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openCC (other)Mar 2025View details →

Raw neutron counts from a soil water content hydroprobe at 15 NPP study sites at the Jornada Basin LTER, 1989-2019

This data package contains raw neutron count data for monthly soil water probe measurements made at 15 net primary production (NPP) study locations on Jornada Experimental Range (JER) and Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center (CDRRC) lands. Once a month, soil water content measurements are made at 10 depths (where possible) at each of 10 access tubes at each of the 15 NPP sites using a neutron probe (CPN Model 503DR Hydroprobe). This dataset consists of the count of thermalized neutrons at 30 cm depth intervals to a maximum depth of 300 cm. These counts are subsequently converted to volumetric water content as provided in a separate EDI package (knb-lter-jrn.210013003). The NPP sites these measurements are made at represent the 5 dominant vegetation types of the Jornada Basin, which consist of 3 shrub (creosotebush, mesquite dune, and tarbush) and 2 grass (upland grassland and playa) types. Three NPP sites are located in each of the types. Collection of this dataset was discontinued when the neutron probe instrument was replaced in mid-2019. Neutron probe soil water content data are still collected from the same NPP locations using a new instrument, and the raw neutron counts and corrected VWC data are found in EDI dataset knb-lter-jrn.210013003. This dataset is complete.

Plant community responses to functional group and species removals along biodiversity experiment vegetation transects at the Jornada Basin LTER site, 1997-2002

This dataset contains vegetative cover data of plots that have had various plant functional groups or species experimentally removed at the Jornada Basin LTER site in southern New Mexico, USA. This data was collected with the objective to distinguish the differential effects of plant community biomass, functional groups, and biodiversity within functional groups on ecosystem and plant community function. To make these distinctions, treatments were established by the selective removal of plant species or functional groups within experimental plots. There are eight treatments: control (C, no removals); four functional group removal treatments (PG, perennial grass removed; S, shrubs removed; SSh, subshrubs removed; Succ, succulents removed), and three species richness manipulation treatments. Richness manipulations included a simplified treatment (Simp), where only the single most abundant species of each growth form is preserved and all other species in the growth form are removed, a reduced‐Larrea treatment (rL), where the Larrea is assumed to be the dominant and is removed while minority components remain, and a reduced-Prosopsis treatment (rP), where Prosopis rather than Larrea is removed as the shrub dominant. Following treatments, vegetative data was collected by sampling each plot along three transects twice a year (Spring and Fall) for 5 years from 1997-2002 (no data collected in 1998). This data set consists of the date of collection, plot number, treatment type, transect number, quadrat number, species codes, two diameters, height, condition, count, record IDs, and error codes. This study is complete.

openCC (other)Oct 2023View details →

Aeolian dust weights sampled by BSNE collectors quarterly from the CSIS study at Jornada Basin LTER, 2012-ongoing

This dataset contains weights of windblown dust collected by BSNE collectors at long-term observation plots that are part of the Jornada Basin LTER Cross-Scale Interaction Study (CSIS) located at the Jornada Experimental Range. There are 15 experimental blocks (or sites) in this study. Within each block, there are 4 plots with different experimental treatments: 1 control, 1 with mesquite herbicide applied, 1 with connectivity modifiers (Conmods) installed, and 1 with Conmods AND mesquite herbicide applied. The intent of Conmods is to decrease gap size between perennial vegetation. The plots are 8 x 8 meters and have an 8 x 8 meter buffer zone on both the upwind and downwind sides of the plot. There are two BSNE (aeolian dust collector) stands per experimental plot positioned at the edge of the upwind and downwind 8m x 8m buffers. Each stand has 3 collectors positioned at heights of 10 cm, 30 cm, and 50 cm, and all collector openings face the prevailing wind direction. Upwind BSNEs collected the amount of dust entering the plot, and the downwind BSNEs collected the amount of dust moving off the plot. These collectors estimate the effectiveness of the plot surface in obstructing wind blown dust. This study is ongoing with data collected quarterly each year.

openCC (other)May 2022View details →

Observed phenological indicators and environmental drivers at global change experiments at the Jornada Basin LTER site, 2014-2020

