Data from: Feces nitrogen release induced by different large herbivores in a dry grassland

Large herbivores have pronounced effects on nutrient cycling in grasslands. These organisms are known to alter the quality and quantity of plant production as well as the amounts and quality of plant litter and animal wastes. The generalization that the relative quality of detritus inputs is enhanced by herbivores is well known, but how this process is affected by diet selection processing and feces production of different large herbivores remains largely unstudied. Here, we measured how these differences for cattle and sheep on a dry grassland might influence nitrogen (N) mineralization from feces. We found that cattle of larger body size tended to select low quality grass Stipa grandis as the major food source. In contrast, the subdominant grass Leymus chinensis with relatively high N content was a majority in the diet of smaller sheep, when palatable forbs were insufficient in the field. This diverse diet quality resulted in a C/N ratio of cattle feces that was higher than that of sheep feces. Relatively higher labile C availability in the cattle feces, namely relatively higher cellulose/hemicellulose contents, promoted microbial growth and in turn accelerated cattle feces decomposition. A surprise finding was that the feces from cattle mineralized about twice as much N as feces from sheep, despite the latter having slightly higher N content. From a grassland productivity perspective, increasing the proportion of large body-sized species in grazing herbivore assemblages perhaps is beneficial to forage productivity and nutrient recycling by the rapid degradation of feces.Diet selection of herbivoresProportions of each plant species foraged by herbivores.Diet_Selection.CSVFeces nutrient releaseFeces C loss (CR), N loss (NR), C release rates (CRR) and N release rates (NRR) during decomposition.Feces_C_N_Release.CSVThe chemical composition of fresh fecesThe chemical composition and fiber contents of fresh feces. The data include fecal C, N, hemicellulose, cellulose, lignin (ADL) and lignin/N ratios.Feces_Chem_Fiber.CSVFeces C/N RatiosDynamics of fecal C/N ratios during decomposition.Feces_CN_Ratio.CSVFeces remaining and water contentDynamics of feces remaining ratio (dry matter) and water content during decomposition.Feces_Mass_Moisture.CSVFeces microbial biomass carbonDynamics of feces microbial biomass carbon during decomposition.Feces_MBC.CSVThe chemical composition of plantsThe C and N contents of plants foraged by herbivores.Plant_C_N.CSVSoil mineral N and water contentsThe mineral N contents and water contents of soil under feces bags at day 0 and day 30 during decomposition.Soil.CSVC/N ratios of dietC/N ratios of herbivores diet.Diet_C_N.CSVREADMEIntroductions for data files