Ecophysiological variables of common shrub and grass species during the growing season following simulated sandblasting trials at the Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico, USA, 2018 and 2019

In this dataset, we report ecophysiological variables of contrasting
perennial grass (Bouteloua eriopoda, Sporobolus airoides, and
Aristida purpurea) and shrub (Prosopis glandulosa, Atriplex
canescens, and Larrea tridentata) functional groups before and after
a series of simulated sandblasting events with various intensities
and frequencies. We hypothesized that grass species are more
susceptible to the resulting "sandblasting" (i.e.,
abrasive damage by wind-blown particulates) than shrubs, thus
contributing to the shift from grass to shrub dominance. To test
this, we conducted a wind tunnel experiment at the USDA Jornada
Experimental Range in 2018 and 2019 growing seasons. Potted plants
were subjected to different levels of sandblasting in a novel
portable wind tunnel, and plants’ ecophysiological responses
including leaf gas exchange and nighttime leaf stomatal conductance
were quantified. All tested plants were then grown in benign
greenhouse conditions to investigate plant recovery post
sandblasting. This dataset contains data about plant biomass and
height, leaf chlorophyll content, leaf gas exchange, stomatal
conductance, and water use efficiency (WUE) under the experimental
treatments above. This study is complete.

本数据集收录了两类功能群植物在一系列不同强度与频率的模拟喷砂事件前后的生态生理变量数据，涵盖多年生草本（包括Bouteloua eriopoda、Sporobolus airoides及Aristida purpurea）与灌木（包括Prosopis glandulosa、Atriplex canescens及Larrea tridentata）两类功能群。本研究提出假说：相较于灌木，草本植物更易受到此类“喷砂作用”（即风携颗粒物造成的磨蚀损伤）的影响，进而推动群落从草本优势向灌木优势的转变。为验证该假说，研究团队于2018年和2019年生长季，在美国农业部（USDA）乔尔纳达实验牧场开展风洞实验。供试盆栽植株在新型便携式风洞中接受不同梯度的喷砂处理，随后量化测定植株的生态生理响应指标，包括叶片气体交换与夜间叶片气孔导度。所有供试植株后续被移栽至适宜的温室环境中培养，以探究喷砂处理后的植株恢复状况。本数据集包含上述实验处理下的植株生物量、株高、叶片叶绿素含量、叶片气体交换、气孔导度以及水分利用效率（Water Use Efficiency, WUE）相关数据。本研究已完成。