Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
33
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.7.1
Dataset results
33 results for “grassland dominants”
Species diversity and plant dominance influence grassland stability in response to extreme climatic events and anthropogenic drivers across three LTER sites: Cedar Creek, Konza Prairie, and Kellogg Biological Station, 1982-2023.
The data in this package is associated with the analysis for a manuscript titled "Multiple community properties drive ecosystem resistance and resilience to extreme climate events across mesic grasslands". The files include compiled data on plant biomass production, species abundance, experimental treatments, extreme climate event values, and calculated diversity and stability measures from grassland plots in experiments at CDR, KBS, and KNZ LTER sites.
Species cover, community biomass, and richness in global grasslands from NutNet (2007–2023): Dominant species predict plant richness and biomass in global grasslands
The Nutrient Network (NutNet) is a globally coordinated research initiative designed to investigate the impacts of human-driven alterations in nutrient availability and consumer presence on grassland ecosystems. Data were collected from over 130 herbaceous-dominated sites worldwide, spanning diverse environmental conditions from desert grasslands to arctic tundra. Standardized methodologies were employed across all sites to enable direct comparisons of productivity, diversity, and ecosystem responses. Experimental treatments included nutrient additions to assess co-limitation of plant growth by multiple nutrients, as well as grazer manipulations to examine their role in regulating biomass, species diversity, and community composition. By compiling these cross-site data, NutNet aims to enhance our understanding of productivity-diversity relationships and provide new insights into the ecological consequences of anthropogenic changes to nutrient cycles and food webs at a global scale.
Effect of Long-Term Nitrogen Fertilization on Mycorrhizal Fungi Associated with a Dominant Grass in a Chihuahuan Desert Grassland at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2005)
We studied the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in a semiarid grassland and the effect of long-term nitrogen (N) fertilization on this fungal community. Root samples of Bouteloua gracilis were collected at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (New Mexico, USA) from control and N-amended plots that have been fertilized since 1995. Small subunit rDNA was amplified using AMF specific primers NS31 and AM1. The diversity of AMF was low in comparison with other ecosystems, only seven operational taxonomic units (OTU) were found in B. gracilis and all belong to the genus Glomus. The dominant OTU was closely related to the ubiquitous G. intraradices/G. fasciculatum group. N-amended plots showed a reduction in the abundance of the dominant OTU and an increase in AMF diversity. The greater AMF diversity in roots from N-amended plots may have been the result of displacement of the dominant OTU, which facilitated detection of uncommon AMF. The long-term implications of AMF responses to N enrichment for plant carbon allocation and plant community structure remain unclear.
Effect of foot disturbance to cyanobacteria-dominated biocrusts on microbes and nitrogen in Chihuhuahan grassland and shrubland
Interactions between plants and soil microbes influence plant nutrient transformations, including nitrogen (N) fixation, nutrient mineralization, and resource exchanges through fungal networks. Physical disturbances to soils can disrupt soil microbes and associated processes that support plant and microbial productivity. In low resource drylands, biological soil crusts ("biocrusts") occupy surface soils and house key autotrophic and diazotrophic bacteria, non-vascular plants, or lichens. Interactions among biocrusts, plants, and fungal networks between them are hypothesized to drive carbon and nutrient dynamics; however, comparisons across ecosystems are needed to generalize how soil disturbances alter microbial communities and their contributions to N pools and transformations. To evaluate linkages among plants, fungi, and biocrusts, we disturbed all unvegetated surfaces with human foot trampling twice yearly in dry conditions from 2013-2018 in cyanobacteria-dominated biocrusts in Chihuahuan Desert grassland and shrubland ecosystems. Our study included microbial communities and N pools sampled at different time points in the disturbance treatments at one or both sites. We began our sampling after observations in April 2018 that the chlorophyll a content was at least double in control than disturbed plots in both ecosystems (Chung et al. 2019). Stomping occurred in May, and we collected soil and plant samples in June 2018 for N pools and soil and root fungal abundance. We collected additional soil samples in September 2018 and conducted the 15N tracer experiment to observe rates of N transfer from biocrust to plants before the fall stomp treatment in October. We collected chlorophyll a samples and soils for sequencing bacteria in September of 2019, also before the fall stomp treatment.
