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Monsoon Rainfall Manipulation Experiment (Mrme): Soil Nitrogen Data From The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2007 - Present), Scott Collins
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
The Monsoon Rainfall Manipulation Experiment (MRME) is designed to understand changes in ecosystem structure and function of a semiarid grassland caused by increased precipitation variability, by altering rainfall pulses, and thus soil moisture, that drive primary productivity, community composition, and ecosystem functioning. The overarching hypothesis being tested is that changes in event size and frequency will alter grassland productivity, ecosystem processes, and plant community dynamics. Treatments include (1) a monthly addition of 20 mm of rain in addition to ambient, and a weekly addition of 5 mm of rain in addition to ambient during the months of July, August and …
Warming-El Nino-Nitrogen Deposition Experiment (Wenndex): Soil Nitrogen Data From The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2006 - Present), Scott Collins, William Pockman
Warming-El Nino-Nitrogen Deposition Experiment (Wenndex): Soil Nitrogen Data From The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2006 - Present), Scott Collins, William Pockman
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
Humans are creating significant global environmental change, including shifts in climate, increased nitrogen (N) deposition, and the facilitation of species invasions. A multi-factorial field experiment is being performed in an arid grassland within the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) to simulate increased nighttime temperature, higher N deposition, and heightened El Niño frequency (which increases winter precipitation by an average of 50%). The purpose of the experiment is to better understand the potential effects of environmental drivers on grassland community composition, aboveground net primary production and soil respiration. The focus is on the response of two dominant grasses (Bouteloua gracilis and …
Gunnison's Prairie Dog Relocation Project: Vegetation Cover Data From The Sevilleta National Wildife Refuge, New Mexico (2005-2013), Ana Davidson, David Lightfoot
Gunnison's Prairie Dog Relocation Project: Vegetation Cover Data From The Sevilleta National Wildife Refuge, New Mexico (2005-2013), Ana Davidson, David Lightfoot
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
Prairie dogs are keystone species that impact both animals and plants in grassland habitats. They are a food resource for secondary consumers such as badgers, foxes, and raptors. Also, the mounds that they construct are home to many arthropod and reptile species that otherwise might not survive in grasslands. Both Gunnison’s and black-tailed prairie dogs can increase the number of plant species in grasslands and landscape heterogeneity with their ecosystem engineering that creates disturbed patches on the landscape. Gunnison’s prairie dogs, which were native herbivores at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) before their populations disappeared, were reintroduced at the …
Hobo Datalogger-Derived Precipitation Data From The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2008-Present), Douglas I. Moore
Hobo Datalogger-Derived Precipitation Data From The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2008-Present), Douglas I. Moore
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
Precipitation is recognized as the most spatially variable abiotic variable in arid ecosystems such as the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). Water is also usually the limiting factor in such environments so the accurate measurement of precipitation in both space and time is vital to understanding ecosystem dynamics. In 2008, the acquisition of a number of tipping-bucket rain gauges with Hobo dataloggers permitted the deployment of gauges into an increased number of locations on the Sevilleta NWR. Most dataloggers were installed in the greater Five Points area and primarily placed around the site of the 2003 burn study. A few …
Investigating Host Feeding Strategy As A Determinant Of Insect Gut Microbial Community Profile At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, Daniel Colman, Cristina Takacs-Vesbach, Eric Toolson
Investigating Host Feeding Strategy As A Determinant Of Insect Gut Microbial Community Profile At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, Daniel Colman, Cristina Takacs-Vesbach, Eric Toolson
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
Diverse microbial communities live in the gut regions of animals. The precise ecological and evolutionary circumstances that govern relationships between hosts and their gut communities is unclear. In this study, we hypothesize that host feeding strategy shapes the microbial communities within the gut systems of insects. We collected five insect species from the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge that exhibited herbivorous, detritovorous and carnivorous diets. Using gut samples from the insects we measured if and how microbial communities are shaped based on any effect host feeding strategy might have. Preliminary analysis of bacterial communities using 16S rDNA sequences has thus far …
Livestock Exclosure Study: Aboveground Standing Crop From A Chihuahuan Desert Grassland At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2005-2007), Scott Collins
