Annual plant growth on sand and loess.xlsx

In the Negev Desert, near-weekly measurements were carried out during 2012-2016 (with annual rain precipitation fluctuating between 60.3 and 125.6 mm) during which the available water content (AWC) of the upper 30 cm took place. Measurements were carried out on a low (~ 10 m) flat dune top and an adjacent undulated loessial basin, having slightly inclined surfaces (L_inc) and 5-10 cm low depressions (L_dep) where water tend to concentrate following runoff. The cover of the annual plants, species composition, density and biomass were measured in the end of the growing season (early April) in 30 cm diameter plots demarcated along a pair of 15 m-long transects on the sand (S), and loess (L). Additionally, twenty 30 cm-diameter plots were randomly demarcated to measure the plant variables in L_inc and L_dep.