Data from: Increasing precipitation reshapes alpine plant–microbial nutrient partitioning and enhances ecosystem carbon and nitrogen retention
Data files
Jun 12, 2026 version files 29.25 KB
Abstract
Precipitation change is an important component of the ongoing climate change and substantially influences terrestrial nutrient and carbon (C) dynamics. However, the mechanisms by which increasing precipitation affects plant–microbial nitrogen (N) assimilation and ecosystem C and N retention remain unclear. Using isotopic tracing along a manipulated precipitation gradient in a water- and nutrient-limited alpine ecosystem, we investigated how increasing precipitation alters plant nutrient strategies, plant–microbial N partitioning, and ecosystem C and N retention. Increased precipitation enhanced plant and microbial N assimilation, ecosystem N retention, and plant C fixation. However, these effects were not consistent across ecosystem components. Increasing precipitation progressively promoted grass-forb ratio and community-level acquisitive root traits, whereas mycorrhizal colonization was greatest at intermediate precipitation. Plant biomass C and N accumulation remained responsive across a broader portion of the precipitation gradient than did microbial N assimilation, thereby shifting plant–microbial N partitioning. Structural equation modeling indicated that the plant pathway plays a stronger role than the microbial pathway in mediating the effects of increasing precipitation on ecosystem N retention and C fixation. Our findings suggest that ecosystem responses to increasing precipitation depend on how different biotic components respond and interact. Synthesis: Increasing precipitation reshapes plant–microbial nutrient partitioning and ecosystem C and N retention in alpine ecosystems. Our findings highlight the need to account for nonlinear and contrasting responses among different ecosystem components when predicting the consequences of future climate change for alpine ecosystem functioning. This work contributes to providing a basis for tracking how alpine ecosystems may reorganize under future climate change.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.nzs7h455f
Description of the data and file structure
This repository contains three datasets generated for the study entitled:
Increasing precipitation reshapes alpine plant–microbial nutrient partitioning and enhances ecosystem carbon and nitrogen retention
(Accepted in Journal of Ecology)
In this experiment, we used 15N isotopic tracing along a manipulated precipitation gradient in a water- and nutrient-limited alpine ecosystem, to investigate (i) how increasing precipitation alters plant-microbial nutrient strategies, biotic N assimilation and ecosystem N partitioning, (ii) how the responses differ among ecosystem components, and (ⅲ) how they influence C and N retention under changing precipitation regimes.
The three datasets included are:
- Sheet_1: The 15N recovery in aboveground plant tissues, absorptive roots, transport roots, soil microbes, and other soil N pools under different precipitation levels.
- Sheet_2: Soil and microbial properties under different precipitation levels.
- Sheet_3: Community-level plant functional traits and biomass allocation under different precipitation levels.
Experimental and Analytical Notes
Please check the related publication (Zhao et al., 2026) in the Journal of Ecology for details on the study site and methods.
Files and variables
File: Data_15N_partitioning__Soil_and_microbial_properties_and_Plant_traits.xlsx
Description:
- Ecosystem 15N partitioning across different N pools, Soil and microbial properties, and Plant traits under different precipitation levels.
Variables: Sheet-1
- Block: ID of each block. This study follows a randomized block design with 4 replicates.
- Plot: unique identifier. ID of each plot with different precipitation levels across blocks.
- Treatment: P0, ambient precipitation +0%; P1, precipitation +17%; P2, precipitation +34%; P3, precipitation +51%.
- N15_pools: ecosystem N pools considered for measuring 15N recovery, including:
- Absorptive_roots: root order 1-3 and diameter ≤ 2 mm,
- Transport_roots: root order ≥ 4, including coarse transport roots and rhizomes,
- Plant_shoots: aboveground plant tissues,
- Soil_microbes: soil microbial biomass N pool,
- Extractable_N: K2SO4-extractable dissolved N from soil,
- Non_extractable_SOM: Non-extractable N from soil organic matter,
- Unrecovered: unrecovered 15N from the N pools listed above.
- Subsoil: subsoil from 5 cm beneath the PVC mesocosms in each plot
- N15_recovery_rate: the percentage of 15N recovered from each N pool to the total mass of 15N tracer applied.
Variables: Sheet-2
- Block: ID of each block. This study follows a randomized block design with 4 replicates.
- Plot: unique identifier. ID of each plot with different precipitation levels across blocks.
- Treatment: P0, ambient precipitation +0%; P1, precipitation +17%; P2, precipitation +34%; P3, precipitation +51%.
- Properties: soil and microbial properties measured in this study, including:
- Soil_moisture: soil water content at 0-20 depth,
- Soil_pH_H2O: soil pH value measured with soil-water slurry,
- DOC: Dissolved organic C in soil (mg kg-1)
- NH4_N: NH4+-N content in the soil (0-20 cm depth)
- NO3_N: NO3--N content in the soil (0-20 cm depth)
- Microbial_biomass_C (mg kg-1)
- Microbial_biomass_N (mg kg-1)
- Soil_total_C_0_20cm (g kg-1)
- Soil_total_N_0_20cm (g kg-1)
- Value: the value of each property listed above
- unit: the unit of value for each property listed above
Variables: Sheet-3
- Block: ID of each block. This study follows a randomized block design with 4 replicates.
- Plot: unique identifier. ID of each plot with different precipitation levels across blocks.
- Treatment: P0, ambient precipitation +0%; P1, precipitation +17%; P2, precipitation +34%; P3, precipitation +51%.
- Plant_traits: community-level plant functional traits measured in this study, including:
- Average_Root_Diameter (mm),
- Specific_Root_Length (m/g),
- Root_Tissue_Density (g/cm3),
- Root_N (mg/g),
- Absorbtive_to_Transport_root_biomass_ratio,
- AMF_colonization_intensity,
- Grass_to_Forb_biomass_ratio,
- Plant_microbial_N_competetion_index.
- Trait_value: the value of each plant trait listed above.
- unit2: the unit of value for each trait listed above.
Code/software
RStudio was used for the analysis.
Works referencing this dataset
Zhao, Wardle et al. (2026), Increasing precipitation reshapes alpine plant–microbial nutrient partitioning and enhances ecosystem carbon and nitrogen retention, Journal of Ecology