The roles of diazotrophic community in controlling symbiotic and free-living N2 fixation in subtropical Pueraria lobata communities

Biological N­2 fixation is a major pathway of external nitrogen input to terrestrial ecosystems. Nevertheless, the relative effects of diazotrophic community and soil properties on symbiotic (SNF) and free-living (FNF) N2 fixation rates remain poorly understood. In the dataset, twenty kudzu (Pueraria lobata) communities, which were at the early succession stage following agricultural abandonment, were selected in a karst area of southwest China with the aim to explore the relative importance of diazotrophic community, soil properties and plant traits in regulating the variation of SNF and soil FNF rates.