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
Grazing in grasslands creates changes in plant community structure. The magnitude of these changes depends on the productivity and the intensity of grazing. Low productivity grasslands coupled with high grazing intensity may lead to shrub encroachment in some aridland ecosystems. We examined the effects of cattle grazing in arid grassland at the Sevilleta LTER site in central New Mexico USA where cattle were removed in 1973 and an area just north of the Sevilleta LTER where grazing by cattle still occurs. At each site we measured plant species composition and cover in permanent plots in the spring and fall from …
Nitrogen Fertilization Experiment (Nfert): Seasonal Biomass And Seasonal And Annual Npp Data At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2004- Present), Scott Collins
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
Begun in spring 2004, this long-term study at the Sevilleta LTER examines how fertilization affects above-ground biomass production (ANPP) in a mixed desert-grassland. Net primary production is a fundamental ecological variable that quantifies rates of carbon consumption and fixation. Estimates of NPP are important in understanding energy flow at a community level as well as spatial and temporal responses to a range of ecological processes. While measures of both below- and above-ground biomass are important in estimating total NPP, this study focuses on above-ground net primary production (ANPP). Above-ground net primary production is the change in plant biomass, including loss …
Core Research Site Web Seasonal Biomass And Seasonal And Annual Npp Data For The Net Primary Production Study At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1999-Present), Esteban Muldavin, Douglas I. Moore
Core Research Site Web Seasonal Biomass And Seasonal And Annual Npp Data For The Net Primary Production Study At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1999-Present), Esteban Muldavin, Douglas I. Moore
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
This long-term study at the Sevilleta LTER measures net primary production (NPP) across four distinct ecosystems: creosote-dominant shrubland (Site C, est. winter 1999), black grama-dominant grassland (Site G, est. winter 1999), blue grama-dominant grassland (Site B, est. winter 2002), and pinon-juniper woodland (Site P, est. winter 2003), which is now in its own dataset, SEV278 (Pinon-Juniper (Core Site) Quadrat Data). Net primary production is a fundamental ecological variable that quantifies rates of carbon consumption and fixation. Estimates of NPP are important in understanding energy flow at a community level as well as spatial and temporal responses to a range of …
Warming-El Nino-Nitrogen Deposition Experiment (Wenndex): Seasonal Biomass And Seasonal And Annual Npp At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2006-Present), Scott Collins
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
Begun in winter 2006, this long-term study at the Sevilleta LTER examines how heightened winter precipitation, N addition, and warmer nighttime temperatures affect above-ground biomass production (ANPP) in a mixed desert-grassland. Net primary production is a fundamental ecological variable that quantifies rates of carbon consumption and fixation. Estimates of NPP are important in understanding energy flow at a community level as well as spatial and temporal responses to a range of ecological processes. While measures of both below- and above-ground biomass are important in estimating total NPP, this study focuses on above-ground net primary production (ANPP). Above-ground net primary production …
Monsoon Rainfall Manipulation Experiment (Mrme): Net Primary Production Quadrat Data At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2006-Present), Scott Collins
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
The Monsoon Rainfall Manipulation Experiment (MRME) is to understand changes in ecosystem structure and function of a semiarid grassland caused by increased precipitation variability, which alters the pulses of soil moisture that drive primary productivity, community composition, and ecosystem functioning. The overarching hypothesis being tested is that changes in event size and variability will alter grassland productivity, ecosystem processes, and plant community dynamics. In particular, we predict that many small events will increase soil CO2 effluxes by stimulating microbial processes but not plant growth, whereas a small number of large events will increase aboveground net primary production (ANPP) and soil …
Gunnison's Prairie Dog Relocation Project: Vegetation Standing Crop Data From The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2005-2011), Ana Davidson
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
Grasslands are among the most imperiled ecosystems in the world where the loss of native species is a consequence of agriculture and desertification. In North America, 90% of the grassland has been converted to cropland where vast areas are now desertified. North America's most iconic grassland herbivores, bison and prairie dogs, are now extinct throughout most of their historic range. This study measures the standing crop of plant vegetation (perennial and annual combined) for the year on areas occupied and not occupied by Gunnison's prairie dogs on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).
