Data from: Water sources and biomass allocation characteristics of dominant species in the desert riparian forest along the Keriya River, Northwest of China
Data files
May 27, 2026 version files 13.11 KB
Abstract
Populus euphratica and Tamarix ramosissima are dominant species in desert riparian forests, playing a pivotal role in sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem functionality. However, the nature and dynamics of their interspecific interactions across heterogeneous habitats remain insufficiently understood. This study examined the adaptive strategies of co-occurring P. euphratica and T. ramosissima seedlings along the Keriya River in the Taklamakan Desert, focusing on water source utilization, water use efficiency (WUE), root distribution, and biomass allocation. Both species relied predominantly on shallow soil water (0–40 cm depth). P. euphratica displayed a significantly higher leaf δ¹³C value (–29.21‰) than T. ramosissima (–30.51‰), reflecting greater WUE. Root biomass was heavily concentrated in the 0–40 cm layer, accounting for 79.83% of total root biomass in P. euphratica and 71.52% in T. ramosissima. Analysis of the root:shoot ratio in relation to total biomass revealed contrasting ontogenetic allocation strategies: P. euphratica exhibited no significant trend, indicating stable biomass partitioning between roots and shoots throughout development, whereas T. ramosissima displayed a significant positive correlation, reflecting a progressive increase in belowground biomass investment with increasing plant size. These divergent resource acquisition strategies suggest that T. ramosissima may gain a competitive advantage through rapid root proliferation, particularly under fluctuating hydrological conditions. Collectively, these findings enhance our understanding of functional niche differentiation and community assembly processes in arid-zone riparian ecosystems and provide ecologically informed guidance for riparian restoration, particularly regarding species selection and adaptive water management.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.ngf1vhj8v
Description of the data and file structure
File: Desert_riparian_forest_dominant_species_water_use_and_biomass_data.zip
Description:
This compressed zip file contains 9 individual UTF-8 encoded CSV data files, with no hidden formulas, merged cells, or unnecessary formatting. Each file and its variables are described in detail below:
Plot_information.csv
This file records the geographic metadata for each sampling plot. Variables include:
- Date (field sampling date, format: DD-Mon-YY)
- Longitude (plot longitude, unit: decimal degrees, east longitude)
- Latitude (plot latitude, unit: decimal degrees, north latitude)
- Altitude (plot elevation, unit: meters above sea level)
Plot_survey.csv
This file contains vegetation community survey data for individual plants in each plot. Variables include:
- Species (plant species: P. euphratica = Populus euphratica, T. ramosissima = Tamarix ramosissima)
- Plot ID (unique numeric identifier for each sampling plot)
- Sampling number (unique numeric identifier for individual plants within a plot)
- Height (plant vertical height, unit: cm)
- Crown width (average canopy width, unit: cm)
- Basal stem diameter (stem diameter at ground level, unit: cm)
Soil_water_content.csv
This file provides gravimetric soil water content data across different soil depths. Variables include:
- Plot ID (matches the plot identifier in other files)
- Soil depth (vertical depth of soil sampling, unit: cm)
- Gravimetric soil water content (soil water content by mass, unit: %, calculated as (wet weight - dry weight)/dry weight × 100%)
Stable_isotope_of_soil.csv
This file contains stable isotope data for soil water. Variables include:
- Plot ID (matches the plot identifier in other files)
- Soil depth (matches the soil depth variable in the soil water content file)
- δ¹⁸O (stable oxygen-18 isotope ratio of soil water, unit: ‰, reported relative to the VSMOW standard)
- δ²H (stable hydrogen-2 (deuterium) isotope ratio of soil water, unit: ‰, reported relative to the VSMOW standard)
Stable_isotope_of_plant.csv
This file contains stable isotope data for plant xylem water. Variables include:
- Species (matches the species identifier in the plot survey file)
- Sampling number (matches the individual plant identifier in other files)
- δ¹⁸O (stable oxygen-18 isotope ratio of plant xylem water, unit: ‰, VSMOW standard)
- δ²H (stable hydrogen-2 isotope ratio of plant xylem water, unit: ‰, VSMOW standard)
Leaf_13C.csv
This file contains leaf carbon stable isotope data. Variables include:
- Species (matches the species identifier in other files)
- Sampling number (matches the individual plant identifier in other files)
- δ¹³C (stable carbon-13 isotope ratio of leaf tissue, unit: ‰, reported relative to the VPDB standard)
Root_depth.csv
This file contains plant root distribution depth data. Variables include:
- Species (matches the species identifier in other files), Sampling number (unique identifier for individual plants: P1-P12 for Populus euphratica, T1-T12 for Tamarix ramosissima)
- Height (matches the height variable in the plot survey file, unit: cm)
- Crown width (matches the crown width variable in the plot survey file, unit: cm)
- Stem basal diameter (stem diameter at ground level, unit: mm)
- Maximum root depth (maximum vertical depth of the root system, unit: cm)
Biomass.csv
This file contains plant biomass allocation data. Variables include:
- Species (matches the species identifier in other files)
- Sampling number (matches the individual plant identifier in the root depth file)
- Stem basal diameter (matches the stem diameter variable in the root depth file, unit: mm)
- Above-ground biomass (dry weight of above-ground plant parts, unit: g, oven-dried at 65°C to constant weight)
- Below-ground biomass (dry weight of root biomass, unit: g)
- Total biomass (total plant dry weight, unit: g, calculated as above-ground biomass plus below-ground biomass)
- Root/Shoot ratio (ratio of below-ground biomass to above-ground biomass, unitless)
Proportion_of_root_biomass.csv
This file contains vertical root biomass distribution data. Variables include:
- Species (matches the species identifier in other files)
- Soil depth (matches the soil depth variable in the soil water content file, unit: cm)
- Proportion of root biomass (proportion of root biomass in the corresponding soil layer, unit: %, calculated as (layer root biomass / total root biomass) × 100%)
All data cells in the files are fully populated with valid measured values. There are no missing values, empty cells, hidden content, or multi-table layouts in any of the CSV files. All field measurements were conducted in July 2022 during the peak growing season of desert riparian vegetation, to ensure data consistency for inter-species and inter-plot comparisons.
Code/software
This dataset consists entirely of standard, unformatted UTF-8 encoded comma-separated value (CSV) files, which can be opened, viewed, and analyzed with any common free, open-source, or commercial data analysis software.
No custom code, scripts, or specialized software is required to access the data. Compatible software includes:
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Spreadsheet tools: LibreOffice Calc, OpenOffice Calc, Microsoft Excel, WPS Office
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Data analysis environments: R (with base R or additional packages like readr, tidyverse), Python (with pandas, numpy), Julia
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General-purpose text editors: Notepad++, VS Code, Sublime Text, or any plain text reader
All data values are stored as plain text with standard formatting, with no embedded formulas, macros, or proprietary formatting that would restrict access or analysis. All variables, units, and measurement standards are fully documented in the "Files and variables" section of this README, allowing users to work with the data in their preferred software environment without additional workflow requirements.
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
- This dataset has no other publicly accessible locations or mirror versions at the time of submission. It is an original, self-collected field dataset with no derivation from external data sources, public databases, or third-party datasets.
Data was derived from the following sources:
- The entire dataset is being made publicly available exclusively via Dryad, under the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication, in accordance with Dryad's standard data release policy. No additional license restrictions apply to the use, distribution, or reproduction of the data.