Data for "Nitrogen enrichment amplifies the role of dominant species in sustaining ecosystem multifunctionality across spatial scales"

Using an eight-year field experiment in a subalpine meadow that combined N addition with the removal of either dominant grasses or subordinate forbs, we tested whether ecosystem multifunctionality under N enrichment is sustained by species diversity or by dominant species from local (α-) to larger (γ-) spatial scales. We found that removing dominant grasses, sharply reduced multifunctionality at both α- and γ-scales, despite increasing plant diversity. In contrast, removing subordinate forbs reduced diversity but had little impact on multifunctionality, as the remaining dominant grasses continued to support key ecosystem functions. Nitrogen enrichment further strengthened the role of these dominant species.