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1,013 results for “Wildlife”
Small Mammal Exclosure Study (SMES) Vegetation Data from the Chihuahuan Desert Grassland and Shrubland at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1995-2009)
This is data for vegetation canopy cover measured from each of the SMES study plots. Vegetation canopy cover was measured from each of the 36 one-meter2 quadrats twice each year. Animal consumers have important roles in ecosystems, determining plant species composition and structure, regulating rates of plant production and nutrient, and altering soil structure and chemistry. 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. 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 study will provide long-term experimental tests of the roles of consumers on ecosystem pattern and process across a latitudinal climate gradient. The following questions or hypotheses will be addressed. 1) Do small mammals influence patterns of plant species composition and diversity, vegetation structure, and spatial patterns of vegetation canopy cover and biomass in Chihuahuan Desert shrublands and grasslands? Are small mammals keystone species that determine plant species composition and physiognomy of Chihuahuan Desert communities? Do small mammals have a significant role in maintaining the existence of shrub islands and spatial heterogeneity of creosotebush shrub communities? 2) Do small mammals affect the taxonomic composition and spatial pattern of vegetation similarly or differently in grassland communities as compared to shrub communities? How do patterns compare between grassland and shru
Knights Landing, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Genetic Determination of Population of Origin 2017 through 2019
Central Valley Chinook Salmon populations differ in their Endangered Species Act listing status. It is often difficult to distinguish individuals from the different Evolutionarily Significant Units. As such, many of the salmon monitoring and evaluation efforts in the Central Valley and San Francisco Bay-Delta are hampered by uncertainty about population (stock) identification and proportional effects of management actions (Dekar et al. 2013; IEP 2019). Studies have identified that the current identification method (length-at-date models) of juvenile Chinook salmon (Fisher 1992) captured in the watershed vary in their accuracy, particularly for spring-run (NMFS 2013; Harvey et al. 2014; Merz et al. 2014). The inaccuracy of the size-based methods is likely due to differences in fish distribution during early rearing, habitat-specific growth rates, and inter-annual variability in temperatures and food availability that lead to overlap in size ranges among stocks. The primary objective of this project was the genetic classification (to race; Evolutionary Significant Unit) of Chinook Salmon captured from State Water Project and Central Valley Project fish protection facilities and Interagency Ecological Program monitoring programs. The population-of-origin was determined for sampled fish by comparing their genotypes to reference genetic baselines. Genetic methods, having less statistical uncertainty that size-based models for population identification, were intended to directly target (and reduce) one source of uncertainty in the estimation of loss (take) from water diversions (operations) and develop the information necessary for understanding stock-specific distribution, habitat utilization, abundance, and life history variation. This project supports recommendations from the Interagency Ecological Program’s Salmon and Sturgeon Assessment of Indicators by Life Stage and Interagency Ecological Program Science Agenda efforts to improve Central Valley salmonid monitoring
Long-term above- and belowground net primary production (NPP) measurements from a grassland-shrubland transition zone in the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, USA
Drylands are key contributors to interannual variation in the terrestrial carbon sink, which has been attributed primarily to large-scale climatic anomalies that disproportionately affect net primary production (NPP) in these ecosystems. Current knowledge around the patterns and controls of NPP is based largely on measurements of aboveground NPP (ANPP), particularly in the context of altered precipitation regimes. Limited evidence suggests belowground NPP (BNPP), a major input to the terrestrial carbon pool, may respond differently than ANPP to precipitation, as well as other drivers of environmental change, such as nitrogen deposition and fire. This data package accompanies an associated manuscript in which we used sixteen years (2005-2020) of annual NPP measurements, derived from three ongoing long-term research sites, to investigate spatiotemporal responses of ANPP and BNPP to several environmental change drivers across a grassland-shrubland transition zone in the northern Chihuahuan Desert.
Long-term species-level measurements of fall season aboveground net primary production in the Monsoon Rainfall Manipulation Experiment (MRME), Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, USA
Anticipated intensification of the North American Monsoon in the southwestern United States is predicted to shift growing season rainfall patterns, historically characterized by frequent small rain events, to a more extreme precipitation regime consisting of fewer, but larger rain events. Atmospheric nitrogen deposition is also increasing throughout this dryland region as a result of anthropogenic activities. Alterations in rainfall size and frequency, along with changes in nitrogen availability, are likely to have significant consequences for aboveground net primary production (ANPP) and plant community dynamics in drylands, where ecological processes are limited by water and nitrogen availability. This data package accompanies an associated manuscript in which we used fourteen years (2007-2020) of growing season ANPP measurements from the long-term Monsoon Rainfall Manipulation Experiment (MRME), located in the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, to investigate how changes in rainfall regimes, along with chronic nitrogen enrichment, impact ANPP in a northern Chihuahuan Desert grassland.
