Dataset for long-term grazing effects on plant and soil properties in a saline-alkali grassland of the Songnen Plain
Description
This dataset was collected from a decadelong field experiment conducted in the Songnen grassland, northeastern China. Three grazing intensity treatments were established: grazing exclusion, low-intensity grazing, and moderate-intensity grazing. Plant and soil variables were measured at the beginning (2010) and after ten years (2020) of treatment application. The dataset is organized into three sections: 1. Plant community parameters: Vegetation cover, average height, population density, and aboveground biomass of the Leymus chinensis across all treatments in 2010 and 2020. 2. Soil physicochemical properties: Soil pH, soil water content, and electrical conductivity for each treatment in both years. 3. Soil and plant chemical properties: Soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and their stoichiometric ratios (C:N, C:P, N:P). Plant carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus contents in aboveground tissues, along with their stoichiometric ratios. This dataset is suitable for: (1) evaluating long-term effects of grazing intensity on plant-soil interactions in saline-alkali grasslands; (2) testing hypotheses related to compensatory growth and nutrient cycling under herbivory; (3) conducting meta-analyses across grazing experiments globally; and (4) informing adaptive grazing management decisions in degraded grassland ecosystems.