A dataset of soil structure and elements of Abies fabri in Gongga Mountain, southeastern Tibetan Plateau, during 2005–2015

Abstract

Gongga Mountain is located in the transition zone between the Sichuan Basin and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Abies fabri Craib is an endemic and dominant species in typical subalpine dark coniferous forests, in Gongga Mountain. Scientific and standardized survey on the physical properties and elements of Abies fabri Craib is of great significance for revealing soil quality, and provide valuable parameters for simulating the material circulation in the mountain ecosystem. Co-built by Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN) and National Ecosystem Research Network of China (CNERN), Gongga Station is a comprehensive experimental base and observation platform, integrating subalpine ecology, soil, hydrology, climate and glaciers. Pursuant to the protocols for standard soil observation and measurement of CERN, the station has been carrying out long-term soil survey. This dataset collected and processed 31 soil indices of A. fabri soil from different soil lays (0–10 cm, 10–20 cm, 20–40 cm, 40–60 cm and 60–100 cm) from 2005 to 2015, such as soil bulk density, mechanical composition, total nutrients, total minerals, total microelements and total heavy metals. The regular sampling time interval for soil nutrients is 5 years, and the sampling interval for other indices is 10 years. This dataset is aimed to provide basic data for the biogeochemical cycling process of air-water-soil-plant systems and theoretical reference for mountain ecological safety and ecological restoration.