Trophic level and basal resource use of soil animals are hardly affected by local plant associations in abandoned arable land

Stable isotope composition of plants and soil animals in abandoned arable land

Dataset provides raw data on stable isotope composition of C and N of plants and soil meso- and macrofauna. Dominating animal groups were collected in arable fallow systems 3 and 14-16 years after abandonment. Animals were sampled from the rhizosphere of three plant species of different functional groups: a legume (Medicaco sativa), a non-legume herb (Taraxacum officinale) and a grass (Bromus sterilis). More information can be found in the associated paper.

Methods
Soil fauna was collected using conventional method of heat extraction (Kempson). Fauna was collected non-quantitatively, targeting the rizosphere of the sertain plant species. Fauna was identified mostly to species or genus level. All dominating taxa were dried and analysed for stable isotope composition of carbon and nitrogen using IRMS at the Kompetenzzentrum Stabile Isotopen, University of Goettingen. Plant shoots and roots were collected, dried and milled before the stable isotope analysis.