Continental-scale synthesis of NEON phospholipid fatty acid data (2017-2024)

This dataset provides a continental-scale synthesis of phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) data from the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), encompassing 11,399 samples collected from 47 terrestrial sites across North America between 2017 and 2024. Contents: neon_plfa_synthesis_v1.0.csv - Processed PLFA dataset (11,399 samples × 127 variables) data_dictionary.csv - Complete variable descriptions and metadata Data coverage: 47 NEON sites spanning 20 ecological domains (D01-D20) Geographic range: 18.1°N to 68.6°N (Puerto Rico to Alaska) Temporal coverage: March 2017 - November 2024 (7.7 years) Biomes: tropical forests, temperate forests, grasslands, shrublands, taiga, and tundra Derived microbial metrics: Total microbial biomass (nmol/g dry soil) Fungal and bacterial PLFA biomass Fungal:bacterial ratios Cyclopropyl:precursor stress indices Gram-positive:Gram-negative ratios Quality control: All data have undergone standardized QC procedures including contamination correction (C18:0), removal of samples with analytical issues, and validation against expected biogeographic patterns. Data usage: This dataset enables investigations of soil microbial biogeography, climate-microbe interactions, disturbance ecology, and microbial regulation of ecosystem carbon cycling across unprecedented spatial and temporal scales. See the associated code repository and manuscript for complete methods, technical validation, and usage notes.