ALBERT

Description: This data set contains plant species traits: Flowering initiation, Flowering cessation, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf area, maximum canopy height, specific root length (SRL), mean rooting depth (MRD), root mass density (RMD) and root length density (RLD). The traits were measured during the summer of 2012 on the plants grown in monoculture within a grassland trait diversity experiment (the Jena Trait Based Experiment). The experiment consists of 20 plant species that were assigned to one of three species pools: 1. Species that vary along a gradient of spatial leaf and root trait similarity, 2. Species that vary along a gradient of phenological trait similarity and 3. Species that vary along a gradient of both spatial and phenological similarity (see Ebeling et al. 2014). The plots were 3 x 3 m in size and established within the Jena Experiment, Germany, in 2011. Plots were maintained by manual weeding in March, July and September. Traits were measured during the summer of 2012. Flowering initiation and cessation were measured respectively as the week in which flowering was first observed and flowering senesce had completed throughout the plot. Leaf area, leaf fresh mass were measured on approximately five fully expanded leaves from different individuals. These leaves were dried at 65 C for over 48 hours and massed to calculate the specific leaf area (SLA, area per dry mass), and the leaf dry matter content (LDMC, dry mass per fresh mass). Maximum canopy height was measured during peak biomass in May by taking the average of five measurements along a transect. Root traits were measured by taking soil cores, 4 cm in diameter and 40 cm deep and sectioned by depth: 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-30 and 30-40 cm. Roots were washed and roots 〈 2 mm in diameter were stored in 70 % ethanol. Root length was determined by scanning stained roots with neutral red and scanning roots using WinRhizo software. Root traits were only measured in species pool 1 and 2. Roots were then dried at 65 C for over 48 hours and massed to determine the specific root length (SRL, root length per mass), mean rooting depth (MRD, the average depth weighed by root mass per depth), root mass density (RMD, the average root mass per cubic cm volume) and root length density (RLD, root mass per root length).