Effects of Kangaroo Rats on Plant Species Dominance in a Chihuahuan Desert Grassland at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1988)
Our objective was to evaluate the effects of burrowing activities by banner-tail kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis Merriam) on plant community structure and species dominance for two patch types at an ecotone between shortgrass steppe and desert grasslands in New Mexico, USA. Ten mounds produced by kangaroo rats were selected in patches dominated by Bouteloua gracilis (the dominant in shortgrass steppe communities) and ten mounds were selected in patches dominated by Bouteloua eriopoda (the dominant in Chihuahuan desert grasslands). Plant cover and density by species were sampled from three locations associated with each mound: the mound proper, the edge of the mound in the transition area, and the off-mound vegetation. Similar cover of B. eriopoda for the edges of mounds in both patch types indicates the ability of this species to respond to animal disturbances regardless of the amount of cover in the surrounding undisturbed vegetation. By contrast, cover of B. gracilis was low for all mounds and mound edges in patches dominated by this species. Much higher cover of B. eriopoda on mound edges compared to the undisturbed vegetation in B. gracilis- dominated patches indicates that kangaroo rats have important positive effects on this species. Lower cover of perennial grasses and higher cover of forbs, shrubs, and succulents on the edges of mounds in B. eriopoda - dominated patches compared to patches dominated by B. gracilis indicate the importance of surrounding vegetation to plant responses on disturbed areas. Our results show that kangaroo rats have important effects on both species dominance and composition for different patch types, and may provide a mechanism for small-scale dominance patterns at an ecotonal boundary; thus providing further support for their role as keystone species in desert grasslands.
Data from: Influential neighbours: seeds of dominant species affect the germination of common grassland species
<p><b>Questions</b></p> <p>Germination is the prerequisite of successful establishment in plant communities and is influenced by many factors. Therefore, seeds are under strong selective pressure to sense and integrate information about their environment and modulate germination based on them. In this study, we focus on interspecific seed-seed interactions under optimal and sub-optimal conditions to test three hypotheses: (H1) Dominant species' seeds and emerging seedlings are most likely to be recognized and insert significant effect on the germination of common subordinate species; (H2) Taxonomically related species are expected to exert stronger influence than un-related species on the germination of neighbouring seeds; (H3) Facilitative interactions are more likely to occur under sub-optimal conditions (drought stress) in the seed-seed interactions.</p> <p><b>Location</b></p> <p>Semi-dry temperate grassland belonging to Festuco-Brometea class, Cluj-Napoca, Romania</p> <p><b>Methods</b></p> <p>We assessed the rate and speed of germination of three common subordinate Asteraceae species (target species) in a controlled germination experiment. <span>The target species' seeds were sown in combination with low and high densities of neighbour species: two dominant Poaceae species, two subordinate Asteraceae species and two subordinate Apiaceae species; under optimal or drought conditions.</span></p> <p><b>Results</b></p> <p>Under optimal water conditions, particularly the seeds of the two dominant Poaceae species affected the germination of target species. Under drought stress, almost all neighbouring species altered the germination of two of the target species, enhancing or reducing their germination rate. Facilitation in seed-seed interactions was proved to be species-specific rather than general under drought conditions.</p> <p><b>Conclusions</b></p> <p>We found evidence that the status in a plant community (dominant or subordinate), but not the taxonomic relatedness influences the outcome of seed-seed interactions during germination. Under drought stress, the persistent competitive effect of the dominant species might considerably hinder the recruitment of subordinate grassland species.</p>
Data from: Seasonality promotes grassland diversity: interactions with mowing, fertilization and removal of dominant species
