DOI: 10.5061/dryad.fbg79cp8c
title: Data and code from: Wetland plant growth in recycled glass sand

description: In two experiments, we compared the biomass of wetland plants grown in
 mixtures of recycled glass sand (of varying grain sizes) and dredged
 Mississippi River sand (dredge). Intermediate height measurements are also
 included in this project. For the first experiment, we grew Salix
 nigra, Zizaniopsis miliacea, and Sporobolus
 alterniflorus (Spartina alterniflora) in fine- and coarse-glass
 sands, dredge, and a coarse-glass/dredge mixture. For the second
 experiment, we grew Taxodium distichum and Schoenoplectus californicus in
 a revised coarse-glass blend, dredge, and a mix. For both experiments, we
 characterized each mixture's porosity, particle density, and bulk
 density. For the second experiment, we characterized the three
 mixtures' nutrients, metals, and pH, as well as the nutrient and
 metal content of S. californicus leaves grown in each mixture.
description: # Data and code from: Wetland plant growth in recycled glass sand Dataset
 DOI: [10.5061/dryad.fbg79cp8c](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.fbg79cp8c) ##
 Description of the data and file structure These data files accompany the
 paper "Wetland plant growth in recycled glass sand versus dredged
 river sand: Evaluating a new resource for coastal restoration."
 [https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.70020](https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.70020).
 Paper authors: Elizabeth MacDougal, Bek Markel, Emily Farrer, Shehbaz
 Ahmad, Julie Albert, and Sunshine Van Bael. Analyses were conducted by
 Elizabeth MacDougal, with advising from Emily Farrer and Sunshine Van
 Bael. Corresponding author: Elizabeth MacDougal,
 [emacdougal@tulane.edu](mailto:emacdougal@tulane.edu) The data come from
 two experiments, which are described in the paper. We analyzed plant
 biomass, plant and soil nutrients, and soil physical properties. The RMD
 files here are named to indicate which data they analyze, and within each
 RMD file is further information about the relevant CSVs containing the
 data. Blank cells indicate missing data or inapplicable fields. ### Files
 and variables #### File: Biomass_Experiment1.csv **Description:**  Funding
 was provided by National Science Foundation Convergence Accelerator
 Program Award Number 2230769. ##### Variables * ID: IDs were assigned to
 mesocosms based on position in greenhouse. They range from 1-120. *
 Genus: Genus of the plant. Only one species per genus, so these correspond
 to the species referred to in the paper. * Substrate: Corresponds to soil
 type in the paper. * Sub: This is an abbreviation of the Substrate. F =
 Fine glass sand, C = Broad range coarse glass sand, M = Broad range
 glass/dredge mix, D = Dredge * BlockNum: Ten blocks in the experiment,
 each with one of each species/soil combination. * DateMeasured: Plant
 height, stem count, and diameter were measured before harvest. This is the
 date they were measured. mm/dd/yyyy * DatePlanted: All plants were
 originally planted on the same day, but those that died within the first
 two months of harvest were replaced. mm/dd/yyyy. *
 DateHarvested: mm/dd/yyyy * NumStems_Initial: Initial number of stems.
