Biogeochemical data from a transplantation experiment of monolith soil turfs along an altitudinal gradient to simulate climate change scenarios

Silvopastoral systems are highly productive and combine long-term wood production with annual provision of forage for livestock. In the Swiss Jura Mountains these systems are a key component of the landscape. As in other cold biomes, climate change can potentially accelerate landscape change within these historically sustainable systems. In order to anticipate the evolution of subalpine wooded pasture ecosystems under future climate and land-use changes, this project focused on the interplay between soil, vegetation and climate. It was aimed at providing experimental evidence for chief ecosystem processes, with emphasis on the quality of the ecosystem services provided. The main interest was placed on vegetation turf resistance to climate change along an unwooded – sparsely wooded - densely wooded pasture gradient (land-use intensity), where plant productivity, diversity and succession along with rates of carbon cycling and microbial activity provided measures of ecosystem functioning at both plot and landscape level. Experimental transplantation of monolith soil turfs to lower altitudes allowed to simulate soil warming and reduced annual precipitation. In order to simulate a year-