Vegetation changes with climate change in the Grandes Rousses mountain range

Questions: We assessed interactions between climate change, bedrock types and snow cover duration on the trajectories of taxonomic and functional composition of subalpine plant communities. We predict (i) an increase in species richness on siliceous bedrock due to a reduced competition and a decrease in richness on calcareous bedrock due to increasing drought stress, (ii) decreasing snow cover duration should induce a higher shrub encroachment in hollows as compared to ridges (iii) increasing growing season temperature should induce taller sizes and more conservative growth traits, in particular in hollows.
Location: Subalpine belt of the Grandes Rousses mountain range, south western Alps (France).
Methods: 189 vegetation plots were sampled in 1997 and 2017-2018. The duration of snow cover was assessed during two years in 1995-1997 and five functional traits were measured on 108 species in 2021. We performed multivariate analyses, quantified community weighted-means (CWM) of traits and ..., 189 vegetation quadrats were done in 1997 and 2018.
We measured plant traits and calculated CWM of traits at the two years of sampling., , # Vegetation changes with climate change in the Grandes Rousses mountain range

**Principal investigator (or person responsible for collecting the data):**

Richard Michalet, University of Bordeaux, France, [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail])

**Date of data collection:**

1997, 2017, 2018

**Information about geographic location of data collection:**

Isère department, France.

**The file, created in 2024, includes 2 sheets :**

1.     Vegetation composition : Vegetation plots data (Fig. 2 & 3).

2.     Plant traits : CWM of plant traits (Fig. 4 & 5).

**There are no restrictions on the data.**

**Description of methods for data collection or generation**:

Vegetation composition was sampled using quadrat sampling (Michalet et al. 2002, Arctic, Antarctic & Alpine Research).

Plant traits measurements and CWM calculation are done following Michalet et al. (2023, Ecology).

**Description of methods used for data processing:**

We used CA fo...