Much evidence indicates that in arid environments, higher leaf nitrogen concentration and lower specific leaf area are generally correlated with higher water use efficiency. We measured specific leaf area (SLA), mass-based (N (mass)) and area-based (N (area)) leaf nitrogen concentrations for 17 native or introduced plant species in Shazhuyu Desert Control Experimental Station of Qinghai Province. The data were further compared with our previous data collected in the wet forests in the Gongga Mountains, ea...