This dataset contains plant phenological data extracted from phenocams installed at a global exchange experiment involving Chihuahuan desert plant communities at the Jornada Basin LTER site in southern New Mexico, U.S.A. Cycles of plant growth, termed phenology, are tightly linked to environmental controls, and our overarching objective in this study is to determine if temperature or precipitation are relatively more important for determining shrub and grass greenup date (start of season) and senescence date (end of season). At these camera locations, we experimentally manipulated incoming precipitation at the Jornada Basin LTER for over a decade and recorded plant leaf phenology at the daily scale for seven years using phenocams. The data here are derived from raw "phenocam" camera data collected at two ongoing studies at the Jornada Basin LTER site, one studying ecosystem responses to long term changes in water and nitrogen availability, and one studying plant productivity and partitioning responses to water availability and herbivory (studies 349 and 456, respectively). Phenocams at the sites have collected images since 2014, and basic color and greenness data extracted from those images are available in a companion dataset on EDI (knb-lter-jrn.210574001). This dataset includes the derived annual and quarterly phenological indices and greenness indices for each plot monitored by phenocams, and temperature and precipitation variables aggregated to the same frequency. The dataset also includes R code and input files used to generate these derived data. See Currier and Sala 2022 for more details. This study is ongoing.

Seasonal non-destructive vegetation measurements at 15 net primary production (NPP) study sites at Jornada Basin LTER, 1989-ongoing

This data package contains non-destructive quadrat measurements collected for the long-term Net Primary Production (NPP) study at the Jornada Basin LTER. Data here include measurements of horizontal cover and vertical height of plants observed at permanent NPP quadrats at 15 study sites. Sites were selected to represent the 5 major ecosystem types in the Chihuahuan Desert (upland grasslands, playa grasslands, mesquite-dominated shrublands, creosotebush-dominated shrublands, tarbush-dominated shrublands). For each ecosystem type, three sites were selected to represent the range in variability in production and plant diversity; thus the locations are not replicates. All sites are excluded from domestic grazing. Eleven sites are in non-grazed pastures, and at the other four sites 1 hectare areas around the observational plots were fenced in 1988. At all sites a grid of 49 (48 at one playa location) 1m x 1m replicate quadrats was laid out when sampling began in 1989. Grids consist of 49 quadrats arranged in a square 7 x 7 pattern, with quadrats 10 m apart (P-COLL has 48 quadrats in a 3 x 16 pattern). Standing vegetation in quadrats is sampled three times a year: in winter (February - March), before shrubs begin spring growth; in spring (May), when shrubs and spring annuals have reached peak biomass; in fall (late summer; October), when summer annuals have reached peak biomass but before killing frosts. Additional observations of plant count and phenological stage are also made. This dataset is subsequently used to determine quadrat biomass and net primary production. Details and linked data packages are described in the methods element. This is an ongoing dataset with new quadrat measurements collected in the spring, fall and winter of each year. Attention: 1) For most species, these data are not appropriate for estimates of percentage cover because of the way the data are collected. See Note 1 in the methods element for further details.

openCC (other)Mar 2025View details →

Soil volumetric water content calculated from neutron hydroprobe data at 15 NPP study locations at the Jornada Basin LTER site, 1989-ongoing

This data package contains soil water content data calculated from monthly neutron hydroprobe count measurements made at 15 net primary production (NPP) study locations on Jornada Experimental Range (JER) and Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center (CDRRC) lands. Once a month, neutron probe measurements are made at 10 depths (where possible) at each of 10 access tubes at each of the 15 NPP sites using a neutron probe (CPN Model 503DR Hydroprobe and CPN Model 503 Elite Hydroprobe). The raw dataset, also on EDI (knb-lter-jrn.210013001), consists of the count of thermalized neutrons at 30 cm depth intervals to a maximum depth of 300 cm. In this data package, the raw neutron counts have been adjusted for radioactive decay of the neutron source, then converted to volumetric water content (VWC) to a maximum depth of 270 cm using calibration equations (deepest probe depths are excluded from VWC calculations). The NPP sites these measurements are made at represent the 5 dominant vegetation types of the Jornada Basin, which consist of 3 shrub (creosotebush, mesquite dune, and tarbush) and 2 grass (upland grassland and playa) types. Three NPP sites are located in each of the types. This data collection is ongoing with new data collected monthly (updates to the EDI package may occur less frequently). NOTE: This version of the dataset includes calibrated data from a new hydroprobe unit that has recently been put into service. Repair parts were no longer available for the older unit.

