Table 2.

Percent change of growth forms and species that represented at least 0.5% relative cover across both sites, either in 2019 or 2021, within the center plot of T and TS treatments. The percent difference of absolute cover is presented first, followed by relative cover in parenthesis. Absolute and relative cover are calculated as follows: absolute percent differences = ([species cover in 2021 – species cover in 2019] / species cover in 2019), and relative percent differences = ([species cover in 2021/total species cover in 2021] – [species cover in 2019/total species cover in 2019]). Asterisks denote significant differences between 2019 and 2021. Means and standard deviations of each growth form can be found in Supplemental Materials, Table S10.

Growth FormPercent Difference
Absolute (Relative)
SpeciesPercent Difference
Absolute (Relative)
Bare Ground*        +83% (+4%)Bare Soil        +86% (+3%)
Rocks/Stones        +110% (+1%)
Litter*        +321% (+13%)Loose Organic Matter        +58% (+0.2%)
Plant Litter        +75% (+2%)
Woody Litter        +10464% (+11%)
Deciduous Shrubs        1% (2%)Arctous rubra        13% (1%)
Salix arctica        16% (0.4%)
Salix reticulata        +25% (+0.2%)
Vaccinium uligonosum        1% (1%)
Evergreen Shrubs*        31% (8%)Cassiope tetragona        54% (4 %)
Dryas integrifolia        0.4% (1%)
Empetrum nigrum        12% (0.3%)
Rhododendron lapponicum        61% (2%)
Rhododendron tomentosum        43% (1%)
Vaccinium vitis-idaea        8% (0.3%)
Forbs*        +83% (+2%)Bistorta vivipara        +208% (+1%)
Cardamine digitata        +455% (+1%)
Hedysarum alpinum        +58 % (+0.2%)
Oxytropis arctica        71% (1%)
Oxytropis maydelliana        +263% (+0.5%)
Graminoids*        +63% (+2%)Carex bigelowii        +133% (+1%)
Carex rupestris        +18% (+0.03%)
Lichens*        30% (12%)Alectoria ochroleuca        33% (3%)
Cetraria nivalis        38% (4%)
Cetraria ericetorum        34% (0.2%)
Cladonia sp.        75% (0.5%)
Dactylina arctica        26% (0.4%)
Gowardia nigricans        9% (1%)
Thamnolia vermicularis        43% (3%)
Unidentified crustose lichen        16% (0.2%)
Mosses*        19% (2%)Aulacomnium turgidum        +23% (+0.1%)
Hylocomium splendens        66% (1%)
Pohlia nutans        22% (1%)
Polytrichastum pallidisetum        91% (0.5%)
Bucklandiella microcarpa        +35% (+0.1%)
Rhytidium rugosum        31% (0.4%)
Sanionia uncinata        10% (0.1%)