IAI-Data-CRN_012_GPolo_CL72: Vegetation effects on soil in an arid ecosystem in the Patagonian steppe

The vegetation affects the soil beneath, and these changes could be important in arid ecosystems. The patagonian steppe is characterized by patches of grasses and shrubs. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship of microambient and the vegetation patches, to evaluate if there are islands of fertility associated to them. Our approach was to sample under shrubs, grasses, mosses and bare soil and evaluated the changes in soil biotic and abiotic variables. The data were obtained for project CRN12 (The Role of Biodiversity and Climate in the Functioning of Ecosystems: A Comparative Study or Grasslands, Savannas, and Forests), which has Dr. Osvaldo E. Sala as PI.