Changes in the functional composition of the understorey across European temperate forests, in relation to changes in canopy openness, changes in N deposition rates and climate warming

Dataset used in "Combining multiple investigative approaches to unravel functional responses to global change in the understorey of temperate forests" published in Global Change Biology (accepted nov 2023).Data on changes in the functional composition (cover, CWM plant heigth and CWM specific leaf area) of herbaceous understorey communities in temperate forests as a response to temperature changes, changes in atmospheric deposition rates and changes in light availability. Three datasets are included:Opportunistic resurvey database (opportunistic_resurvey_database.csv): derived from the forestREplot database: a database of forest herb layer resurvey plots, spread across the temperate zones of the globe. The database is used to quantify changes in herb layer composition and forest functioning, and to assess the effects of global environmental changes such as nitrogen deposition and climate change. Original community composition data can be found here: http://forestreplot.ugent.be.Orthogonally-distributed resurvey study (pastforward_resurvey_study.csv): based on a distributed understorey resurvey study carried out in the frame of ERC project PASTFORWARD (see http://pastforward.ugent.be).Manipulative global-change experiment (pastforward_mesocosm_experiment.csv): based on a mesocosm experiment (understorey communities, planted in plastic trays and dug into the soil of a temperate forest in Belgium (Aelmoeseneie forest), and exposed to warming, light addition and N fertilization) set up in the frame of ERC project PASTFORWARD (see http://pastforward.ugent.be).