Aboveground biomass, CWMs of height, SLA, leaf nutrients, AMF colonization, root traits, soil pH and concentrations of soil C, N, P, K in 85 plots of the Dominance Experiment (1, 2, 6, 9 species) in 2017

It is not well understood whether and how plant diversity-dependent soil changes and associated changes in functional traits contribute to positive diversity–productivity relationships in the long run. To test this, we investigated 85 plant communities (1, 2, 6, and 9 species plots) of the Dominance Experiment. In May/June 2017, we measured community biomass production (aboveground biomass), community-means of plant functional traits (plant height, specific leaf area, leaf N, P, K concentrations, specific root length, root length density, AMF colonization rates), and soil properties (soil pH, soil organic C, soil N, P, K concentrations). We tested how these variables changed along the plant diversity gradient, were related to each other, and how plant and soil variables influenced community biomass production.