1. Current biodiversity declines in species-rich grasslands are connected with the cessation of management, eutrophication and the expansion of dominant grass species. One of the theoretical mechanisms limiting biodiversity loss is the ability of subordinate species to avoid competitive exclusion by seasonal niche separation from dominant species. Here we explore how seasonality underpins the maintenance of diversity in temperate meadows under different management regimes and competition intensities in relation to species functional traits. 2. We studied eight different communities in a long-term meadow experiment that manipulated mowing, fertilization and dominant species (Molinia caerulea) removal. In each community, species-specific trait and biomass data were taken five times during the year to test whether seasonal variation in species composition and functional strategies enable species to coexist. 3. Mown unfertlized meadows exhibited pronounced seasonal variations in community composition and structure, linked to differences in resource-use strategies between mid-summer dominants and the spring and autumn subordinates. Higher specific leaf area and foliar nitrogen concentration in the fast-growing dominants, and increased water use (δ13C) and nutrient acquisition (δ15N) efficiency in resource-retentive subordinates, best predicted their temporal niche separation. Seasonal segregation of species with contrasting strategies increased after mowing cessation, and the resulting summer dominance of Molinia. Conversely, the seasonal dynamics were markedly reduced by fertilization, promoting tall grasses over sedges and forbs throughout the entire year, thereby decreasing the overall taxonomic and functional diversity. When Molinia was removed the compositional changes during the season became less pronounced, being significant only in mown unfertilized plots. 4. Seasonal shifts in community composition reduced the competitive interactions and promoted the coexistence of dominant and subordinate species. Seasonality reversed the negative mid-summer diversity-productivity relationship to a positive one during the spring and autumn, and seasonality only prevented diversity loss in unfertilized conditions possibly because competition is most intense in summer. In fertilized meadows, subordinate species are not able to escape competitive exclusion by shifting their phenological peaks to the spring or autumn periods because asymmetric competition is intense over the entire growing season. Studying seasonal dynamics is key to understanding the maintenance of grassland diversity under ongoing land use change.
Exotic herbivores dominate Australian high‐elevation grasslands
<p>Invasive species are major drivers of ecosystem degradation globally. How invasive herbivore impacts differ from native herbivore impacts remains understudied. We examined the relationships between herbivore sign and vegetation height, foliage density, cover of forbs, weeds, bare ground, and soil compaction across environmental and herbivore activity gradients in the mainland Australian Alps. We detected native and exotic herbivore sign at 32.8% and 94.0% of sites, respectively. Total herbivore activity was primarily attributed to exotic herbivores and was associated with elevation and grassland type. Greater horse (exotic) activity was associated with lower vegetation height, lower foliage density, higher forb cover, and higher soil compaction. Greater rabbit and hare (exotic) activity was associated with lower vegetation height, lower foliage density, and a higher cover of bare ground. Greater total herbivore activity was associated with greater weed cover. Neither deer (exotic) nor kangaroo and wallaby (native) activity was related to response variables. We demonstrate that exotic herbivores dominate mammalian herbivory in these grasslands, which evolved without analogous hooved species. Given the restricted distribution and high endemism of these ecosystems, and associations between exotic herbivores and characteristics of degraded grasslands, we recommend landscape-scale exotic herbivore management, focusing on maintaining ground cover and vegetation structure.</p>
Phenotypic plasticity contributes more to the variations in nutrient resorption than genetic differentiation in a grassland dominant
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>1. P</span><span>henotypic plasticity and genetic differentiation are the two important processes determining the leaf nutrient resorption among and within plant species, which is critical for understanding the adaptability of plants</span><span>.</span><span> However, relative contributions of <span>these two processes</span> have never been quantified at a large geographical scale. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>2. Here, we investigated intraspecific variations in nutrient resorption among 14 <em>Stipa breviflora</em> populations along a latitude gradient in 2018 and 2019. Furthermore, we sow seeds from these populations in two common gardens at different latitudes, and</span><span> </span><span>examined the variations in nutrient resorption. