Implications of precipitation-dominated vegetation and soil carbon pools resulted in contrasting trends between plant diversity and soil organic carbon mineralisation

The linkages and mechanisms influencing biodiversity, primary productivity, and soil carbon stability in grassland ecosystems under the impact of climate change remain unclear.
In this study, we analyzed soil organic carbon mineralisation, plant species diversity, productivity, soil nutrients, microbial communities, and climatic variables using a large-scale belt transect field survey spanning over 2,000 km across the Mongolian Plateau. Additionally, soil organic carbon mineralisation potential was assessed through laboratory incubation experiments. Correlation regression analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed to investigate the relationships between these factors and their driving pathways associated with soil organic carbon mineralisation and species diversity.
The results indicated that (1) aboveground biomass (AGB) was increased through the two contrary strategies: species diversity may either increase or decrease, with the lowest community AGB recorded at Sha..., Study area
The research was carried out in the steppe of Inner Mongolia, located in northern China, and serves as a prime example of the Eurasian steppe concerning its climate, soil, and vegetation (Bai et al., 2008). The geographical coordinates of the study area range from 39°01′ to 49°32′ N and 101°37′ to 120°02′ E, with elevations between 653 m and 1,478 m. Annual temperature averages fluctuate from 2°C to 8°C, with January recording the lowest monthly averages (-9°C to -26°C) and July the highest (19°C to 24°C). The region experiences mean annual precipitation varying from 100 to 380 mm, with approximately 80% of it falling during the growing season (May to August), aligning with peak temperatures (Bai et al., 2008). The soil types found here include chestnut, calcareous brown, and desert soils. A total of twelve sites across the east-west gradient were selected to represent four types of plant communities: meadow grassland, typical grassland, desert grassland, and desert, with a t..., , # Data from: Implications of precipitation-dominated vegetation and soil carbon pools resulted in contrasting trends between plant diversity and soil organic carbon mineralisation

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9cnp5hqvp](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9cnp5hqvp)

### Files and variables

#### File: raw_data.xlsx

**Description:** Contains raw data from the related manuscript

##### Variables

MAT      °C   Mean annual temperature

MAP      mm Mean annual precipitation

AGB      g/m2 Above-ground biomass

BGB      g/m2 Below-ground biomass

SOC       mg/g       Soil organic carbon

TN  mg/g       Total soil nitrogen

pH   --     Soil pH value

MBC      mg/kg     Microbial biomass carbon

C:N mg/mg    Soil carbon to nitrogen ratio

Fungi      mol%     Fungi content in soil microbial biomass

Bacteria  ×10-2mol%   Bacteria content in soil microbial biomass

Cumulative CO2-C from mineralised soil organic carbon mg kg-1 d-1       Cumulative CO2-C from mineralised soil organic carbon by labo...,