SoilHet2_Plot_SpeciesComposition

SoilHet2 Plot species composition. Data was collected each year
during the month of August beginning in 2018. Plots are 4.6m x 4m and plant
abundance was recorded using percent cover. Plots are divided into either 120
40cm x 40cm patches or 480 20cm x 20cm patches. These patches were used to
create different forms of heterogeneity that would be visible at the plot
level. The percent cover used in this data set is relative to the whole plot
and not an individual patch. For a
brief overview: we tested how the spatial pattern of seed arrival (aggregated
versus uniform seed mixtures), soil heterogeneity, and patch size influence
species richness in grassland plant communities in south-central Kansas. We
established 96, 4x4.8 m plots each divided into 120 large-scale (0.4x0.4 m)
or 480 small-scale (0.2x0.2 m) patches. We then excavated, mixed, and
redistributed soil within each plot to create either homogenous or
heterogeneous soil conditions. Finally, seeds from 40 species were then sown
with either one species per soil patch, to create aggregated species
distributions within plots, or were sown uniformly across plots.