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>3. Our results showed that nitrogen and phosphorus resorption efficiency (NRE and PRE)<span> among </span><em>S. breviflora </em>populations<span> </span><span>in nature were positively related to latitude, while this trend disappeared in the common gardens. </span>The heritability of <span>NRE and PRE was 11.45 % and 16.78 %, respectively. These results suggested that</span> phenotypic plasticity contributed much more than genetic variation to nutrient resorption of <em>S. breviflora</em>.<span> </span>Moreover, <span>the structural equation modeling (SEM) suggested that latitude indirectly affected </span>nutrient resorption mainly by altering soil nutrients. With the increasing of latitude, soil nutrients decreased while nutrient resorption increased<span>. This suggested</span> <a name="_Hlk78556987"></a><span>the main process regulating nutrient resorption is negative feedback to soil nutrient availability. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>4. </span><span>Our study provides new insights into the role of nutrient resorption in plant adaptations to geographic variations.</span></p>
Species turnover and climates co-dominate the carbon–water relationship in grasslands along an elevational gradient
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Exotic herbivores dominate Australian high‐elevation grasslands
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Seasonality promotes grassland diversity: interactions with mowing, fertilization and removal of dominant species
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Forbs in Viking lands: The effect of disturbing dominant graminoids on recruitment in tundra grasslands
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Influential neighbours: seeds of dominant species affect the germination of common grassland species
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Phenotypic plasticity contributes more to the variations in nutrient resorption than genetic differentiation in a grassland dominant
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Sensitivity of plant species to warming and altered precipitation dominates the community productivity in a semiarid grassland on the Loess Plateau
Global warming and changes in precipitation patterns can critically influence the structure and productivity of terrestrial ecosystems. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We conducted two independent but complementary experiments (one with warming and precipitation manipulation (+ or – 30%) and another with selective plant removal) in a semi-arid grassland on the Loess Plateau, northwestern China to assess how warming and altered precipitation affect plant community. Our results showed that warming and altered precipitation affected community aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) through impacting soil moisture. Results of the removal experiment showed competitive relationships among dominant grasses, dominant semi-shrub and non-dominant species, which played a more important role than soil moisture in the response of plant community to warming and altered precipitation. Precipitation addition intensified the competition but primarily benefited dominant semi-shrubs. Warming and precipitation reduction enhanced water stresses but increased ANPP of dominant semi-shrubs and grasses, indicating that plant tolerance to drought critically meditated the community responses. These findings suggest that specie competitivity for water resources as well as tolerance to environmental stresses may dominate the responses of plant communities on the Loess Plateaus to future climate change factors.
Data from: Genetic sorting of subordinate species in grassland modulated by intraspecific variation in dominant species.
Genetic variation in a single species can have predictable and heritable effects on associated communities and ecosystem processes, however little is known about how genetic variation of a dominant species affects plant community assembly. We characterized the genetic structure of a dominant grass (Sorghastrum nutans) and two subordinate species (Chamaecrista fasciculata, Silphium integrifolium), during the third growing season in grassland communities established with genetically distinct (cultivated varieties or local ecotypes) seed sources of the dominant grasses. There were genetic differences between subordinate species growing in the cultivar versus local ecotype communities, indicating that intraspecific genetic variation in the dominant grasses affected the genetic composition of subordinate species during community assembly. A positive association between genetic diversity of S. nutans, C. fasciculata, and S. integrifolium and species diversity established the role of an intraspecific biotic filter during community assembly. Our results show that intraspecific variation in dominant species can significantly modulate the genetic composition of subordinate species.
