Data from: Species-specific effects of biocrust-forming lichens on soil properties under simulated climate change are driven by functional traits

Biocrusts are key drivers of
ecosystem functioning in drylands, yet our understanding of how climate change
will affect the chemistry of biocrust-forming species and their impacts on
carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling is still very limited. Using a manipulative
experiment conducted with common biocrust-forming lichens with distinct
morphology and chemistry (Buellia zoharyi,
Diploschistes diacapsis, Psora
decipiens and Squamarina lentigera),
we evaluated changes in lichen total and isotopic C and N and several soil C
and N variables after 50 months of simulated warming and rainfall reduction. Climate
change treatments reduced δ13C and C:N ratio in B. zoharyi, and increased δ15N in S. lentigera. Lichens had species-specific effects on soil dissolved
organic N (DON),

, β-glucosidase
and acid phosphatase activity regardless of climate change treatments, while these
treatments changed how lichens affected several soil properties regardless of
biocrust species. Changes in thallus δ13C, N and C:N drove species-specific
effects on DON,

, β-glucosidase
and acid phosphatase activity. Our findings indicate that warmer and drier
conditions will alter the chemistry of biocrust-forming lichens, affecting soil
nutrient cycling, and emphasize their key role as modulators of climate change
impacts in dryland soils.