Tree seedling functional traits mediate plant-soil feedback survival responses across a gradient of light availability

Though not often examined together, both plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) and functional traits have important influences on plant community dynamics and could interact. For example, seedling functional traits could impact seedling survivorship responses to soils cultured by conspecific versus heterospecific adults. Furthermore, levels of functional traits could vary with soil culturing source. In addition, these relationships might shift with light availability, which can affect trait values, microbe abundance, and whether mycorrhizal colonization is mutualistic or parasitic to seedlings.
To determine the extent to which functional traits mediate PSFs via seedling survival, we conducted a field experiment. We planted seedlings of four temperate tree species across a gradient of light availability and into soil cores collected beneath conspecific (sterilized and live) and heterospecific adults. We monitored seedling survival twice per week over one growing season, and we randomly selected su..., We conducted a factorial blocked design field experiment, consisting of four tree species, seven soil sources (sterilized conspecific, live conspecific, and five heterospecific), and a gradient of forest understory light levels (low, medium, and high), for a total of 3,024 seedlings. We monitored seedling survival twice per week over one growing season, and we randomly selected subsets of seedlings to measure mycorrhizal colonization and phenolics, lignin, and NSC measurements at three weeks. We used Cox proportional hazards survival models to evaluate survival and linear mixed effects models to test how light availability and soil source influence traits. , , # Tree seedling functional traits mediate plant-soil feedback survival responses across a gradient of light availability

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.xd2547dpw](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.xd2547dpw)

Give a brief summary of dataset contents, contextualized in experimental procedures and results.

## Description of the data and file structure

There is one included file a .csv containing the data used for analyses in this manuscript.

In the .csv file, we include measured trait, survival, and imputated trait data for the field experiment. Detailed information about each column follows:

* No: Seedling unique ID number.
* Plot: Number of the field plot the seedling was planted in. (1-18)
* Subplot: Subplot within the main plot the seedling was planted in. Broken into 5 subplots (1 per corner, plus 1 in the middle). (A-E)
* Species: Includes Acer saccharum, Prunus serotina, Quercus alba, and Quercus rubra.
* Light ISF: Light level quantified with HemiView software. Represents the amo...