Table 2.

Vegetation coverage (%, mean ± SE, n = 6) in control (C), litter addition (L), warming (W) and warming + litter addition (W + L) treatments in August 2010 and 2012

	C	L	W	W + L	P-value*
2010
Graminoids	27.3 ± 2.3a	13.5 ± 2.4b	27.2 ± 2.6a	20.9 ± 1.7a	<0.001
Deciduous shrubs	18.1 ± 1.9a	18.7 ± 2.4a	28.7 ± 3.7ac	28.4 ± 2.7bc	0.006
Evergreen shrubs	45.0 ± 3.2a	50.8 ± 3.9a	49.1 ± 2.6a	63.2 ± 4.6b	0.034
Forbs	5.2 ± 0.5	9.7 ± 2.2	13.7 ± 4.4	4.8 ± 0.6
Vascular cryptogams	2.3 ± 0.4	3.3 ± 0.7	2.8 ± 0.6	4.8 ± 1.1
Total vascular plants	97.9 ± 2.6a	96.0 ± 5.0b	121.4 ± 5.6a	122.0 ± 7.7b	0.003
Moss	18.0 ± 3.3	27.1 ± 4.2	26.5 ± 3.7	27.9 ± 4.7
Lichen	9.2 ± 1.3a	4.9 ± 1.6b	6.6 ± 1.2a	1.0 ± 0.3c	0.001
Litter	11.4 ± 1.7	13.1 ± 2.1	10.1 ± 1.6	16.6 ± 2.5
2012
Graminoids	23.6 ± 2.5a	11.0 ± 1.9b	24.7 ± 3.0a	20.8 ± 1.9ab	0.001
Deciduous shrubs	26.2 ± 2.2	22.3 ± 1.7	32.7 ± 6.4	23.4 ± 3.1
Evergreen shrubs	47.0 ± 4.7	61.2 ± 6.5	57.2 ± 4.3	53.7 ± 4.2
Forbs	5.4 ± 0.6ac	8.5 ± 1.4ac	14.5 ± 3.9b	3.9 ± 0.4c	0.020
Vascular cryptogams	4.6 ± 1.2	6.4 ± 1.3	6.3 ± 1.5	7.0 ± 1.6
Total vascular plants	106.8 ± 6.1a,b	109.4 ± 6.7a	135.3 ± 9.4b	108.9 ± 8.2a,b	0.010
Moss	8.3 ± 2.1a	11.9 ± 1.9a	10.3 ± 2.0a	15.7 ± 3.0b	0.043
Lichen	7.5 ± 2.1a	5.3 ± 2.2a	3.5 ± 1.2a	0.2 ± 0.1b	0.001
Litter	15.5 ± 0.9	16.6 ± 2.1	16.0 ± 1.6	16.2 ± 1.6

Values sharing a superscript letter within a plant group do not significantly differ from each other (P < 0.05, Mann–Whitney test with Bonferroni correction).

^*Statistically significant treatment effects by Kruskall–Wallis test.