Pino Gate Prairie Dog Study At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico: Landscape Plot Lizard Data (2001-2002), Ana Davidson, David Lightfoot
Pino Gate Prairie Dog Study At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico: Landscape Plot Lizard Data (2001-2002), Ana Davidson, David Lightfoot
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
Keystone species have large impacts on community and ecosystem properties, and create important ecological interactions with other species. Prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) and banner-tailed kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis) are considered keystone species of grassland ecosystems, and create a mosaic of unique habitats on the landscape. These habitats are known to attract a number of animal species, but little is known about how they affect lizard communities. Our research evaluated the keystone roles of prairie dogs and kangaroo rats on lizards at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico, USA. We evaluated the impacts of these rodents on lizard …
Small Mammal Exclosure Study (Smes) Ant Data From Chihuahuan Desert Grassland And Shrubland At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1995-2005), David Lightfoot
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
Animal consumers have important roles in ecosystems, determining plant species composition and structure, regulating rates of plant production and nutrients, and altering soil structure and chemistry. This is data for numbers and species of seed harvester ant nests mapped from each of the SMES study plots. Seed harvester ant nests were mapped on each of the study plots once each year in the autumn. Ant nest maps were drawn on to pre-designed plot diagrams. Each nest was located on the diagram in reference to one of the 36 vegetation quadrat marker posts. The distance from the post, direction from the …
Long-Term Dynamics In Soil Field Available Nitrogen And Potentially Mineralizable Nitrogen In A Chihuahuan Desert Grassland At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1989-2014), Carleton White, Douglas I. Moore
Long-Term Dynamics In Soil Field Available Nitrogen And Potentially Mineralizable Nitrogen In A Chihuahuan Desert Grassland At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1989-2014), Carleton White, Douglas I. Moore
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
Associated with a project that was based upon the assumption that nitrogen may limit net primary plant production in desert grasslands, this project began measuring available inorganic soil N and potentially mineralizable N of soils at two desert grassland locations. Both available N and potentially mineralizable N were greatest following a drought period in 1989, declined during wetter periods that followed and remained relatively stable until another extended drought period. After drought in 1995-6, both forms of soil N increased, indicating the potential for greater NPP following drought and lower potential NPP during periods of normal precipitation.
Small Mammal Exclosure Study (Smes) Rabbit Feces Data From Chihuahuan Desert Grassland And Shrubland At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1995-2005), David Lightfoot
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not the activities of small mammals regulate plant community structure, plant species diversity, and spatial vegetation patterns in Chihuahuan Desert shrublands and grasslands. What role if any do indigenous small mammal consumers have in maintaining desertified landscapes in the Chihuahuan Desert? Additionally, how do the effects of small mammals interact with changing climate to affect vegetation patterns over time? This is data for numbers rabbit fecal pellets counted on each of the Small Mammal Exclosure Study (SMES) plots. Rabbit fecal pellets were counted from each of the 36 one-meter2 quadrats …
Small Mammal Exclosure Study (Smes) Cryptogamic Crust Data From Chihuahuan Desert Grassland And Shrubland At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1995-2005), David Lightfoot
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not the activities of small mammals regulate plant community structure, plant species diversity, and spatial vegetation patterns in Chihuahuan Desert shrublands and grasslands. What role if any do indigenous small mammal consumers have in maintaining desertified landscapes in the Chihuahuan Desert? Additionally, how do the effects of small mammals interact with changing climate to affect vegetation patterns over time? This is data for soil surface cover of cryptobiotic (cryptogam) crusts measured on each of the SMES study plots. Cryptobiotic crusts were measured from each of the 36 one-meter2 quadrats twice …
Small Mammal Exclosure Study (Smes) Termite Mud Casing Data From Chihuahaun Desert Grassland And Shrubland At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1996-2005), David Lightfoot
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not the activities of small  mammals regulate plant community structure, plant species diversity, and spatial vegetation patterns in Chihuahuan Desert shrublands and grasslands. What role if any do indigenous small mammal consumers have in maintaining desertified landscapes in the Chihuahuan Desert? Additionally, how do the effects of small mammals interact with changing climate to affect vegetation patterns over time? This is data for amounts of termite mud casing measured on each of the SMES study plots. Three-dimensional measurements were made from all termite mud casing present on each of …
Multi-Temporal Tm-Ndvi Vectors At Rodent Webs From The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1984-1993), Robert Parmenter, Charly Irland, James Cheeck, Greg Shore
Multi-Temporal Tm-Ndvi Vectors At Rodent Webs From The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1984-1993), Robert Parmenter, Charly Irland, James Cheeck, Greg Shore
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
This database contains mean NDVI values for 200 m diameter circles encompassing Rodent Webs on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), for 21 Landsat TM scene dating from 1984 to 1993. These NDVI vectors were generated as part of cooperative project between the Sevilleta LTER and the Indian Health Service, to study the 1992 Hantavirus outbreak.
