Data from: Does pH matter for ecosystem multifunctionality? An empirical test in a semi-arid grassland on the Loess Plateau

Date of data collection: 2016-2018 Geographic location of data collection:
Guyuan, Ningxia, China (106°23′E, 36°15′N) These data were generated to
(i) investigate the responses of soil properties, biological communities
and multifunctionality to decreased soil pH; (ii) determine the potential
biotic and abiotic pathways that soil pH may drive multifunctionality. In
2016, a 17 m × 40 m semi-arid grassland plot with an initial pH value of
8.05 and uniform vegetation was selected. The experiment was granted by
the administration of Yunwu Mountain National Nature Reserve. A randomized
block design was used with five treatments and six replicates per
treatment. A total of 30 plots were established. All plots were 2 m × 2 m
and separated by 1 m buffer zones. The treatments included five levels of
acid addition rate (0, 0.23, 0.56, 3.60, and 9.01 mol H+ m-2) in the form
of sulphuric acid solution. In late August 2017, the plant communities
achieved their peak biomass, and were surveyed and harvested in a 0.5 m ×
1 m quadrat in each plot to determine the plant community diversity and
estimate above-ground biomass. After harvesting the plants, six soil cores
(0-15 cm deep, 2.5 cm diameter) per plot in each of the six blocks were
collected and pooled by plot as a replicate for further chemical analyses.