Dataset for isotope tracing of C and N transfer between biocrusts and shrubs in drylands

Using whole-atmosphere isotope pulse labelling combined with experimental manipulation of fungal connectivity in a semiarid shrubland on the Chinese Loess Plateau, we independently traced biocrust-fixed N (15N2), biocrust-fixed C (13CO2), and shrub-fixed C (13CO2). This allowed us to quantify the redistribution of these elements among biocrusts, underlying soils, and shrubs and evaluate the role of fungal pathways in mediating N transfer.