Small Mammal Exclosure Study (Smes) Surface Soil Disturbance In The Chihuahuan Desert Grassland And Shrubland At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1995-2005), David Lightfoot
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not the activities of small mammals regulate plant community structure, plant species diversity, and spatial vegetation patterns in Chihuahuan Desert shrublands and grasslands. What role if any do indigenous small mammal consumers have in maintaining desertified landscapes in the Chihuahuan Desert? Additionally, how do the effects of small mammals interact with changing climate to affect vegetation patterns over time? This is data for animal created soil surface disturbance measured from each of the SMES study plots. Soil surface disturbance was measured from each of the 36 one-meter2 quadrats twice each …
Small Mammal Exclosure Study (Smes) Vegetation Line Intercept From Chihuahuan Desert Grassland And Shrubland At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1995-2005), David Lightfoot
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not the activities of small mammals regulate plant community structure, plant species diversity, and spatial vegetation patterns in Chihuahuan Desert shrublands and grasslands. What role if any do indigenous small mammal consumers have in maintaining desertified landscapes in the Chihuahuan Desert? Additionally, how do the effects of small mammals interact with changing climate to affect vegetation patterns over time? This is data for perennial plant vegetation canopy cover measured from all SMES study plots, fall 1995 and fall 2005. The purpose of this data is to provide ground-truth data for …
Small Mammal Exclosure Study (Smes) Leaf Litter Study In The Chihuahuan Desert Grassland And Shrubland At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, David Lightfoot
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not the activities of small mammals regulate plant community structure, plant species diversity, and spatial vegetation patterns in Chihuahuan Desert shrublands and grasslands. What role if any do indigenous small mammal consumers have in maintaining desertified landscapes in the Chihuahuan Desert? Additionally, how do the effects of small mammals interact with changing climate to affect vegetation patterns over time? This is data for cover of dead plant leaf litter accumulations on soil surfaces measured on each of the SMES study plots. Leaf litter cover was measured from each of the …
Long-Term Intersite Decomposition Team (Lidet) Plant Litter Data At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1990-2001), Carleton White
Long-Term Intersite Decomposition Team (Lidet) Plant Litter Data At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1990-2001), Carleton White
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
Sevilleta data from a study testing the degree to which substrate quality and macroclimate control the carbon and nitrogen dynamics of decomposing leaf, wood, and fine-root litter in a 10-year, 28 site (17 LTER) team experiment. http://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/data/abstract.cfm?dbcode=TD023&topnav=97
The Effect Of Kangaroo-Rat Activity On Plant Species Composition At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1999), Gyuri Kroel-Dulay, Debra Peters, Tamara Hochstrasser
The Effect Of Kangaroo-Rat Activity On Plant Species Composition At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1999), Gyuri Kroel-Dulay, Debra Peters, Tamara Hochstrasser
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
Our objective was to evaluate the effects of kangaroo rat mounds on species diversity and composition at a semiarid-arid grassland ecotone. We expected that source populations of plants occurring on kangaroo rat mounds have important influences on the species composition of vegetation at the landscape scale, and that these influences differ by grassland type. Our study was conducted at the Sevilleta LTER in New Mexico, where a grassland type dominated by Bouteloua gracilis, a shortgrass steppe species, and a grassland type dominated by B. eriopoda, a desert grassland species, meet to form patches across the landscape. Four 0.4 ha plots …
Small Mammal Mark-Recapture Population Dynamics At Core Research Sites At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1989 - Present), Seth Newsome
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
This file contains mark/recapture trapping data collected from 1989-2012 on permanently established web trapping arrays at 8 sites on the Sevilleta NWR. At each site 3 trapping webs are sampled for 3 consecutive nights in spring and fall. Not all sites have been trapped for the entire period. Each trapping web consists of 145 rebar stakes numbered from 1-145. There are 148 traps deployed on each web: 12 along each of 12 spokes radiating out from a central point (stake #145) plus 4 traps at the center point. The trapping sites are representative of Chihuahuan Desert Grassland, Chihuahuan Desert Shrubland, …
Pino Gate Prairie Dog Study: Landscape-Scale Vegetation Plot Data From The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1999-2002), Ana Davidson, David Lightfoot
Pino Gate Prairie Dog Study: Landscape-Scale Vegetation Plot Data From The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1999-2002), Ana Davidson, David Lightfoot
