To collect seed density, seed traps were deployed over the winter of 2016-2017. Seedlings were counted in the summer of 2017. 4) Root collar samples from Alnus individuals across Trail Valley Creek collected for dendrochronological analysis. 5) Paired measures of frost table depth, soil moisture, repeat photos of bud break, shrub density, and snow-off date collected from the spring to fall of 2017. Data were taken from Alnus and Alnus-free habitat at seven sites. All data came from within 2km of Trail Valley Creek Research Station.

The purpose of this project was to explore the impact of Alnus alnobetula shrub growth on ecosystem function and to assess the spatial variability of that impact at the taiga-tundra ecotone.

Wallace, Cory A; Baltzer, Jennifer L, 2019, "Abiotic and vegetation community data from Alnus alnobetula shrub and open tundra sites at Trail Valley Creek, NT", https://doi.org/10.5683/SP2/F4PQRY, Scholars Portal Dataverse, V2

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