Leaf Functional Traits in dominant natives and invasives in Tongariro National Park, New Zealand

Dataset on leaf physiological traits related to drought, thermal tolerance and carbon fluxes under control and experimental warming conditions in an invaded alpine grassland in New Zealand. We selected the dominant native species and invader species at two alpine sites to identify the different trait strategies between the two plant status and their response to experimental warming and invader removal. With this data we calculated the change in mean and trait variance with the treatments in natives vs. invaders and in the three types of traits. Collected leaf traits where: C13, Lth, RWC, SD, SLA, CT50, HT50, Amax, Rd and FvFm. Datasets includes data for two invasive species Calluna vulgaris and Pilosella officinarum. We elected eight native dominant species as their counterparts included two functionally similar (same growth forms). Experimental warming was achieved with open top chambers (OTCs) and paired with invader removal (one of the two species, as they don't coexist at the same site) in order to evaluate invader removal on native traits. Data was recorded after 3 (site 1) and 9 years (site 2) of warming.