Data from: Phenology differences between native and novel exotic-dominated grasslands rival the effects of climate change
1. Novel ecosystems can differ from the native systems they replaced. We used phenology measures to compare ecosystem functioning between novel exotic-dominated and native-dominated grasslands in the central US. 2. Phenology, or timing of biological events, is affected by climate and land use changes. We assessed how phenology shifts are being altered by exotic species dominance by comparing remotely sensed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) within growing seasons at exotic- and native-dominated sites along a latitudinal gradient. Exotic species were dominated by the C3 species functional group in the north and the C4 species functional group in the south. 3. Date of senescence was an average of 36 days later in exotic than native-dominated grasslands, and this effect was consistent across latitudes. 4. Exotic-dominated grasslands greened up an average of 10.7 days earlier than native-dominated grasslands, but this effect was highly dependent on latitude and the plant functional group that dominated at that latitude. Greenup differed between native and exotic sites the most in central and northern regions that had dominant C3 grasses. 5. We estimated the effects of an increase in global temperatures on green-up and senescence with a space-for-time substitution, and by comparing growing degree day differences between historical average temperatures and +2.5° C. Green-up was significantly earlier and senescence was significantly later with a 2.5 ° C increase in temperature. The native-exotic difference was significantly greater than the difference due to increased temperature for senescence, but not for green-up. 6. Synthesis and applications. Native to exotic plant conversions in central US grasslands have led to highly altered phenology, especially in terms of senescence, and this effect should be considered along with global warming in models moving forward. This conversion will have to be considered in developing estimates of how global change will affect phenology in locations where exotics are present, especially in cases where their abundance is increasing concurrent with climate change. Global change models and policy should consider exotic species invasion as an additional widespread factor behind changes in phenology.
Data for: Effects of fire on ground-dwelling arthropods in a shrub-dominated grassland
<p>Arthropods are abundant and diverse animals in many terrestrial food webs. In western Oklahoma, some shrublands are interspersed with discrete, dense thickets of tall, woody vegetation, known as mottes. Some of these shrublands are managed with prescribed burning. The goal of this study was to examine if prescribed burning interacted with habitat type (i.e., shrubland vs. mottes) to affect ground-dwelling arthropod communities. Arthropods were collected in pitfall traps at four sampling locations in relation to mottes; in the center of mottes, and three plot location in shrublands; 1m, 15m, and 50m away from the edge of the motte. There were three treatment levels for burning: one-year post burn (burned in dormant months of 2017), two-years post burn (burned in dormant months of 2016), and unburned (burned in dormant season of 2014 and prior). There were no significant interactions between prescribed burning and habitat type. Mottes had a different community of arthropods compared to the surrounding shrubland. Mottes also had lower overall abundance, but a higher diversity of arthropods. In terms of fires, arthropod communities one year after burning were different from those two or more years after burning. There was no effect of burning on overall arthropod abundance, but plots that were one year since burning had significantly lower diversity compared to plots that were two or more years post-burn. The results of this study suggest that both fire and mottes can independently facilitate heterogeneity in arthropod communities, but they do not appear to interact with one another. </p>
Large herbivores facilitate a dominant grassland plant via multiple indirect effects
<p>While large herbivores are critically important components of terrestrial ecosystems and can have pronounced top-down effects on plants, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms driving these effects remains incomplete. Large herbivores can alter plant growth, reproduction and abundance through direct effects (predominantly consumption) and through indirect effects via altered interactions with abiotic factors and other species. We know considerably less about these indirect effects than the direct effects. Here, we integrate medium- and small-scale field experiments to investigate how a large vertebrate herbivore, cattle (<i>Bos taurus</i>), affects the aboveground biomass of a dominant forb species, <i>Artemisia scoparia</i>, via diverse direct and indirect pathways in a temperate grassland in northeast China. Although cattle consumed this forb, its biomass increased significantly in response to grazing, due to multiple indirect positive effects that outweighed the direct negative effects of consumption. Cattle preferentially consumed the competing grass <i>Leymus chinensis</i>, and altered <i>Artemisia</i> microhabitats by reducing total plant cover and litter biomass and by increasing the abundance of co-occurring ant species (e.g., <i><span>Formica </span></i>spp. and <i>Lasius </i>spp.). This led to additional indirect positive effects on <i>A. scoparia</i> likely due to 1) increased light availability in understory layers and other limiting resources (e.g., soil nutrients and moisture) caused by removal of competitors and plant litter at the soil surface and 2) the changes in resource availability (e.g., soil nutrients and moisture) associated with ant colonies. Our results show that large herbivores can affect plant growth not only via direct consumption, but also via multiple indirect effects. Focusing on the causes and consequences of herbivore-induced indirect effects will not only help us to better understand the influence of these animals in ecological systems, but will also lead to more effective land management and conservation practices in the regions they inhabit.</p>
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.