 Measured at 5cm for cutgrass. * Height_cm_Initial: Initial height in cm,
 measured from soil surface to tip of longest leaf (for herbaceous species)
 or meristem (for willow). * Diameter_mm_Initial: Initial diameter of
 willow in mm. Measured at Wite-Out mark placed 12cm from original soil
 surface. * NumStems: Number of stems. Measured at 5cm for cutgrass. *
 Height_cm: Height in cm, measured from soil surface to tip of longest leaf
 (for herbaceous species) or meristem (for willow). * Diameter_mm: Diameter
 of willow in mm. Measured at Wite-Out mark placed 12cm from original soil
 surface. * Condition: 1-5 dead to healthy. * Notes_PreHarvest: Notes that
 were taken prior to harvesting. * DateWetWeighed: Date that plants were
 weighed after harvesting and rinsing and before drying * AGWetmass_g: Mass
 in g of aboveground plant tissue after harvesting and before drying *
 BGWetmass_g: Mass in g of belowground plant tissue after harvesting and
 rinsing and before drying * DateAGDryWeighed: Date that aboveground tissue
 was weighed after it had finished drying * AGDrymass_g: Mass in g of dried
 aboveground tissue * DateBGDryWeighed: Date that belowground tissue was
 weighed after it had finished drying and extra soil had been removed from
 it. * BGDrymass_g: Mass in g of dried, cleaned belowground tissue. This
 does not count the small amount subsampled from each root mass upon
 harvest. * Totmass: AGDrymass_g + BGDrymass_g * Notes_Biomass: Notes taken
 while weighing the biomass. * Dead: Y = Yes, the plant was dead. N = No,
 the plant was not dead. * Exclude: Y = Yes, it should be excluded from
 biomass analysis. This applies to dead plants and donated plants. ####
 File: Biomass_Experiment2.csv **Description:**  ##### Variables * ID: IDs
 were assigned to mesocosms based on position in greenhouse. 60 of the
 original 120 mesocosms were excluded from this publication, as they were
 testing a separate factor. * SciName: Genus and species name *
 CommonName: Common name * Species: A two-letter abbreviation of the common
 name. * Substrate: Corresponds to soil type in the paper. G = mid-range
 glass mix, M = mid-range glass/dredge mix, D = dredge. * XG: N = No
 additional treatment. * Trt_ID: Concatenation of Substrate, XG, and ID
 fields. * Block: Ten blocks in the experiment, each with one of each
 Species/Substrate combination. * DatePlanted: mm/dd/yyyy. *
 Survival: Alive = Plant survived. Dead = Plant died. *
 DateMeasured_Initial: Initial measurements of plants, after ensuring they
 established. mm/dd/yyyy. * TotalStems_Initial: Number of bulrush
 "stems" at initial measurement. EM counted all stems, even
 brown. Many of the shoots had died back and measuring only the living ones
 would underestimate the current biomass. * Height_cm_Initial: Height from
 soil level to tip of longest shoot. Soil level was marked with wite out
 for future use. EM decided to measure longest stem even if brown. This is
 because many of the shoots were dying back, and measuring the longest
 green stem would produce an underestimate of total initial biomass. *
 Condition_1-5_Initial: 1- brown, 2- mostly brown, 3- half green, 4- mostly
 green, 5- basically all green. * Notes_InitialMeasurement: Notes taken
 during the initial measurements. * DateMeasured_Mid: Second measurement
 date. "Mid" refers to the fact that it is between initial and
 final measurements for the bulrush. The baldcypress were grown for longer.
 mm/dd/yyyy. * NumGreenStems_Mid: Number of stems with any green left. *
 NumBrownStems_Mid: Number of stems with no green left. *
 TotalStems_Mid: NumGreenStems_Mid+NumBrownStems_Mid. * Height_cm_Mid: Base
 of Wite-Out to tip of tallest shoot/meristem. * Diameter_mm_Mid: Only
 taken for baldcypress. Diameter in mm of each sample, measured just above
 a wite-out mark. It was not possible to measure the diameter below the rim
 of the pot. Thus, the wite-out mark for diameter was made at 9cm from the
 base wite-out that is used for the height. * Condition_1-5_Mid: 1- brown
 2- mostly brown 3- half green 4- mostly green 5- basically all green *
 Notes_Mid: Notes at the time of midgrowth measurements. *
 DateMeasured_Spring: Date spring measurements were taken. mm/dd/yyyy. *
 NumGreenStems_Spring: Number of bulrush shoots with at least some
 green/Number of baldcypress branches with at least some green. This
 measurement involved some judgment calls. Buds on the side of the
 baldcypresses were counted. * NumBrownStems_Spring: Number of bulrush
 shoots and baldcypress branches that did not have green growth. Very dry,
 greyish old leaves were not counted as green for the baldcypress at this
 time. Only bright or dark green. * TotalStems_Spring: Total number of
 stems (green plus brown) * Height_cm_Spring: Height in centimeters of each
 sample, measured from the top of the wite-out mark to the tip of the
 longest green shoot or branch. * Diameter_mm_Spring: Only taken for
 baldcypress. Diameter in mm of each sample, measured just above a wite-out
 mark. It was not possible to measure the diameter below the rim of the
 pot. Thus, the wite-out mark for diameter was made at 9cm from the base
