Phytometer data of an experiment with transplanted species of contrasting geographic range types under manipulated biotic interactions (herbivory and competition) and different land-use regimes in Germany, 2009 - 2010

Geographic plant distribution is often assumed to be predominantly limited directly by the climatic tolerances of species. However, the role of climate is nowadays known to be mainly an indirect one by mostly mediating dispersal and establishment, species interactions or habitat characteristics, which all are often modified by human land use. In these complex systems, negative biotic interactions are predicted to increase in relative importance towards benign climate conditions. We tested this hypothesis experimentally by exposing plant species with different geographic distribution ranges to different climates, biotic interactions and land use. The dataset is the basis of the publication: Welk, A., Baudis, M., Böckelmann, J., Welk, E & Bruelheide, H. (2019): Plant species´ range type determines local responses to biotic interactions and land use. Ecology. doi:10.1002/ecy.2890