Leaf stomatal traits (density and size) in the MyDiv experiment during the drought year 2022

Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and duration of drought events, posing a major threat to the functioning of Central European forests. To investigate how tree growth during the 2018–2020 drought was influenced by species-specific hydro-functional strategies, and whether growth reductions could be mitigated by hydro-functional dissimilarity among neighboring trees, we established this dataset as part of a broader study.

To characterize the water-use strategies of ten temperate tree species, we measured stomatal density and size in 2022 within the MyDiv Experiment. For each species, three top-canopy leaves were sampled from five trees per monoculture plot. Nail-polish imprints of the abaxial leaf surface were prepared and analyzed under a light microscope to count and measure stomata, providing robust species-level estimates of stomatal traits.

These data represent leaf-level hydro-functional traits that reflect stomatal control over transpiration and gas exchange. They were used to assess interspecific variation in water-use strategies and drought responses of tree species in temperate forest ecosystems.