 wite-out that is used for the height. * Condition_1-5_Spring: 1- brown 2-
 mostly brown 3- half green 4- mostly green 5- basically all green *
 Notes_Spring: Notes made during spring measurements *
 DateMeasured_June: mm/dd/yyyy. * NumGreenStems_June: * NumBrownStems_June:
 * TotalStems_June: * Height_cm_June: * Diameter_mm_June: *
 Condition_1-5_June: * Notes_June: * DateMeasured_August: mm/dd/yyyy. *
 WoodyStems_August: * Height_cm_August: * Diameter_mm_August: *
 Condition_1-5_August: * Notes_August: * DateMeasured_September: *
 WoodyStems_September: * Height_cm_September: * Diameter_mm_September: *
 Condition_1-5_September: * Notes_September: * DateMeasured_WM: Date that
 the wet mass of the plant was measured. Also is the date of harvest and
 initial subsampling. mm/dd/yyyy. * AGWetmass_g: Mass in grams of
 live/green aboveground growth, immediately after harvest. This does not
 include the tips of shoots that had been burned by lights or had otherwise
 entirely dried out and gone brown. Shoots were cut off down at the rhizome
 where they emerged from. *
 AGCorrectedWetmass_g: SubtractsAGContamination_g from AGWetmass_g. Used in
 TotWetmassCorrected_g * BGWetmass_g: Mass in grams of live (not black and
 rotted) belowground growth, immediately after harvesting and rinsing. This
 includes rhizomes and roots, as well as shoots that never broke the
 surface. This measurement was taken in the greenhouse on the day of
 harvest. Some samples were farther processed to remove dead BG matter and
 substrates that weren't fully rinsed off in the greenhouse. *
 Notes_WM: Notes, mostly taken by the person weighing the plants. Some of
 the notes from lab processing were added here as well. *
 DeadRemoved_g: Mass in grams of black and rotted roots and portions of
 rhizome, removed from the initial BG sample. They do not contribute to dry
 weight. They were not subsampled for ITS or microscopy. *
 BGRinseweight_g: Some of the samples that came to the lab from the
 greenhouse needed further rinsing. This is the weight of those samples
 after they have been rinsed and after dead matter was removed. It includes
 the subsample weight in it. It can be used as a replacement for
 BGWetmass_g * BGCorrectedWetmass_g: Subtracts BGContamination_g from
 BGRinseweight_g, if the sample was reweighed during the initial
 subsampling, or from BGWetmass_g if the sample was not reweighed. *
 Subsample_g: The mass in g of live (not black/rotted) roots subsampled for
 ITS and microscopy. * BGPredryCorrected_g: Subtracts Subsample_g from
 BGCorrectedWetmass_g. Represents the amount of BG sample that went into
 the drying oven. * Subsampled_by: Several lab members and volunteers
 worked to subsample the roots. In case of differing methods, they are
 noted here. IY = Iker Ytturalde, SVB = Sunshine Van Bael, EM = Elizabeth
 MacDougal, and LK = Lee Kaufman * TotWetmassCorrected_g: Adds
 BGCorrectedWetmass_g to AGCorrectedWetmass_g to represent the total mass
 of each sample before drying. * TotPredryCorrected_g: Subtracts
 Subsample_g from TotWetmassCorrected_g. Represents the total mass that
 went into the drying oven, for each sample. * DateMeasured_DM_BG: Date
 that the dry mass of this plant was measured. * BGDrymass_Dirty_g: Mass of
 dried belowground matter and all substrates within the bag. This is
 everything that was weighed for the BGWetmass_g (or BGRinseweight if
 applicable). * BGDrymass_Clean_g: Mass of dried belowground matter after
 removing all substrates. * BGContamination_g: Difference between
 BGDrymass_Dirty_g and BGDrymass_Clean_g. Represents the amount of soil
 that was removed from the dried samples. Is used as a correction factor in
 a few of the wetmass columns, as the wetmass was weighed before the soil
 was removed from the sample. * BGDryWetRatio: Ratio between
 BGDrymass_Clean_g and BGPredryCorrected_g. Used to estimate the dry
 biomass of the subsample that was removed from the wetmass. *
 BGDrySubsample_Estimated_g: Multiplies Subsample_g by BGDryWetRatio to
 estimate the dry mass of the subsample. * BGFullDrymass_Estimated_g: Adds
 BGDrySubsample_Estimated_g to BGDrymass_Clean_g to estimate what the total
 BG drymass would be if the subsample hadn't been removed. *
 DateMeasured_DM_AG: * AGDrymass_Dirty_g: Mass of dried aboveground matter
 and all substrates within the bag. This is everything that was weighed for
 the AGWetmass_g (except for the samples that had been test-weighed, which
 lost some of their original sediment, if they had any). *
 AGDrymass_Clean_g: Mass of dried aboveground matter after picking it out
 from the substrates. * AGContamination_g: Difference between
 AGDrymass_Dirty_g and AGDrymass_Clean_g. Represents the amount of soil
 that was removed from the dried samples. Is used as a correction for
 AGCorrectedWetmass_g. Not available for all samples, as some were
 test-weighed during the drying process, and the discarded soil was not
 weighed at the time. * AGDryWetRatio: Ratio between AGDrymass_Clean_g and
 AGCorrectedWetmass_g. * TotDrymass_Estimated_g: Sum of
 BGFullDrymass_Estimated_g and AGDrymass_Clean_g. Estimate of the total dry
 biomass of the given sample, accounting for contamination and subsampling.
