Standing and shed litters alter plant growth in disturbed and undisturbed soils differently

Plant species affect key ecosystem processes like nutrient cycling and overall ecosystem productivity through their litter. The outcome of litter effects is largely determined by its decomposability, which directly effects soil properties. If litter remains standing or unshed (i.e. marcescent), its final decomposability can be increased by photodegradation of recalcitrant structures (like lignin). If the litter is immediately shed, its decomposability largely depends on its original nutrient content. Moreover, plant species may affect soil also through other, more direct effects. It is however unknown whether marcescent and immediately shed litters affect soil, and by that plants, differently, whether direct effects of plants on soil interact with those of marcescent and shed litters, and whether these interactions are consistent under different soil conditions.
We set up a pot experiment, where we tested the effects of originally marcescent and shed litters (both added on the soil surf..., We set up a pot experiment, where we tested the effects of originally marcescent and shed litters (both added on the soil surface of the pots) on three grassland species (Bromus erectus, Filipendula vulgaris, and Plantago media) in contrasting soils from long-term stable ancient grassland and grassland restored on arable land 20 years before. We also tested how litter types and plant species affect soil chemical properties and microbial community (characterised by PLFA markers). Material for the experiment was sampled in grasslands of the White Carpathian Mts. SE of Czechia., , ## Mudrák, Ondřej et al. (2024), Standing and shed litters alter plant growth in disturbed and undisturbed soils differently, Dryad, Dataset, [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.547d7wmgq](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.547d7wmgq)

## Description of the data and file structure

Data are in excel sheet table and named in full or by commonly used abbreviations (see also below).

N/A sign missing values in the dataset.

Description of the variables and its units:
Pot – identifier of the pot
Soil – identifier of the soil type (A – ancient grassland soil; R – restored grassland soil)
Litter – identifier of the litter type (M – marcescent; S – shed; W – without litter)
Species - identifier of the planted species (BE – Bromus erectus; FV – Filipendula vulgaris; PM – Plantago media)
Aboveground_biomass – aboveground biomass of planted species in grams per pot
Belowground_biomass – belowground biomass of planted species in grams per pot
Litter_mass – litter remaining at the end of the experiment on th...