Surface soil nitrogen analyses under mesquite bush canopies and interspaces at the Jornada Basin LTER, 1986

This data package contains soil nitrogen data for soils collected
under, or near, mesquite at the Jornada Basin LTER site (LTER-I and
II) in 1986. The purpose of this study was to analyze nitrogen
concentration in soils associated with mesquite (Prosopis
glandulosa). The mesquite soils were sampled at 4 habitats - playa,
coppice dune, arroyo, and grassland. An ecosystem dominated by the
non-legume, Larrea tridentata, and lacking mesquite was included as
a reference. Samples were taken from two depths (0-15cm, 15-30cm)
for three beneath canopy positions (stem base, mid-canopy, and edge
of canopy) and one non-vegetated interzone position for each shrub.
Four shrubs were sampled at each site. The soils were analyzed for
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN), N03 nitrate, NH4 ammonium. The data
set was collected on October 1, 1986 and this study is now complete.