 * Notes_DM: Notes taken while weighing dried biomass. #### File:
 MacDougal_et_al._2025_Nutrient_Analysis.Rmd **Description:** This file
 includes all nutrient analyses described in the paper. It serves to
 provide more detail to those who are curious, and to help others reproduce
 the results. It pairs with the plant nutrient CSVs. #### File:
 MacDougal_et_al._2025_Biomass_Analysis.Rmd **Description:** This file
 includes all plant biomass analyses described in the paper. It serves to
 provide more detail to those who are curious, and to help others reproduce
 the results. It pairs with the plant biomass CSVs. #### File:
 MacDougal_et_al._2025_Soil_Physical_Properties_Analysis.Rmd
 **Description:** This file includes all soil physical properties analyses
 described in the paper. It serves to provide more detail to those who are
 curious, and to help others reproduce the results. It pairs with the soil
 property CSVs. #### File: LSUPlantNutrients.csv **Description:** See paper
 for methods on plant nutrient extraction ##### Variables * Substrate:
 Correlates with Soil Type in paper. D = Dredge, M = Mid-range glass/dredge
 mix, G = Mid-range coarse glass * Al: Aluminum (mg/kg) * As: Arsenic
 (mg/kg) * B : Boron (mg/kg) * Cd: Cadmium (mg/kg) * Ca : Calcium (%) * C
 : Carbon (%) * Cu: Copper (mg/kg) * Fe: Iron (mg/kg) * Pb: Lead (mg/kg) *
 Mg: Magnesium (%) * Mn: Manganese (mg/kg) * Mo : Molybdenum (mg/kg) * Ni
 : Nickel (mg/kg) * N : Nitrogen (%) * P : Phosphorus (%) * K: Potassium
 (%) * Se : Selenium (mg/kg) * Na: Sodium (mg/kg) * S : Sulfur (%) *
 Zn: Zinc (mg/kg) #### File: Soil_Combined_LSU.csv **Description:** Soil
 nutrient data. See paper for sampling information, including other soil
 properties. ##### Variables * Sample: Three samples were taken from each
 soil type of the second plant growth experiment. * SoilType: D = Dredged
 sand, M=1:1 mix of glass sand and dredged sand, G = glass sand * Ca_ppm:
 Calcium * Cu_ppm: Copper * Mg_ppm: Magnesium * pH_1to1: pH 1:1 sample to
 water * P_ppm: Phosphorus * K_ppm: Potassium * Na_ppm: Sodium * S_ppm:
 Sulfur * Zn_ppm: Zinc * OM_pct: Organic Matter * As_ppm: Arsenic * Cd_ppm:
 Cadmium * Pb_ppm: Lead * Ni_ppm: Nickel * Zn_HCL_ppm: Zinc extracted with
 HCl #### File: Compaction_November.csv **Description:** Compaction data
 for each of the mixes used in the study. See paper for specifics on grain
 size measurements and methods. ##### Variables * Sand: Describes the
 combination of glass sand "levels", which correspond with grain
 sizes the sand is sorted to after being crushed. L5 is the finest, and L2
 is the coarsest we used. * SoilType: This is a shorthand for the different
 soil combinations used in the study. Note that the names differ from the
 names in the paper, but the mixes are the same. An "A" indicates
 it was used in the first experiment and a "B" indicates it was
 used in the second experiment. Fine was only used in one experiment, and
 Dredge was used in both. * V_SaturatedUncompressed_ml: The volume in ml of
 saturated, uncompressed soil. * BDUncompressed_Avg_gperml: The average
 bulk density in g per ml of the uncompressed soil. *
 MassUncompressed_Estimated_g: The estimated mass of the soil sample, given
 the volume and average bulk density. * StartingPosition_mm: Starting
 position on the die, before compression * EndingPosition_mm: Ending
 position on the die, after compression * SampleDisplacement_mm:
 Displacement of the soil sample in the die due to compression *
 V_SaturatedCompressed_ml: The volume in ml of the saturated compressed
