Alder root enzyme activity, foliar chemistry, and soil properties from a latitudinal gradient across Interior to Arctic Alaska. (July 2019)

Siberian alder (Alnus viridis ssp. fruticosa) is a tall shrub expanding across Alaska. Host to ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi and nitrogen-fixing actinobacteria Frankia, alder not only facilitates the addition of new nitrogen (N) to its ecosystems through fixation, it may also alter phosphorus availability and transform soil organic matter via the exudation of EcM degradative enzymes. To understand alder’s potential for overhauling nutrient dynamics in northern biomes as it expands, this project identified drivers of EcM root enzyme activity on Siberian alders across a latitudinal gradient in Arctic and boreal Alaska. Data was collected from 11 plots established by R. Ruess and C. Heslop from the Bonanza Creek LTER (Long Term Ecological Research), stretching from Gerstle River, Alaska (AK) to Sagwon Bluffs, AK. This dataset consists of potential activities of 4 enzymes (beta-glucosidase, N-acetyl glucosaminidase, acid phosphatase, and laccase) measured on Siberian alder root tips colonized by EcM and foliar and soil chemistry.