Biophysicochemical properties, pigment concentrations, and nif gene counts of microbial mats and soils from Taylor and Beacon Valleys, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica (2019-2020) ...

• Main Authors: Power, Sarah, Osburn, Ernest, Barrett, John "Jeb"
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Environmental Data Initiative 2024
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctica; McMurdo Dry Valleys
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/229fad394554735fea6ad2fac4b66761; https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?packageid=knb-lter-mcm.272.1

This data package includes biophysicochemical properties, pigment concentrations, and nif gene counts from microbial mat and soil samples collected from the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica during the 2019-20 austral summer. Specifically, data include physicochemical properties of the collected soils (gravimetric water content, pH, electrical conductivity, inorganic nitrogen, inorganic phosphorous, sulfate, chloride, soil organic carbon, and total nitrogen), biological properties of the microbial mats (ash-free dry mass and pigment concentrations – scytonemin, scytonemin-red, myxoxanthophyll, zeaxanthin, chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, β-carotene, canthaxanthin, echinenone), and nif gene counts (overall nif and nifH) of the soils and microbial mats. These data were collected to infer the functioning and nitrogen cycling abilities of microbial mat and soil communities from areas of differing landscape histories and geochemical legacies (Ross and Taylor tills in the Taylor Valley, and Beacon Cirque in Beacon ...