Biomass removal at the initiation of a biodiversity experiment at the Jornada Basin LTER site in 1995

This dataset contains data on vegetation biomass removed from treatment plots during the establishment of a biodiversity experiment at the Jornada Basin LTER site in southern New Mexico, USA. In fall of 1995, various combinations of plant functional groups or species were experimentally removed from 25 x 25 meter plots with the objective to distinguish the differential effects of plant community biomass, functional groups, and biodiversity within functional groups on ecosystem and plant community function. Eight different treatments were established with selective removal of species or functional groups: control (C, no removals); four functional group removal treatments (PG, perennial grass removed; S, shrubs removed; SSh, subshrubs removed; Succ, succulents removed), and three species richness manipulation treatments. Richness manipulations included a simplified treatment (Simp), where only the single most abundant species of each growth form is preserved and all other species in the growth form are removed, a reduced‐Larrea treatment (rL), where the Larrea is assumed to be the dominant and is removed while minority components remain, and a reduced-Prosopsis treatment (rP), where Prosopis rather than Larrea is removed as the shrub dominant. The amount of plant material removed during the establishment of these treatments was recorded for later use as covariate or measure of disturbance. Removed fresh material was weighed in the field by species, then converted to dry mass using a subset of removed plot vegetation that was oven-dried and weighed in the lab. Variables in this file summarize the dry mass of plants removed by growth form (functional group, i.e. shrub, subshrub, perennial grass, succulent), and by total live dry mass, for each plot in the biodiversity experiment. Also provided are masses of dead material collected from plots (same groups as live material removed for each treatment) and total dry mass, live plus dead. Species-level data are available upo

Plant species-level responses to functional group and species removals in biodiversity experiment plots at the Jornada Basin LTER site, 1999

This dataset contains individual species size data in vegetation plots that have had various plant functional groups or species experimentally removed at the Jornada Basin LTER site in southern New Mexico, USA. This data was collected with the objective to distinguish the differential effects of plant community biomass, functional groups, and biodiversity within functional groups on ecosystem and plant community function. To make these distinctions, treatments were established by the selective removal of plant species or functional groups within experimental plots. There are eight treatments: control (C, no removals); four functional group removal treatments (PG, perennial grass removed; S, shrubs removed; SSh, subshrubs removed; Succ, succulents removed), and three species richness manipulation treatments. Richness manipulations included a simplified treatment (Simp), where only the single most abundant species of each growth form is preserved and all other species in the growth form are removed, a reduced‐Larrea treatment (rL), where the Larrea is assumed to be the dominant and is removed while minority components remain, and a reduced-Prosopsis treatment (rP), where Prosopis rather than Larrea is removed as the shrub dominant. In 1999, this pilot study attempted to assess individual species responses of representative individuals in these treatments. Ten randomly selected individuals of eight plant species were measured in each experimental plot, and this dataset reports volumetric data (diameters and height) for each. The study was designed as an individual-based complement to the transect data in EDI dataset knb-lter-jrn.210121001 but was not continued past 1999. This dataset is complete.

openCC (other)Oct 2023View details →

Plant and litter cover estimates derived from overhead microplot photos in the Cross-Scale Interactions Study (CSIS) at Jornada Basin LTER, 2013-ongoing

This dataset contains plant and litter cover estimates derived from overhead photos collected from microplots in a long-term experiment (2013-present) of cross-scale interactions (CSIs) at the Jornada Basin LTER site in southern New Mexico, U.S.A. Experimental treatments were initiated in 2013 at 15 experimental blocks, each with 4 treatment plots: plant-scale herbicide of mesquite shrubs, patch-scale connectivity modifiers (ConMods), herbicide + ConMods, control without manipulations. Repeat, overhead (downward-looking) photographs of ten "microplots" in each plot were taken for estimation of litter, soil, and vegetation cover in the experimental treatment and control plots over time. Photographs were rotated and then cropped to provide standardized areas, and then were analyzed with USDA SamplePoint software to determine coverage by ~27 plant, litter or other cover classes on a 100 point grid. Raw and corrected cover estimates are provided. This study is ongoing and new data will be added annually. Cover estimates are derived from photos in EDI dataset knb-lter-jrn.210413004.