 sand * BD_SaturatedCompressed_Estimated_gperml: The estimated bulk density
 in g per ml of the saturated compressed sand * Compaction: Bulk density of
 the compressed sand divided by the bulk density of the uncompressed sand *
 AveragePD: Average particle density * SaturatedCompressedPorosity: one
 minus the bulk density over the particle density * DieArea_cm_sq: square
 cm of the die area * InitialSampleHeight_cm: Initial height of each soil
 sample * InitialSampleVolume_ml: Initial volume of each soil sample ####
 File: DryBulkDensity.csv **Description:** This file contains the data used
 for the dry bulk density analyses.  ##### Variables * Order: Used to order
 the soil types * SoilType: Fine = Fine glass sand; CoarseA = Broad range
 coarse glass sand; CoarseB = Mid-range coarse glass sand; MixA = Broad
 range glass/dredge mix; MixB = Mid-range glass/dredge mix; Dredge = Dredge
 * Levels: Composition of each soil type. L5 is the finest glass sand size,
 and L2 is the largest glass sand size used in the experiment. * V_Dry_ml:
 Dry volume in ml used to measure bulk density * BDUncompressed_gperml:
 Bulk density in g per ml of uncompressed soil *
 BDUncompressed_gperml_Rounded: Bulk density of uncompressed soil rounded
 to two decimals * AverageBDDry: Average bulk density for each of the soil
 types * V_SaturatedCompressed_ml: Volume in ml of the saturated compressed
 soil * Mass_SaturatedCompressed_g: Mass in g of the saturated compressed
 soil * ProportionWater: Proportion of the sample that is water *
 WeightWater_Calculated_g: Calculated weight in g of water *
 Mass_CompressedSoil_Calculated_g: Calculated mass in g of the compressed
 soil * BD_SatCompEst_gperml: Estimated bulk density in g per ml of the
 saturated compressed soil * BD_SatCompEst_Rounded1: Estimated bulk density
 of the saturated compressed soil, rounded to two decimal places *
 BDSatCompEst_gperml_Est2: Estimated bulk density in g per ml of the
 saturated compressed soil, using a different method for estimation *
 BD_SatCompEst_Rounded2: The second estimate method, rounded to two decimal
 places. #### File: Porosity.csv **Description:** Data used for porosity
 analyses of the different substrates. Five samples were tested from each
 soil type used in the experiment. See paper for methods. ##### Variables *
 Substrate: Fine = Fine glass sand; CoarseA = Broad range coarse glass
 sand; CoarseB = Mid-range coarse glass sand; MixA = Broad range
 glass/dredge mix; MixB = Mid-range glass/dredge mix; Dredge = Dredge *
 Mass of sand (g): Mass of sand used for the test * Initial Volume of water
 (ml): Initial volume of water in graduated cylinder * Final Volume of
 water (ml): Water level in graduated cylinder after sand sample was added
 * Volume of sand (ml): Volume of sand that was added to the graduated
 cylinder * Bulk Density(g/ml): Bulk density of the sand, calculated from
 the sample mass over the initial sample volume. * ParticleDensity_gperml:
 The density of the particles in the sand, calculated from the sample mass
 over the volume of water displaced. * Porosity: 1- soil bulk density/soil
 particle density ## Code/software The CSVs can be viewed via many free
 programs, including LibreOffice or Google Sheets. The RMDs can be viewed
 using RStudio, and contain code written in R, both of which are free. To
 run the RMD scripts, a user would need to download the scripts and CSVs,
 Install R, and change the filepaths in the RMD files to match the new
 location of these files on their own device. Each RMD file should include
 all libraries needed as well as comments describing what they are needed
 for.