Earthworm and Plant Biomass Data Under Nutrient Heterogeneity and Elevated CO2

Two spreadsheets contain data from a controlled experiment evaluating how earthworms (Eisenia fetida) affect plant biomass and nitrogen capture. The study used mixtures of Lolium perenne and Plantago lanceolata under conditions of soil nutrient heterogeneity and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Data was collected by researchers including Fernando T. Maestre and published in Soil Biology & Biochemistry.

Use Cases

• Modeling plant biomass responses to soil nutrient patchiness based on experimental treatments described.
• Analyzing the mediating role of earthworms on nitrogen capture from organic material of varying quality.
• Studying shifts in plant species dominance under combined factors of elevated CO2, nutrient heterogeneity, and earthworm presence.

Strengths

• Data is associated with a peer-reviewed publication in Soil Biology & Biochemistry, providing scientific context.
• The experiment includes multiple controlled factors: earthworm presence, soil heterogeneity, organic material quality, and CO2 levels.
• A separate 'Metadata' spreadsheet describes all variables and their units.

Limitations

• Row count and overall dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent from the provided input; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Data from the article by García-Palacios, P., F. T. Maestre, M. A. Bradford & J. F. Reynolds.

Collection Method

Data likely collected from controlled phytotron chamber experiments with plant microcosms.