Data from: Spatial heterogeneity in soil nutrient supply modulates nutrient and biomass responses to multiple global change drivers in model grassland communities

Changes in the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide ([CO2]),
nutrient availability and biotic diversity are three major drivers of the
ongoing global change impacting terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. While it
is well established that soil nutrient heterogeneity exerts a strong
influence on the development of plant individuals and communities, it is
virtually unknown how nutrient heterogeneity and global change drivers
interact to affect plant performance and ecosystem functioning. We
conducted a microcosm experiment to evaluate the effect of simultaneous
changes in [CO2], nutrient heterogeneity (NH), nutrient availability (NA)
and species evenness on the biomass and nutrient uptake patterns of
assemblages formed by Lolium perenne, Plantago lanceolata and Holcus
lanatus. When the nutrients were heterogeneously supplied,assemblages
exhibited precise root foraging patterns, and had higher above- and
belowground biomass (average increases of 32% and 29% for above- and
belowground biomass, respectively). Nutrient heterogeneity also modulated
the effects of NA on biomass production, complementarity in nitrogen
uptake and below: aboveground ratio, as well as those of [CO2] on the
nutrient use efficiency at the assemblage level. Our results show that
nutrient heterogeneity has the potential to influence the response of
plant assemblages to simultaneous changes in [CO2], nutrient availability
and biotic diversity, and suggest that it is an important environmental
factor to interpret and assess plant assemblage responses to global
change.