A trait-based approach elucidates the synergies and vulnerabilities of ecosystem services in drylands, as well as their decoupling from biodiversity

Several studies have explored the linkages among biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and services; however, how biodiversity affects bundles of ecosystem services through collaboration and antagonism remains unknown, especially in ecologically fragile drylands. In this study, species-specific plant traits were extended to ecosystem services at the community level through transect sampling of shrublands in Northwest China using a trait-based approach. It revealed biodiversity-ecosystem service (ES) relationships in drylands and how environmental pressures (sites with high aridity, precipitation seasonality, and soil total salt) and human activities affect them. We found synergistic relationships among ESs at both the species and community levels, and environmental pressures and anthropogenic activities such as cotton cultivation and grazing are important drivers of ES decline at community level. However, environmental pressure did not reduce the alpha diversity su..., , , # Data from: A trait-based approach elucidates the synergies and vulnerabilities of ecosystem services in drylands, as well as their decoupling from biodiversity

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.4mw6m90mb](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.4mw6m90mb)

## Description of the data and file structure

This is a database based on the integration of filed investigation data and online data to describe the biodiversity-ecosystem service relationships

### Files and variables

#### File: dataset.xlsx

**Description:** 

This dataset contains the following nine tables:

1.dataset: The table contains community structure index and anthropogenic activity inde;

Note：n/a in this sheet indicates that only one plant species presented at the sampling site, and the relavent indices cannot be calculated;

| variable | unit | description |
| :---------------------- | :------------------ | :------------------------------------------------ |
| ...,