Interagency Ecological Program and US Fish and Wildlife Service: Beach Seine Efficiency Study, collected by the Delta Juvenile Fish Monitoring Program, 2013-2018
Within the San Francisco Estuary, beach seining has been used since the 1970s by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Delta Juvenile Fish Monitoring Program (DJFMP) to monitor the relative abundance and distribution of juvenile Chinook salmon and other fishes of management concern occurring in near shore habitats. Over 2,000 seine samples are currently being collected throughout the San Francisco Estuary annually. Data from these surveys are used to make various water operation decisions and help inform managers on the status of fish populations within the San Francisco Estuary. By not accounting for the variability of species- and size-specific efficiency of beach seines across environmental gradients, the metrics developed by the DJFMP are likely underestimated and biased to an unknown extent. Consequently, the ability of the DJFMP to document the true occupancy of fishes for water operations and population vicissitude may be inhibited. Therefore, the first objective of this study is to estimate the species- and size-specific capture efficiency of DJFMP beach seines for fishes occurring in near shore habitats within the San Francisco Estuary. The second objective is to model the observed efficiency estimates using habitat variables to allow managers to account for incomplete detection when estimating fish abundance and occupancy from DJFMP beach seine data.
Rabbit Population Dynamics in Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands and Shrublands at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1992-present) (Reformatted to the ecocomDP Design Pattern)
This data package is formatted as an ecocomDP (Ecological Community Data Pattern). For more information on ecocomDP see https://github.com/EDIorg/ecocomDP. This Level 1 data package was derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/knb-lter-sev/23/121705. The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and is included for context: This study explores the population dynamics of black-tail jackrabbits (Lepus californicus) and desert cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus auduboni) in the grasslands and creosote shrublands of McKenzie Flats, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. The study was initiated in January 1992, and continues quarterly each year. Rabbits are sampled via night-time spotlight transect sampling along the roads of McKenzie Flats once during winter, spring, summer, and fall. The route is 21.5 miles long. Measurements of perpendicular distance of each rabbit from the center of the road are used to estimate densities (number of rabbits per square kilometer) via Program DISTANCE. Results from January 1992 to May 2004 indicated that spring was the period of peak density period, with generally steady declines through the rest of the year until the following spring. Evidence of a long-term "cycle" (e.g., the 11-year-cycle reported for rabbits in the Great Basin Desert) does not appear in the Sevilleta rabbit populations.
Activity budgets and space use for two common Pacific parrotfish (Chlorurus Sp.) at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge
Data was collected at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge located in the Central Pacific in 2014, and the work focuses on two species of Parrotfish, Chlorurus microrhinos and Chlorurus spilurus (formerly Cholrurus sordidus). For C. microrhinos, the project was designed to collect fine-scale spatial behavior data, focusing on territory size, species interactions, and benthic impact (i.e. feeding behavior). Focal follow data was collected by one or two observer(s), either on snorkel or SCUBA, and recording focal activity down to the second. Simultaneously, the observer would be towing a GPS that was recording a location every 5 seconds and each location was then associated with a particular behavior. Throughout this study individual fish were identifiable and successive follows were possible on individuals. For C. spilurus the focus of the project was to collect behavioral time budget data on feeding, territorial defense, and spawning behavior. The ‘Chlorurus_Area_Palmyra_2014.csv’ data only covers C. Microrhinos and gives the 95% KUD area estimation for GPS towed tracks, as well as the 95% KUD area for locations where feeding was occurring. We also report the step length between successive points for the entire follow as well as where feeding was occurring. The ‘Chlorurus_Activity_Palmyra_2014.csv’ is for both C. Microrhinos and C. spilurus and reports the start and stop time of each focal follow as well as the start and stop time of each activity. Activity descriptions can be found in the metadata and the total length and phase for each individual in our study can be found in ‘Fish_Information_Chlorurus_Data_2014.csv.
Ground Arthropod Community Survey in Grassland, Shrubland, and Woodland at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1992-2004) (Reformatted to a Darwin Core Archive)
This data package is formatted as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A, event core). For more information on Darwin Core see https://www.tdwg.org/standards/dwc/. This Level 2 data package was derived from the Level 1 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/edi/333/2, which was derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/knb-lter-sev/29/175390. The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and is included for context: This data set contains records for the numbers of selected groups of ground-dwelling arthropod species and individuals collected from pitfall traps at 4 sites on the Sevilleta NWR, including creotostebush shrubland, both black and blue grama grasslands, and a pinyon/juniper woodland. Data collections begin in May of 1989, and are represented by subsequent sample collections every 2 months. One site (Goat Draw/Cerro Montosa) was discontinued in 2001, and a new site (Blue Grama) was initiated . Only three sites, creosotebush, black grama, and blue grama were continued between 2001-2004.