openCC (other)Oct 2023View details →

Litter and soil accumulation estimates derived from lateral microplot photos in the Cross-Scale Interactions Study (CSIS) at Jornada Basin LTER, 2013-2017

This dataset contains litter and soil vertical accumulation estimates derived from lateral photos of microplots in a long-term experiment (2013-2017) of cross-scale interactions (CSIs) at the Jornada Basin LTER site in southern New Mexico, U.S.A. Experimental treatments were initiated in 2013 at 15 experimental blocks, each with 4 treatment plots: plant-scale herbicide of mesquite shrubs, patch-scale connectivity modifiers (ConMods), herbicide + ConMods, control without manipulations. Repeat, lateral (side-looking) photographs of ten "microplots" in each ConMods and herbicide+ConMods plot were taken for estimation of litter, soil, and vegetation cover in the experimental treatment and control plots over time. Photographs were analyzed with SigmaScan software to determine vertical accumulation of litter and soil withing the microplots. This study is complete and ended in 2017. These vertical accumulation estimates are derived from photos in EDI dataset knb-lter-jrn.210413006.

Occurrence of animals along five transects at the Jornada Basin LTER site from 1989-1994

This dataset contains data on the occurrence of rabbits, birds, and lizards observed along the Jornada Basin LTER (II) animal transects in southern New Mexico, USA. Five, 1 km transects were established, each in a different vegetation zone, near the current NPP study locations C-CALI, G-IBPE, M-NORT, P-COLL, and T-EAST. An observer walked each transect once every two weeks from early 1989 through 1994 recording animals observed along the transects. The data consists of species names, numbers of individuals, and perpendicular distances observed from transects, as well as weather and other context observations. Observation history and species codes are described in additional files. This study is complete.

Seasonal aboveground plant biomass estimates at 15 net primary production (NPP) study sites at Jornada Basin LTER from 1989-ongoing

This data package contains aboveground vegetation cover, volume, and calculated biomass values at the 15 Net Primary Production (NPP) study sites on Jornada Experimental Range (JER) and Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center (CDRRC) lands. Sites were selected to represent the 5 major ecosystem types in the Chihuahuan Desert (upland grasslands, playa grasslands, mesquite-dominated shrublands, creosotebush-dominated shrublands, tarbush-dominated shrublands). For each ecosystem type, three sites were selected to represent the range in variability in production and plant diversity; thus the locations are not replicates. All sites are excluded from domestic grazing. Eleven sites are in non-grazed pastures, and at the other four sites 1 hectare areas around the observational plots were fenced in 1988. At all sites a grid of 49 (48 at one playa location) 1m x 1m replicate quadrats was laid out when sampling began in 1989. For each quadrat, aboveground biomass has been calculated from two data sources: 1) non-destructive horizontal cover and vertical height measurements of individual plants, or plant parts, within each quadrat, and 2) linear regression coefficients for each plant species derived from off-quadrat cover, height, and harvested biomass measurements. Non-destructive measurements (1) are taken during winter, spring, and fall measurement campaigns, then aggregated by species for each quadrat, and resulting dimensions are used to calculate species biomass (grams) by quadrat and season using using the species-specific regression coefficients derived from dataset 2. This is the most detailed biomass dataset available and can be used to derive values of net primary production between seasons or annually. Each dataset record contains calculated biomass (and related variables) by species, quadrat, season, and site. Data collection is ongoing with new observations in spring, fall, and winter of each year, but this data package may be updated less frequently. Attenti

Annual mean estimates of aboveground net primary production (NPP) at 15 sites at Jornada Basin LTER, 1989-ongoing

