Data from: Plant diversity effects on plant longevity and their relationships to population stability in experimental grasslands

In a 12-year old biodiversity experiment (Jena Experiment) comprising 80
grassland communities with six levels of plant species richness (1, 2, 4,
8, 16 and 60 species) and four levels of functional groups richness (1, 2,
3 and 4 functional groups), we studied populations of 38 dicotyledonous
forb species (N = 1,683 plant individuals). The sampled individuals
represented three plant functional groups (legumes, small herbs, tall
herbs) and two different growth forms (species with long-lived primary
roots, or clonal species with rhizomes/stolons). We assessed the age of
plant individuals by means of growth ring analysis and related the age of
plant populations to their temporal stability in terms of peak
biomass production.