Interagency Ecological Program and US Fish and Wildlife Service: Enhanced Delta Smelt Monitoring Program Experimental Larval Survey Data 2018-2019
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Experimental Larval Survey was designed and implemented by the Enhanced Delta Smelt Monitoring Program to assess alternative sampling methods for monitoring the larval life stages of the federally endangered Delta Smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) within the San Francisco Estuary, California, USA. From 2018 to 2019, four different sampling methods (Beach Seine, Manta Trawl Net, 20-mm Surface Trawl Net, 20-mm Midwater Trawl Net) nested in time and space were used to estimate the occupancy rate, relative density, and size distribution of larval Delta Smelt across sampling methods and water depth strata within the San Francisco Estuary. For more information on the Lodi USFWS Office and the Enhanced Delta Smelt Monitoring Program: https://www.fws.gov/lodi/.
Hubbard Brook Wildlife Monitoring Project: Assessing wildlife population presence, activity and habitat use through continual camera trap monitoring, 2018
Monitoring of wildlife at Hubbard Brook is essential to understand how these species are responding to forest and environmental condition over time, while also placing those wildlife species in the context of ecosystem structural and functional attributes. The presence and persistence of wildlife species common to an area can indicate suitable habitat conditions as well as refugia for less common species. Changes in species presence and activity, such as fewer to no sightings, may point to shifting conditions not suitable to the species missing from the area. Camera trap monitoring allows for continuous, non-obtrusive observation of many different species of wildlife and can be used as part of our understanding of current suitability of habitat condition. To better understand integrated forest condition, we established a camera trap network located at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in the White Mountains of central New Hampshire. The cameras have logged over 1,500 wildlife observations, confirming the presence of many species, including those not previously reported (pine marten and river otter). A total of 15 mammal species have been detected and have also been effective at detecting some bird species, including the Northern Harrier. Natural history observations have provided insight into the lives of the species detected, including reproduction (Bull moose following cow during rut, moose calves, deer fawns), predation (red fox with snow-shoe hare) and presence of parasites (winter ticks on moose with hairless shoulders). These data were gathered as part of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (HBES). The HBES is a collaborative effort at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, which is operated and maintained by the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station.
Meteorology Data from the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico
These files contain hourly meteorological data that were collected from a network of permanent weather stations on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge as part of the Sevilleta Long Term Ecological Research Program.
Net Primary Productivity (NPP) Weight Data at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico
Several long-term studies at the Sevilleta LTER measure net primary production (NPP) across ecosystems and treatments. 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 (ANPP) is the change in plant biomass, including loss to death and decomposition, over a given period of time. To measure this change, vegetation variables, including species composition and the cover and height of individuals, are sampled up to three times yearly (winter, spring, and fall) at permanent plots within a study site. The weight data presented here is obtained by harvesting a series of covers for species observed during plot sampling. These species are always harvested from habitat comparable to the plots in which they were recorded. This data is then used to make volumetric measurements of species and build regressions correlating biomass and volume. From these calculations, seasonal biomass and seasonal and annual NPP are determined.
Larrea Seedling Monitoring Study at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1999-2018)
The germination rate of creosote (Larrea tridentata) on the Sevilleta appears to be very low. During the early years of the LTER project it was attempted to quantify such germination through the use of seedling plots which were monitored on a bi-annual basis (spring and fall). During the period from 1989 through 1992 there were no creosote seedling that germinated on the monitoring plots. In 1999 a rather sizeable population of small seedlings was observed in one quite localized area in the vicinity of Five Points. This rather large number of individuals in one very limited area raised several questions:1. When did this small community of individuals germinate- the supposition is that they had all germinated at the same time.2. What conditions existed in this particular location which allowed such prolific germination when there was no indication of virtually any other germination in this vicinty.3. The most immediate question was whether these seedlings would survive through the impending La Nina winter, spring and summer as many of the individuals did not appear to be very "healthy." To help answer these questions it was decided to begin a "small" monitoring project. All of the individuals in this small area that appeared to be of the same age were marked with posts, located with GPS, measured (height) and photographed. This initial survey included 78 individuals. The population was resurveyed in August, 2000 and it was discovered that: 1. Many individuals were missed in the initial survey; 2. Most of the individuals (72 of 78) had survived the intervening 9 months; and 3. The average individual growth during this period was 1.4 cm. It is planned that this population will continue to be monitored (probably on an annual basis) to track survival and growth rate of these individuals.
