Growing at the arid edge: Leaf anatomy variations are more extensive than stems in five Mediterranean species across contrasting moisture regimes-all the raw data of the anatomic measurements

Premise:
The Mediterranean region is experiencing increasing aridity, affecting ecosystems and plant life. Plants exhibit various anatomical changes to cope with dry conditions, including anatomical changes. This study focused on five co-occurring Mediterranean plant species namely Quercus calliprinos, Pistacia palaestina, Pistacia lentiscus, Rhamnus lycioides, and Phillyrea latifolia in wet and dry sites, investigating anatomical differences in leaves and xylem.
Methods:
Leaf analysis involved stomatal density, stomatal length, Leaf Mass Area (LMA), lamina composition, quantification of leaf intercellular air spaces (IAS), and mesophyll cell area exposed to these spaces. Xylem anatomy was assessed through vessel length and area in branches.
Results:
In the dry site, three species showed increased stomatal density and decreased stomatal length. Four species exhibited increased palisade mesophyll (PM) and reduced air space volume. In contrast, the phenotypic change in the xylem was less ..., Histological preparations
The samples were collected in June 2021, at the beginning of the dry season. For stem anatomy, one cm long segments of 0.5 to 1 cm in diameter were taken from the terminal branches of new growth. The same branches were used for leaf anatomy, where a rectangle of 1 x 2 cm was cut along the lamina while avoiding the midrib. All samples were fixed immediately after cutting in a formaldehyde-acetic acid–alcohol solution (FAA, 10:5:50 in double-distilled water) for 48 h. Following gradual dehydration in an ethanol series (70, 80, 90, 95, and 100%, for 30 min each), the samples were subjected to a gradual Histoclear solution (25, 50, 75, and 100%). The samples were incubated overnight at room temperature with Paraplast chips (Leica, Wetzlar, Germany, Paraplast Plus) followed by several hours of incubation at 42 °C. The dissolved pure paraffin was changed twice a day for four days at 62 °C before the samples were embedded in blocks. Following embedding, stem samples w..., , # Growing at the arid edge: Leaf anatomy variations are more extensive than stems in five Mediterranean species across contrasting moisture regimes-all the raw data of the anatomic measurements

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.7pvmcvf2k](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.7pvmcvf2k)

The dataset encompasses all the raw data collected during the study, comprising measurements and observations from both SA and MM sites across various plant species.

## Description of the data and file structure

In the dataset, there is a single file containing comprehensive data pertaining to anatomical parameters across two distinct sites, SA and MM, and various plant species. Each row represents a specific measurement or observation, while the columns encompass diverse anatomical parameters. These parameters likely include but are not limited to stomatal density, stomatal length, Leaf Mass Area (LMA), lamina composition, quantification of leaf intercellular air spaces (IAS), and mesophyll cell area.

## Vari...