Cerrado Plant and Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Measurements

Isotope ratios and elemental concentrations for carbon and nitrogen are provided for 320 foliar samples from 45 woody species and soil samples from 5 cerrado sites in Brazil. The data, collected by NASA's LBA-ECO project, covers a sampling period from December 1999 to September 2000. Soil cores were taken to depths of 450 cm in campo sujo and 800 cm in other cerrado vegetation types.

Use Cases

• Analyzing δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N ratios to trace carbon and nitrogen cycling pathways in savanna ecosystems.
• Comparing foliar nitrogen concentrations across 45 tree and shrub species to assess nutrient use strategies.
• Investigating vertical profiles of soil carbon and nitrogen concentrations down to 800 cm depth.
• Contrasting isotopic signatures between distinct cerrado vegetation types (campo sujo, cerrado denso).

Strengths

• Includes measurements from 320 individual plants, providing a substantial sample size for foliar analysis.
• Soil samples offer deep vertical profiles, with cores extending to 800 cm in some locations.
• Data is structured in comma-delimited files, facilitating computational analysis.

Limitations

• The exact column names, row counts, and file sizes are not specified in the available metadata.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between platforms (2000-09 vs. 2026-03), suggesting potential metadata errors.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), LBA-ECO project.

Collection Method

Field collection of foliar and soil samples from the Ecological Reserve of IBGE, Brasilia, with subsequent laboratory isotopic and elemental analysis.

Time Range

1999-12 to 2000-09

Freshness

2026-03-13 01:00:08.301599

Geography

Cerrado sites within the Ecological Reserve of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), Brasilia, Brazil.