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.