Gunnison's Prairie Dog Restoration Experiment (GPDREx): Vegetation Cover Data from the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2011-2016)
Prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) are burrowing rodents considered to be ecosystem engineers and keystone species of the central grasslands of North America. Yet, prairie dog populations have declined by an estimated 98% throughout their historic range. This dramatic decline has resulted in the widespread loss of their important ecological role throughout this grassland system. The 92,060 ha Sevilleta NWR in central New Mexico includes more than 54,000 ha of native grassland. Gunnison's prairie dogs (C. gunnisoni) were reported to occupy ~15,000 ha of what is now the SNWR during the 1960's, prior to their systematic eradication. In 2010, we collaborated with local agencies and conservation organizations to restore the functional role of prairie dogs to the grassland system. Gunnison's prairie dogs were reintroduced to a site that was occupied by prairie dogs 40 years ago. This work is part of a larger, long-term study where we are studying the ecological effects of prairie dogs as they re-colonize the grassland ecosystem.
Core Site Grid Quadrat Data for the Net Primary Production Study at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico
Begun in spring 2013, this project is part of a long-term study at the Sevilleta LTER measuring net primary production (NPP) across three distinct ecosystems: creosote-dominant shrubland (Site C), black grama-dominant grassland (Site G), and blue grama-dominant grassland (Site B). 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 decomposition. To measure this change the vegetation variables in this dataset, including species composition and the cover and height of individuals, are sampled twice yearly (spring and fall) at permanent 1m x 1m plots within each site. A third sampling at Site C is performed in the winter. The data from these plots is used to build regressions correlating biomass and volume via weights of select harvested species obtained in SEV999, "Net Primary Productivity (NPP) Weight Data." This biomass data is included in SEV999, "Seasonal Biomass and Seasonal and Annual NPP for Core Grid Research Sites."
Monsoon Rainfall Manipulation Experiment (MRME): Soil Carbon Dioxide Concentrations from the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM
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. These soil carbon dioxide data were collected at three depths.
Monsoon Rainfall Manipulation Experiment (MRME): Soil Temperature Data from the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM
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. These data are soil temperature data collected at two depths.
Monsoon Rainfall Manipulation Experiment (MRME) Soil Temperature, Moisture and Carbon Dioxide Data from the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico
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 September. It is predicted 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 NPP and soil respiration by providing sufficient deep soil moisture to sustain plant growth for longer periods of time during the summer monsoon.
Long-term dynamics of soil organic matter and aboveground net primary production in a Chihuahuan Desert Grassland at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1989-2014)
Drylands contain a third of the organic carbon stored in global soils; however, the long-term dynamics of soil organic carbon and soil organic matter (SOM) in drylands remain poorly understood relative to dynamics of the vegetation carbon pool. We examined long-term patterns in SOM against both climate and prescribed fire in a Chihuahuan Desert grassland in central New Mexico, USA. SOM was measured each spring and fall for 25 years (1989–2014) in unburned desert grassland and from 2003 to 2014 following a prescribed fire. SOM concentration from 0-20 cm depth did not show a clear long-term trend but fluctuated seasonally at both burned and unburned sites, ranging from a minimum of 0.9% to a maximum of 3.3%. SOM concentration declined nonlinearly in wet seasons and peaked in dry seasons. These results not only contrast with the positive relationships between aboveground net primary production and precipitation for this region, but also with previous reports of greater SOM in wetter sites across drylands globally, suggesting that space is not a good substitute for time in predicting the dynamics of dryland SOM. We suggest that declines in SOM in wet periods are caused by increased soil respiration, runoff, leaching, and soil erosion. In addition to tracking natural variability in climate, SOM concentration also decreased by 14% following prescribed fire, a response that magnified over time and has persisted for nearly a decade due to the slow recovery of primary production. Our results document the surprisingly dynamic nature of soil organic matter and its high sensitivity to climate and fire in this dryland ecosystem.
Field-Collected Spectral Reflectance of Dominant Vegetation at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge
This dataset includes field-collected spectral reflectance of dominant vegetation species in grassland and shrubland at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge collected monthly May – September 2019. A spectroradiometer was used to collect the percent spectral reflectance of electromagnetic radiation (range 400-2500nm) of a sample of dominant vegetation species ("spectra"), yielding a spectral curve for each species. At least ten individuals per species were sampled. These data form a spectral library which was used to calibrate a multiple-endmember spectral mixture analysis (MESMA) of satellite imagery of the Sevilleta NWR, as part of an ongoing collaboration between the LTER and the Center for the Advancement of Spatial Informatics Research and Education (ASPIRE). Ultimately, we aim to produce fractional images of green vegetation, non-photosynthetic vegetation, bare soil, and shade to form a synoptic thirty-year record of vegetation dynamics at the Refuge. The spectral library can be referenced by future researchers using remote sensing methods to examine vegetation dynamics at the Sevilleta NWR.
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Allen Brain Atlas
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DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
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International Brain Laboratory public data
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OpenNeuro
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