germination

To assess germination, we introduced seeds to Experiment 1 in the third week, corresponding to the time when pot water contents had stabilized. Three seeds were placed around the seedling of the same species, on the capitulum of a moss individual, using 3 x 140 = 420 seeds in total. Germination was checked twice a week until harvest, 5 weeks later. We considered a seed germinated when the integument had broken and a ‘shoot’ of at least 1 mm had emerged from the seed

Seedlingtraitdataexperiment2

Experiment 2 Morphological traits were assessed independently of Experiment 1. We grew tree seedlings under optimal conditions by planting pre-grown 4 weeks old tree seedlings ( see plant material) into the center of a (10 cm wide) pot, using a density of one seedling per pot. The pots were filled with sterilized organic soil, watered daily and kept under the same glasshouse light and humidity conditions as Experiment 1. Pots were arranged in five replicated blocks. Both the blocks and the pots within a block were randomly moved once a week. For more information on columnheadings see Table 1 in the associated M

Traitsandsurvival

Traits assessed in Experiment 2 were used to relate to seedling survival in Experiment 1. This file contains trait data from experiment 2 and seedling survival of seven conifer species in experiment 1 kept under contrasting moisture conditions (Dry, Wet

Mossgrowth and seedling performance

The file contains growth and survival of seedlings grown on moss in experiment 1 as well as the moss growth itsel