Abstract:

Plant traits measurements (e.g. biomass, root to shoot ratio) collected from different Spartina alterniflora provenances (i.e. genotypes) along the Bay Jimmy, Louisiana from 2013-01-15 to 2013-06-15. S. alterniflora provenances were planted as part of a common-garden field experiment conducted by Dr. Brittany Bernick in 2013 that investigated the influence of plant traits on rhizosphere microbiomes.

Suggested Citation:

Brittany Bernick, Michael Blum, Candice Lumibao. 2020. Spartina alterniflora plant trait measurements along Bay Jimmy, Louisiana from 2013-01-15 to 2013-06-15. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/39MD5DAZ

Purpose:

Data was collected in order to examine the associations between genotypic-driven plant functional trait variations among Spartina alterniflora provenances on the rhizosphere microbial communities.

Data Parameters and Units:

SampleID (Sample Identification); Plot (Plot information); Latitude and Longitude (UTM coordinates of each plant provenance, decimal degrees); Position (arbitrary location of each plant provenance); Date of collection (date of sample collection, DD-Mon-YY); season (season during sample collection, Winter/Summer); AGC (Aboveground Carbon); AGN (Aboveground Nitrogen); BGC (Belowground carbon); BGN (Belowground nitrogen); soilC (soil carbon); soilN (soil nitrogen); TotalBiomass (belowground and aboveground biomass); AGBiomass (aboveground biomass); BG010 (belowground biomass within the first 10 centimeters); BG1020 (belowground biomass between 10 - 20 centimeters); BGTotal (total belowground biomass); RtSt (Root to Shoot ratio); seedweight (wieght of seeds); over30N (tiller density (cm2)); HeightOver30 (tiller height (cm)); under30N (shoot density); HeightUnder30 (shoot height); diam(shoot diameter); noLeaves (number of leaves); lengthLeaf (length of live leaves per shoot).

Methods:

Vegetation was sampled at the end of the second growing season in 2013 by harvesting three 10 cm-diameter cores that included all AG (aboveground) and BG (belowground) plant tissues from which we measured total shoot height and density, tiller height and density, and the length, density, and weight of seed heads. We also measured shoot diameter, leaf count, and leaf length for three mature shoots per core. Dried weights were obtained for AG and BG tissue, with BG samples divided into depth intervals of 10 cm.

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