Nitrogen fixation responds to soil nitrogen at low but not high light in two invasive unde

Two exotic understory species, Mimosa pudica and Desmodium triflorum, derived 82.6% and 71.6% of their nitrogen from fixation in control conditions. The dataset, from a study by Colleen B. Schmidt of Columbia University, measures nitrogen fixation using 15N isotope dilution across control and two nitrogen fertilization treatments under varying light conditions. It shows subtle differences in nitrogen fixation across nutrient environments at low light, with changes disappearing at high light.

Use Cases

• Modeling plant nitrogen acquisition strategies based on soil nitrogen and light availability.
• Assessing the potential impact of invasive nitrogen-fixing species on ecosystem nitrogen enrichment.
• Comparing nitrogen fixation responses between different plant species under controlled fertilization treatments.
• Studying the interaction between abiotic factors (light, soil nutrients) and biological nitrogen fixation.

Strengths

• Includes specific quantitative results for nitrogen derived from fixation (%Ndfa) for two species across three treatments.
• Data collection method (15N isotope dilution) is explicitly stated, ensuring measurement of actual fixation.
• Study design includes control, +10 g N m−2 y−1, and +15 g N m−2 y−1 fertilization treatments under a range of light conditions.

Limitations

• Row count and column-level documentation are absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset is associated with a single study, limiting geographic and species diversity.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Colleen B. Schmidt, Columbia University, via paperswithcode.

Collection Method

Field sampling of leaf tissue from wild-growing plants, with nitrogen fixation measured via 15N isotope dilution.