This package contains values of mean annual aboveground net primary production (NPP, in grams per square meter per year) at 15 NPP study sites on Jornada Experimental Range (JER) and Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center (CDRRC) lands. Sites were selected to represent the 5 major ecosystem types in the Chihuahuan Desert (upland grasslands, playa grasslands, mesquite-dominated shrublands, creosotebush-dominated shrublands, tarbush-dominated shrublands). For each ecosystem type, three sites were selected to represent the range in variability in production and plant diversity; thus the locations are not replicates. All sites are excluded from domestic grazing. Eleven sites are in non-grazed pastures, and at the other four sites 1 hectare areas around the observational plots were fenced in 1988. At all sites a grid of 49 (48 at one playa location) 1m x 1m replicate quadrats was laid out when sampling began in 1989. In fall, winter, and spring periods aboveground biomass was calculated for each species and quadrat at each NPP site. These calculations rely on two data sources: 1) non-destructive horizontal cover and vertical height measurements of individual plants, or plant parts, within each quadrat, and 2) linear regression coefficients for each plant species derived from off-quadrat cover, height, and harvested biomass measurements. NPP is then calculated as the positive biomass increment between seasons. The annual totals in this dataset are derived by summing mean site NPP values for winter (October - February), spring (February - May), and fall (May - October) increments for a single calendar year. Data collection is ongoing with new annual NPP values calculated after the conclusion of each growing season. Attention: 1) Calculated values in this data package have changed over time as the methodology for estimating biomass has changed. If you are updating or adding to an earlier analysis of these data we recommend consulting with the dataset authors or a Jorna

Seasonal reference harvest measurements of vegetation at 15 net primary production (NPP) study sites at Jornada Basin LTER, 1989-ongoing

This data package contains reference harvest measurements for the long-term Net Primary Production (NPP) study at the Jornada Basin LTER. Data here include horizontal cover, vertical height, and aboveground biomass of plants harvested near, but outside, a grid of permanent NPP quadrats at each of 15 NPP sites. These sites were selected to represent the 5 major ecosystem types in the Chihuahuan Desert (upland grasslands, playa grasslands, mesquite-dominated shrublands, creosotebush-dominated shrublands, tarbush-dominated shrublands). For each ecosystem type, three sites were selected to represent the range in variability in production and plant diversity; thus the locations are not replicates. All sites are excluded from domestic grazing. Eleven sites are in non-grazed pastures, and at the other four sites 1 hectare areas around the observational plots were fenced in 1988. At all sites a grid of 49 (48 at one playa location) 1m x 1m replicate quadrats was laid out when sampling began in 1989. Harvests are made outside the quadrat grid, but inside the fence. Height and cover are recorded in the field. Live biomass is weighed in the lab and all measurements are recorded as reference harvest data. Subsequently, regressions between the harvested biomass and plant volume values are used to derive allometric equations that determine biomass from non-destructive volume measurements in the permanent NPP quadrats. Further details are described in the methods metadata. This is an ongoing study with new harvest data (from selected species) collected in the spring, fall, and winter each year. Attention: These data are not appropriate for estimates of percentage cover because of the way the data are collected.

openCC (other)Dec 2021View details →

Biomass of harvested annual and perrenial forbs and grasses along fertilized and unfertilized ecosystem transects at the Jornada Basin LTER site in 1989

This data package contains biomass data for annual or perennial grasses and forbs harvested from quadrats along the Jornada Basin LTER (LTER-I) transects in southern New Mexico, USA. These transects are located in a livestock exclosure established in 1982 in the Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center (CDRRC) and run from the middle of the College Playa up to the foot of Mt. Summerford (2.7 km in length). Prior to the exclosure, the study site was moderately to heavily grazed for the past 100 years. The Treatment transect was treated annually with ammonium nitrate fertilizer (NH4NO3 at 10g N/m2/yr) until 1987. Along each transect, 91 stations, each with a plant intercept line, are spaced at 30 meter intervals. Each plant intercept line is perpendicular to the transect and is 30 meters in length broken into 5-meter segments. The included dataset includes biomass data for grasses and forbs clipped from 1 square meter quadrats directly downslope from some, but not all, of these segments. The harvest measurements occurred in September 1989. Data consists of the date, transect, station number, quad, JRN and USDA Plants species codes, species binomial, habit, form, and biomass. This study is complete.

openCC (other)Dec 2021View details →

Nitrogen mineralization potential in soils collected from the Jornada Basin LTER-I transect and extracted at field collection time, 1989

