Ant nest soil nutrients

The purpose of this investigation was to answer three general questions: 1. How does the modification of soil properties and the ratios of resources (e.g., water-N) by ants alter species assemblages of winter annual plants at the edge of the ant nests? 2. How does the "spring cleaning", clipping, predation or herbivory by ants affect success of the winter annual plants at the edge of ant nests? 3. Are there significant differences in the floristic assemblage and belowground standing crop (root biomass) between the edge of ant nest and the surrounding unaffected soils? Data set contains chemical analyses for soil samples collected from five ant nests for each of the three sites for total nitrogen, (ammonium, nitrate), inorganic phosphorus, and exchangeable cations (K+, Na+, Ca2+ and Mg2+). Also included is below ground biomass from five ant nests for each of the three sites.