DOI: 10.5061/dryad.bvq83bkpf
title: High nitrogen enrichment buffers plant photosynthesis against herbivory damage

description: This dataset includes measurements of various plant physiological traits
 in alpine meadow plants from the Tibetan Plateau under nitrogen gradients
 and herbivory treatments, aiming to provide data support for studying
 plant photosynthesis and physiological responses under different nitrogen
 levels and insect herbivory pressures. The data records key plant traits
 from the aboveground parts of two plant species in the alpine meadow,
 including photosynthesis rate (Pn, µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹), stomatal conductance
 (Gs, mol·m⁻²·s⁻¹), chlorophyll relative content (Chl, SPAD), leaf nitrogen
 content (N, mg·g⁻¹), tannin content (CT, mg·g⁻¹), total phenol content
 (TP, mg·g⁻¹), total alkaloid content (TA, mg·g⁻¹), leaf mass per unit area
 (LMA, g·m⁻²), and insect feeding intensity (%). Additionally, the dataset
 includes environmental variables such as nitrogen addition gradients and
 herbivory treatment types. All data are presented in tabular format, with
 metadata including plant species, nitrogen addition concentrations, and
 herbivory treatments. This dataset is suitable for research in plant
 physiology, ecology, and climate change, particularly supporting
 meta-analyses and studies on adaptive strategies that investigate how
 plants respond to multiple environmental stresses such as nitrogen
 gradients and insect herbivory. There are no legal or ethical
 restrictions; users are encouraged to cite relevant research articles when
 using the data.
description: # High nitrogen enrichment buffers plant photosynthesis against herbivory
 damage Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.bvq83bkpf](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bvq83bkpf) ##
 Description of the data and file structure This includes measurements from
 the aboveground parts of two alpine meadow plant species, covering
 photosynthesis rate (Pn, µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹), stomatal conductance (Gs,
 mol·m⁻²·s⁻¹), chlorophyll relative content (Chl, SPAD), leaf nitrogen
 content (N, mg·g⁻¹), tannin content (CT, mg·g⁻¹), total phenol content
 (TP, mg·g⁻¹), total alkaloid content (TA, mg·g⁻¹), leaf mass per unit area
 (LMA, g·m⁻²), and insect feeding intensity (%). All measurements were
 conducted following nitrogen gradient additions and herbivory treatments,
 encompassing the physiological responses of the two species to nitrogen
 enrichment and insect feeding. This dataset holds significant potential
 for advancing research on plant–herbivore interactions in alpine
 ecosystems. ### Files and variables #### File: FE-2025-00692.xlsx
 **Description:**  ##### Variables | **Variable Name** | **Description** |
 **Unit / Value Explanation** | **Abbreviation Explanation** | |
 :----------------------- |
 :---------------------------------------------------- |
 :--------------------------- |
 :--------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **species** | Plant species names | *E. mutans, D. caespitosa* | - | | Block | Experimental grouping or blocking | - | - | | Plot\_ID | Experimental Block Number | - | - | | Nitrogen | Experimental nitrogen treatment applied to the plots | (g N m⁻²·yr⁻¹) | - | | Insect | Experimental herbivory treatment applied to the plots | Absent, Present | - | | *P*n | - | µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ | photosynthesis rate | | Gs | - | mol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ | stomatal conductance | | Chl | - | SPAD | chlorophyll relative content | | N | - | mg·g⁻¹ | leaf nitrogen content | | CT | - | mg·g⁻¹ | tannin content | | TP | - | mg·g⁻¹ | total phenol content | | TA | - | mg·g⁻¹ | total alkaloid content | | LMA | - | g·m⁻² | leaf mass per unit area | | Insect feeding intensity | - | ％ | The proportion of the area consumed by herbivorous insects to the total area | In this dataset, missing or inapplicable data values are explicitly indicated by the code: NA.