This data package contains nitrogen mineralization data from soils collected along the Jornada Basin LTER (LTER-I) transects in southern New Mexico, USA. These transects are located in a livestock exclosure established in 1982 in the Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center (CDRRC) and run from the middle of the College Playa up to the foot of Mt. Summerford (2.7 km in length). Prior to the exclosure, the study site was moderately to heavily grazed for the past 100 years. The Treatment transect was treated annually with ammonium nitrate fertilizer (NH4NO3 at 10g N/m2/yr) until 1987. Along each transect, 91 stations, each with a plant intercept line, are spaced at 30 meter intervals. For this dataset, 60 soil samples (total) were collected along the control and fertilized treatment transects and mixed with potassium chloride solution (KCl) on Nov 27, 1989, then filter extracted the following day. The dataset contains a soil moisture correction factor, sample weights, total inorganic nitrogen (NO3+NO2-N), and nitrogen in ammonium (NH4-N) for Week F (field) of nitrogen mineralization potentials. The soil mineralization data complements the biomass harvest measurements that occurred in September 1989 (dataset knb-lter-jrn.210015001). This study is complete.

openCC (other)Dec 2021View details →

Nitrogen mineralization potential in soils collected from the Jornada Basin LTER-I transect and extracted at incubation time 0, 1989

This data package contains nitrogen mineralization data from soils collected along the Jornada Basin LTER (LTER-I) transects in southern New Mexico, USA. These transects are located in a livestock exclosure established in 1982 in the Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center (CDRRC) and run from the middle of the College Playa up to the foot of Mt. Summerford (2.7 km in length). Prior to the exclosure, the study site was moderately to heavily grazed for the past 100 years. The Treatment transect was treated annually with ammonium nitrate fertilizer (NH4NO3 at 10g N/m2/yr) until 1987. Along each transect, 91 stations, each with a plant intercept line, are spaced at 30 meter intervals. For this dataset, 60 soil samples (total) were collected along the control and fertilized treatment transects and mixed with potassium chloride solution (KCl) on Nov 27, 1989, then filter extracted four days later to give a time = 0 incubation value. The dataset contains a soil moisture correction factor, sample weights, total inorganic nitrogen (NO3+NO2-N), and nitrogen in ammonium (NH4-N) for Week 0 of nitrogen mineralization potentials. The soil mineralization data complements the biomass harvest measurements that occurred in September 1989 (dataset knb-lter-jrn.210015001). This study is complete.

openCC (other)Mar 2024View details →

Spring and Fall plant cover across grassland-shrubland ecotones at 3 sites in the Jornada Basin, 2005-ongoing

The objective of this ongoing study is to investigate how pulses of precipitation translate into pulses of plant aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) across grassland to shrubland ecotones in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. This dataset consists of ocular plant cover and height measurements to be used for estimating aboveground net primary in three habitat vegetation zones (grassland, ecotone, and shrubland) at three grassland-to-shrubland ecotone sites in the Jornada Basin, Dona Ana County, New Mexico, USA. Sampling is conducted twice a year: in the spring before the growing season and in the fall after the growing season.

openCC (other)Mar 2024View details →

Annual Aboveground Net Primary Productivity by plant functional groups across grassland-shrubland ecotones at 3 sites in the Jornada Basin, 2006-ongoing

The objective of this ongoing study is to investigate how pulses of precipitation translate into pulses of plant aboveground net primary productivity (NPP) across grassland to shrubland ecotones in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. This dataset consists of annual aboveground net primary productivity estimates by plant functional groups in three habitat vegetation zones (grassland, ecotone, and shrubland) at three grassland-to-shrubland ecotone sites in the Jornada Basin, Dona Ana County, New Mexico, USA. The annual ANPP estimates are derived from plant cover measurements (see methods). Due to its growth form, Yucca elata (YUEL), in the leaf succulent functional group, has been found to produce large errors in interyear biomass estimates. This data package separates biomass estimates for YUEL and non-YUEL leaf succulents so that users can decide whether to combine them or keep them separate. In general, the authors recommend against using the YUEL estimates for most purposes. Data collection is ongoing with new observations in spring and fall of each year; data from both annual sampling times are required to estimate annual ANPP.