Data from: Exploring soil ecology gradient concepts: Sensitivity of ecosystem properties to symbiotic fungi in semiarid prairie

Dataset that accompanies a research paper entitled, "Exploring soil ecology gradient concepts: Sensitivity of ecosystem properties to symbiotic fungi in semiarid prairie" to be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. Journal information will be updated when paper is published. Files include a readme file, datasets, and the respective R script for analyzing the individual data files.Results are relevant to arid and semiarid mixed-grass prairie ecosystems with calcareous and alkaline subsoils, especially sites with soils of Eapa loam soil series, frigid Aridic Argiustolls or Mollisols. The focal system was of northern mixed-grass prairie vegetation near Miles City, Montana which is in eastern Montana, USA (46.304583, -105.978050, elevation 849 m).The study consisted of a five year field experiment and two complementary pot bioassays. The experiments were designed to improve understanding effects of mycorrhizal fungi on plant properties, soil structure, and soil hydrologic functioning. We performed experiments and evaluated evidence of AMF (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) effects on plants, plant-plant interactions, plant nutrient limitation, and nutrient acquisition strategy. First, we tested how AMF suppression affected plant biomass and composition; indicators of plant nutrient limitation (i.e. shoot nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratio, N:P) and P acquisition (i.e. shoot manganese concentration, [Mn]); and structure and function of soil with a five-year field experiment. This informed pot bioassays. Pot bioassays tested how dominant grass coexistence was affected by three pairs of soil treatments 1) field soil inoculant (FSI) versus FSI with AMF suppression, 2) FSI versus sterilized FSI, and 3) AMF inoculant versus sterilized AMF inoculant.

Data and Resources

Field Value
accessLevel public
accrualPeriodicity R/P1Y
bureauCode {005:18}
catalog_@context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
catalog_conformsTo https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
catalog_describedBy https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
identifier 10.15482/USDA.ADC/28773476.v1
license https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
modified 2025-05-16
old-spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-105.97988322884366, 46.30686928510812], [-105.97970614321387, 46.306326775478254], [-105.97844344567939, 46.306667174305744], [-105.97828945817503, 46.30639060041949], [-105.97767350815816, 46.30653952499338], [-105.9781354706712, 46.307326691010786], [-105.97988322884366, 46.30686928510812]]]}
programCode {005:040}
publisher Agricultural Research Service
resource-type Dataset
source_datajson_identifier true
source_hash dcb1e9dd9656729cbe4eeaf6a59e496253db5e82669828e5e19120c8ec5e73b0
source_schema_version 1.1
spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-105.97988322884366, 46.30686928510812], [-105.97970614321387, 46.306326775478254], [-105.97844344567939, 46.306667174305744], [-105.97828945817503, 46.30639060041949], [-105.97767350815816, 46.30653952499338], [-105.9781354706712, 46.307326691010786], [-105.97988322884366, 46.30686928510812]]]}
temporal 2010-04-15/2015-07-16
Groups
  • AmeriGEOSS
  • National Provider
  • North America
Tags
  • AmeriGEO
  • AmeriGEOSS
  • CKAN
  • GEO
  • GEOSS
  • National
  • North America
  • United States
  • calcareous-grassland
  • mixed-grass-prairie
  • mycorrhizal-fungi
  • northern-mixed-grass-prairie
  • phosphorus-acquisition-strategy
  • plant-soil-biota-interactions
  • soil-aggregate-stability
  • soil-water-transport
isopen True
license_id cc-zero
license_title Creative Commons CCZero
license_url http://www.opendefinition.org/licenses/cc-zero
maintainer Reinhart, Kurt, O.
maintainer_email kurt.reinhart@usda.gov
metadata_created 2025-09-23T17:03:13.863577
metadata_modified 2025-09-23T17:03:13.863584
notes <p dir="ltr">Dataset that accompanies a research paper entitled, "Exploring soil ecology gradient concepts: Sensitivity of ecosystem properties to symbiotic fungi in semiarid prairie" to be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. Journal information will be updated when paper is published. Files include a readme file, datasets, and the respective R script for analyzing the individual data files.</p><p dir="ltr">Results are relevant to arid and semiarid mixed-grass prairie ecosystems with calcareous and alkaline subsoils, especially sites with soils of Eapa loam soil series, frigid Aridic Argiustolls or Mollisols. The focal system was of northern mixed-grass prairie vegetation near Miles City, Montana which is in eastern Montana, USA (46.304583, -105.978050, elevation 849 m).</p><p dir="ltr">The study consisted of a five year field experiment and two complementary pot bioassays. The experiments were designed to improve understanding effects of mycorrhizal fungi on plant properties, soil structure, and soil hydrologic functioning. We performed experiments and evaluated evidence of AMF (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) effects on plants, plant-plant interactions, plant nutrient limitation, and nutrient acquisition strategy. First, we tested how AMF suppression affected plant biomass and composition; indicators of plant nutrient limitation (i.e. shoot nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratio, N:P) and P acquisition (i.e. shoot manganese concentration, [Mn]); and structure and function of soil with a five-year field experiment. This informed pot bioassays. Pot bioassays tested how dominant grass coexistence was affected by three pairs of soil treatments 1) field soil inoculant (FSI) versus FSI with AMF suppression, 2) FSI versus sterilized FSI, and 3) AMF inoculant versus sterilized AMF inoculant.</p>
num_resources 21
num_tags 16
title Data from: Exploring soil ecology gradient concepts: Sensitivity of ecosystem properties to symbiotic fungi in semiarid prairie