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
Prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) and banner-tailed kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis) are considered keystone species of grassland ecosystems, and co-occur in the arid grasslands of the southwestern United States and in Mexico. Their keystone status is attributed primarily to the effects of their burrowing and foraging behavior, but they differ ecologically in several important respects. We studied the comparative functional roles of these species where they co-occur at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, focusing on their impacts on grassland vegetation. We found that vegetation cover, structure, and species richness varied across a gradient extending out from the mound centers, …
Pino Gate Prairie Dog Study: Mound-Scale Grasshopper Plot Data From The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2000-2001), Ana Davidson, David Lightfoot
Pino Gate Prairie Dog Study: Mound-Scale Grasshopper Plot Data From The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2000-2001), Ana Davidson, David Lightfoot
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
Keystone species have large impacts on community and ecosystem properties, and create important ecological interactions with other species. Prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) and banner-tailed kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis) are considered keystone species of grassland ecosystems, and create a mosaic of unique habitats on the landscape. These habitats are known to attract a number of animal species, but little is known about how they affect arthropod communities. Our research evaluated the keystone roles of prairie dogs and kangaroo rats on arthropods at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico, USA. We evaluated the impacts of these rodents on ground-dwelling …
Plant Litter Decomposition At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1990-1998), Jim Gosz
Plant Litter Decomposition At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1990-1998), Jim Gosz
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
The long-term goal of the decomposition study was to document the effects of climate variation on decomposition of major plant litter-types. The project began in 1989 and underwent changes of locations and litter types. The long-term litter types included black grama, Indian rice grass, juniper, and creosote. Â Mass loss of the litter types can be compared to precipitation and other meteorological factors obtained at nearby locations.
Discontinued Vegetation Line-Intercept Transects In Transition Zones At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1989-1998), Scott Collins
Discontinued Vegetation Line-Intercept Transects In Transition Zones At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1989-1998), Scott Collins
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
The line-intercept transects included in this data set have been discontinued. These transects were installed to evaluate temporal and spatial dynamics in vegetation transition zones (e.g.black grama grassland/creosote shrubland) at one centimeter resolution. Each study site originally contained four 400 m transects, representing total coverage of 1 sq km. The transects were placed along a roughly north/south azimuth. The northwestern and southwestern transects were 100 meters from the western edge of the 1 sq km study area and the northeastern and southeastern transects were 100 m from the eastern edge, providing 800 meters between the eastern and western transects. The …
Below-Ground Net Primary Production (Bnpp): Root Ingrowth Donuts In Chihuahuan Desert Grassland And Creosote Shrubland At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2005-Present), Scott Collins
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
In 2005, annually harvested root ingrowth donut structures were co-located with previously established mini-rhizotron tubes established at four sites on McKenzie Flats located on the east side of Sevilleta NWR: 10 replicate structures in both burned and unburned blue and black grama dominated grassland plots at Deep Well, 10 replicates each on nitrogen fertilization plots and respective control plots on McKenzie Flats(20 total), 10 replicates in creosote dominated shrubland at the Five Points Creosote Core site and in 2011, 13 structures were put in the Monsoon site. Roots and soil are harvested annually in late fall after the growing season, …
Nitrogen Fertilization Experiment (Nfert): Net Primary Production Quadrat Data At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2004-Present), Scott Collins
Sevilleta LTER Program Data
This dataset is part of a long-term study at the Sevilleta LTER, begun in spring 2004, which examines how fertilization affects above-ground biomass production (ANPP) in a mixed desert-grassland. Net primary production is a fundamental ecological variable that quantifies rates of carbon consumption and fixation. Estimates of NPP are important in understanding energy flow at a community level as well as spatial and temporal responses to a range of ecological processes. Above-ground net primary production is the change in plant biomass, represented by stems, flowers, fruit and foliage, over time and incorporates growth as well as loss to death and …