This file explains all of the variables used in the datasets presented in De Long et al. 2019 ÒDrought soil legacy overrides maternal effects on plant growthÓ.

Column header
Description
Dataset: De_Long_maternal_drought_legacy_glasshouse_data
Pot #
Individual pot ID in glasshouse study
field_block
Block from which sample came in the field experiment 
gh_block
Block into which pots were placed in the glasshouse
plot
Plot from which seeds and soil were collected in the field experiment
diversity
Plant species diversity treatment: control = no species added; triple = addition of three functional groups (grasses, forbs, legumes)
soil_orig
Origin from which soil came in the field: control = plots exposed to ambient rainfall; drought =  plots with drought shelters
seed_orig
Origin from which seeds came in the field: control = plots exposed to ambient rainfall; drought =  plots with drought shelters
species
Species from which seeds were collected and plants grown: Alopecurus = Alopecurus pratensis; Holcus = Holcus lanatus
drought
Watering treatment in the glasshouse: control = 70% watering holding capacity; drought = 30% water holding capacity
Plant height
Height of plants (cm) after 10 weeks of growth, before onset of drought
AG dry wt
Dry weight biomass of plant aboveground tissue after harvest (grams)
BG dry wt
Dry weight biomass of plant belowground tissue after harvest (grams)
Root_shoot_ratio
Ratio between belowground biomass and aboveground biomass (unitless)
root_C
Percentage carbon in root tissue of plants
root_CN
Ratio between carbon and nitrogen in the roots of plants
shoot_C
Percentage carbon in shoot tissue of plants
shoot_N
Percentage nitrogen in the shoot tissue of plants
shoot_15N
Percentage enrichment of isotopic 15N (nitrogen) in shoot tissue of plants
shoot_CN
Ratio between carbon and nitrogen in the shoots of plants
root_N
Percentage nitrogen in the root tissue of plants
root_15N
Percentage enrichment of isotopic 15N (nitrogen) in root tissue of plants
TIN
Plant-available ammonium + nitrate in pot soils at the end of the experiment (?g ammonium + nitrate per gram dry weight soil)
microbial_C
Microbial carbon in the soils at the end of the experiment (?g carbon per gram dry weight soil)
microbial_N
Microbial nitrogen in the soils at the end of the experiment (?g nitrogen per gram dry weight soil)
mic_CN
Ratio between carbon and nitrogen in microbial biomass in soils at the end of the experiment 
DEA
Amino acid deaminase in soils after harvest (?g ammonium per gram dry weight soil)
URE
Urease in soils after harvest (?g ammonium per gram dry weight soil)
GLC
Glucosidae in soils after harvest (nmol h-1 g-1 dw soil)
XYL
Xylosidase in soils after harvest (nmol h-1 g-1 dw soil)
NAG
N-acetylglucosaminidase in soils after harvest (nmol h-1 g-1 dw soil)
PHO
Phosphatase in soils after harvest (nmol h-1 g-1 dw soil)
PER
Peroxidase in soils after harvest (nmol h-1 g-1 dw soil)
POX
Phenoloxidase in soils after harvest (nmol h-1 g-1 dw soil)
hyphae_prop
Proportion of total plant roots examined with mycorrhizae hyphae colonisation 
ves_prop
Proportion of total plant roots examined with mycorrhizae vesicle colonisation 
arbus_prop
Proportion of total plant roots examined with mycorrhizae arbuscule colonisation 


Dataset: De_Long_maternal_drought_legacy_field_diversity_data


plot
Plot from which seeds and soil were collected in the field experiment
block
Block from which sample came in the field experiment
diversity
Plant species diversity treatment: control = no species added; triple = addition of three functional groups (grasses, forbs, legumes)
shannon-wiener
Shannon-wiener diversity coefficient calculated for plant species in each plot
richness
Total number of plant species present in each plot
Alopecurus % cover
Percentage cover of Alopecurus pratensis in each field plot
Holcus % cover
Percentage cover of Holcus lanatus in each field plot


Dataset: De_Long_maternal_drought_legacy_seed_data


plot
Plot from which seeds and soil were collected in the field experiment
diversity
Plant species diversity treatment: control = no species added; triple = addition of three functional groups (grasses, forbs, legumes)
seed_orig
Origin from which seeds came in the field: control = plots exposed to ambient rainfall; drought =  plots with drought shelters
species
Species from which seeds were collected: Alopecurus = Alopecurus pratensis; Holcus = Holcus lanatus
seed_N
Percentage nitrogen in seeds of the two grass species; see above
seed_C
Percentage carbon in seeds of the two grass species; see above
mg_per_seed
Weight in milligrams of each seed of the two grass species; see above


Dataset: De_Long_maternal_drought_legacy_field_moisture_data


plot
Individual plot number from which moisture samples were taken
diversity
Plant species diversity treatment: control = no species added; triple = addition of three functional groups (grasses, forbs, legumes)
block
Block from which moisture measurements came in the field experiment
drought
Moisture treatments in the field: control = plots exposed to ambient rainfall; drought =  plots with drought shelters
time
Date on which moisture measurements were taken
moisture
Percentage moisture of each field plot