EDI Staging Environment
Recent studies suggest that rhizosphere soil microarthropods may have a major role in determining soil nitrogen availability. Desert soil microarthropods are consumers of soil bacteria, fungi, and nematodes, thus they accelerate mineralization processes by causing turnover in immobilized nitrogen. This study investigated whether changing densities of soil microarthropods results in changes in nitrogen availability. It was part of a larger investigation in which nematodes, mites, litter, and plant material was also collected.Twenty 6 x 6 m plots were established in areas comprised of fluffgrass (Erioneuron pulchellum) with a 3 m buffer between plots. Five plots were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: (1) chlordane amendment 100ml AI (active ingredients) per 10,000 ml) to exclude microarthropods, (2) sprinkler irrigation (6 mm per week), (3) sprinkler irrigation (6 mm/week) plus chlordate amendment (as above), (4) control (no treatment). Three randomly located soil subsamples were taken from each plot. Samples were analyzed for nitrate and ammonium according to the procedure outlined in the methods. For additional data from this larger study, refer to other JRN packages: 210385004, 210385003, 210385008, 210385005, 210385006, 210385001. Sampling occurred in 1987. This study is complete.
This dataset is from the following thesis:
Silva, Solange Inacia. 1989. The effects of microarthropods on nitrogen availability within the rhizosphere of Erioneuron pulchellum in a northern Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem. New Mexico State University: Las Cruces, NM.
EDI is a collaboration between the University of New Mexico and the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Center for Limnology:
