Soil organic matter content sampled in and around harvester ant nests in three habitats at the Jornada Basin LTER site, 1987

This dataset contains soil organic matter content measurements from harvester ant nests and reference soils in three nesting habitats at the Jornada Basin LTER site in 1987. 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? Five ant nests and paired (non-nest) reference soils were sampled in three study locations. This dataset contains percent (%) organic matter content measured by mass-loss on combustion in a muffle furnace. This study was completed in 1987.

本数据集收录了1987年于霍罗那盆地长期生态研究（Long Term Ecological Research, LTER）站点的三类筑巢生境中，收获蚁巢穴及对照土壤的土壤有机质含量测定数据。本研究旨在解答三个核心科学问题：1. 蚂蚁对土壤性质及资源比例（如水氮比）的改造，会如何改变蚁巢边缘冬季一年生植物的物种组合？2. 蚂蚁的"春季清扫"、剪割、捕食或植食行为，会如何影响蚁巢边缘冬季一年生植物的生长与繁殖成效？3. 蚁巢边缘与周边未受干扰的土壤之间，植物区系组合及地下现存生物量（根系生物量）是否存在显著差异？本研究在三个样点共选取5个蚁巢，并配对采集了非蚁巢的对照土壤样本。本数据集包含通过马弗炉灼烧减重法测定的有机质质量百分比（%）数据。本研究于1987年完成。