Plant defense trait responses to grazing along an aridity gradient in Inner Mongolian grasslands
Data files
Oct 10, 2025 version files 43.22 KB
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data_defense_traits.xlsx
35.77 KB
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README.md
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Abstract
Silicon (Si) and phenolics are vital players in the plant kingdom, enabling plants to combat both biotic stresses, like herbivory, and abiotic challenges, such as drought. Yet, the interplay between community-level silica and phenolic defenses in response to livestock grazing and climatic factors across large spatial scales remains underexplored. We analyzed the Si and phenolic concentrations of plant communities from 15 widely distributed sites, strategically selected along a 1700 km aridity gradient in the temperate grasslands of northern China, with livestock grazing manipulated (grazed vs. ungrazed) at each location. Our findings revealed that grazing significantly enhanced community-level silica-based defenses in less arid grasslands, mainly due to increased intraspecific Si concentration, while its impact on phenol-based defenses was minimal. Notably, as aridity increased, Si concentration surged while phenolic concentration dwindled, indicating a shift from phenol- to silica-based defenses in drier environments. In ungrazed grasslands, silica and phenolic defenses were negatively correlated, a relationship that vanished in grazed treatment. Further analysis revealed that Si concentration was primarily influenced by grazing management, while phenolic concentration was mainly associated with aridity. Our study provides the community-level and regional-scale assessment of how grazing management impacts plant silica- and phenol-based defenses along an aridity gradient in the temperate grasslands. Together, our results showed that plants accumulated Si but not phenolics as a defense mechanism in response to decades of livestock grazing. Importantly, our findings suggested that grazing disrupted the trade-off between the two plant defense strategies along the aridity gradient. These insights emphasize the critical role of grazing management and aridity in shaping silica and phenolic defenses, revealing a complex interplay between environmental conditions and plant defense strategies in grassland ecosystems.
Dataset: data_defense_traits.xlsx
Related Manuscript: Grazing disrupts the trade-off between silica- and phenol-based plant defenses along an aridity gradient in grasslands
Authors: Kaicun Yan, Wen Xia, Ketao Yu, Xiaoyu Yang, Xiaomin Wang, Jianmin Wang, Yi Zhou, Xin Jing, Haiyang Zhang, Yong Jiang, Xingguo Han, Lingfei Yu
Correspondence: Lingfei Yu
Repository: Dryad Digital Repository
1. Overview
This dataset accompanies the manuscript titled “Grazing disrupts the trade-off between silica- and phenol-based plant defenses along an aridity gradient in grasslands” (submitted to Functional Ecology). Data were collected from a field study across a natural aridity gradient in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, China. The study used a paired design of grazing exclusion (fenced) versus grazing to examine how aridity and grazing interact to affect plant defensive traits (silicon and phenolics). The dataset includes two files:
· Plant community-level data: Plant community and soil variables across sites and treatments.
· Leaf-level data: Leaf defensive traits of species common to both grazing treatments.
2. Data Collection Methods
· Site Selection: 15 sites were established along a natural aridity gradient in Inner Mongolia.
· Experimental Design: Each site contained paired plots:
Ungrazed: Plots protected from livestock grazing.
Grazed: Plots under ongoing livestock grazing.
· Plant Community Sampling: Aboveground biomass was harvested by species. Soil samples were collected for nutrient and property analysis.
· Leaf Trait Sampling: Leaves from species present in both grazing treatments at each site were sampled and analyzed for defensive traits (silicon, phenolics).
· Climate Data: Aridity Index were derived from the Global Aridity Index Database v2. Mean Annual Precipitation (MAP) and Mean Annual Temperature (MAT) were obtained for each site from the China Meteorological Data Service Center (http://data.cma.cn/en).
3. File Descriptions
· Sheet: Community_Data
Description: Contains plant community biomass, soil properties, and site-level climate variables.
Key Variables:
§ Site, Treatment, Age (fence age), Vegetation_type
§ Phenolics, Si, C, N, P (leaf traits from community-level samples)
§ Forb_biomass, Grass_biomass, Biomass (community biomass)
§ Soil_N, Soil_P, Soil_available_Si, Soil_pH, SWC (soil properties)
§ Aridity, MAP, MAT (climate variables)
· Sheet: Leaf_Data
Description: Contains species-specific leaf traits from samples collected in both grazing treatments.
Key Variables:
§ Site, Treatment, Vegetation_type, Sample_id
§ Species, Functional group
§ Leaf Si, Leaf phenolics (defensive traits)
4. Data Dictionary
4.1 Sheet: Community_Data
| Column Name | Unit / Format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Site | Text | Unique identifier for each sampling location. |
| Treatment | Text | Grassland management: Ungrazed (grazing exclusion) or Grazed. |
| Age | Years (yr) | Age of the grazing exclusion fence. 0 for grazed plots. |
| Vegetation_type | Text | Dominant grassland type (e.g., Typical Steppe, Desert Steppe). |
| Sample_id | Text | Unique identifier for each sample. |
| Phenolics | g kg⁻¹ | Plant community-level phenolic concentration. |
| Si | g kg⁻¹ | Plant community-level silicon concentration. |
| C | % | Plant community-level carbon concentration. |
| N | % | Plant community-level nitrogen concentration. |
| P | g kg⁻¹ | Plant community-level phosphorus concentration. |
| Forb_biomass | g m⁻² | Aboveground biomass of forbs. |
| Grass_biomass | g m⁻² | Aboveground biomass of grasses. |
| Biomass | g m⁻² | Total aboveground plant community biomass. |
| Soil_N | g kg⁻¹ | Total soil nitrogen concentration. |
| Soil_P | g kg⁻¹ | Total soil phosphorus concentration. |
| Soil_available_Si | mg kg⁻¹ | Bioavailable silicon concentration in soil. |
| Soil_pH | - | Soil pH measured in a soil-water solution. |
| SWC | % | Soil Water Content. |
| Aridity | Unitless | Aridity Index for the site. |
| MAP | mm | Mean Annual Precipitation. |
| MAT | °C | Mean Annual Temperature. |
4.2 Sheet: Leaf_Data
| Column Name | Unit / Format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Site | Text | Unique identifier for each sampling location. |
| Treatment | Text | Grassland management: Ungrazed or Grazed. |
| Vegetation_type | Text | Dominant grassland type. |
| Sample_id | Text | Unique identifier for each sample. |
| Species | Text | Scientific name of the sampled species. |
| Functional group | Text | Plant functional group (e.g., Grass, Forb). |
| Leaf Si | g kg⁻¹ | Silicon concentration in leaf tissue of the sampled species. |
| Leaf phenolics | g kg⁻¹ | Total phenolic concentration in leaf tissue of the sampled species. |
5. Usage Notes
· Missing data are represented as NA.
· All chemical analyses were performed using standard laboratory protocols detailed in the associated manuscript.
· The two files can be linked via Site and Treatment for integrated analyses.
· Leaf trait data include only species that were present in both grazing treatments at each site, enabling direct comparisons of intraspecific trait variation.