Global Grassland Biomass and Species Richness Data from 52 Precipitation Experiments

52 experimental sites globally provide paired measurements of aboveground biomass and species richness under manipulated precipitation. The dataset integrates data from 46 published studies and field measurements from Chinese Academy of Sciences cooperative research stations. Hailing Li compiled the data, last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling the relationship between herbaceous biomass and species richness based on paired measurements.
• Analyzing the impact of increased or decreased precipitation on grassland communities using data from 25 and 21 studies respectively.
• Examining shrub encroachment effects on herbaceous community dynamics within desert steppe ecosystems.

Strengths

• Integrates data from 46 publications and field measurements, covering 52 experimental sites globally.
• Includes data from a long-term precipitation manipulation experiment at the Urat Desert and Grassland Research Station.
• Data was extracted using digitization tools like GetData Graph Digitizer for values in figures.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset is small at 100.5 KB, indicating a limited scope of observations.

Provenance

Source

figshare, author Hailing Li.

Collection Method

Compiled from 46 screened publications and field measurements from CAS research stations; some values were digitized from figures.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-16 07:05:46; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global, with a specific long-term experiment in northern China's desert steppe.