Snakeweed Patch Vegetation Quad Data at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM (1984, 1996)

Authors

Douglas I. Moore
Herb Grover
James Gosz

Date

2010

Abstract

In 1984, a research project was initiated on a relatively small disturbance patch just south of Deep Well. This disturbance was thought to be the result of an old praire dog town, probably dating back to when a nearby ranch was active, and a lot of old mammal mounds remained in the disturbed area. One of the things that made the disturbance patch particularily noticeable was the lush growth of snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae) within the patch. This prompted the designation of the disturbance patch as the "snakeweed patch" or "Gutierrezia patch." In addition, there was an obvious increase in bare ground and a shift in vegetation composition across the patch boundary. The dominant vegetation was not consistent around the boundary, with a marked dominance of black grama on the west side of the plot and a blue/black grama mix on the other three sides. To obtain information on the cause and/or effect of this disturbance, a survey of the soil and vegetation was performed. This database contains information collected during the vegetation monitoring that was done on the plot in 1984, as well as a follow-up measurement done in 1996. By 1996, virtually all of the snakeweed had died due to a dry period.

Handle

http://hdl.handle.net/1928/29969

Other Identifier

SEV233

Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB) Identifier

knb-lter-sev.233.174889

Document Type

Dataset

Comments

This dataset was originally published on the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network Data Portal, https://portal.lternet.edu, and potentially via other repositories or portals as described. The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) of the source data package is doi:10.6073/pasta/609dd389b726f43b1d7d9a3d2037ae88, and may be accessed at http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/609dd389b726f43b1d7d9a3d2037ae88. Metadata and files included in this record mirror as closely as possible the source data and documentation, with the provenance metadata and quality report generated by the LTER portal reproduced here as '*-provenance.xml' and *-report.html' files, respectively.

Rights

Data Policies: This dataset is released to the public and may be freely downloaded. Please keep the designated Contact person informed of any plans to use the dataset. Consultation or collaboration with the original investigators is strongly encouraged. Publications and data products that make use of the dataset must include proper acknowledgement of the Sevilleta LTER. Datasets must be cited as in the example provided. A copy of any publications using these data must be supplied to the Sevilleta LTER Information Manager. By downloading any data you implicitly acknowledge the LTER Data Policy (http://www.lternet.edu/data/netpolicy.html).

Source

http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/609dd389b726f43b1d7d9a3d2037ae88

Temporal coverage

1984-04-01 - 1996-06-01

Spatial coverage

Location: Deep Well is located on McKenzie Flats and is site of the longest running SEV LTER met station, number 40, which has been active since 1988. In addition to studies of meteorological variables, core line-intercept vegetation transects and line-intercept transects from the 1995 and 2001 Deep Well fires are sampled here. The mini-rhizotron study, blue and black grama compositional comparison, blue and black grama patch dynamics investigation, and kangaroo rat population assessement are all ongoing here. Deep Well Blue/Black Grama Mixed is also the location of the warming and monsoon experiments, as well as portions of the line-intercept and vegetation removal studies. On August 4, 2009, a lightning-initiated fire began on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. By August 5, 2009, the fire had reached the area of Deep Well Blue/Black Grama Mixed. While portions of this site were burned, the entirety was not. See individual projects for further information on the effects of the fire.Vegetation: The vegetation of Deep Well Blue/Black Grama Mixed is Chihuahuan Desert Grassland, dominated by black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda) and blue grama (B. gracilis). Other grasses found at the site include dropseeds (Sporobolus spp.) and threeawns (Aristida spp.). Shrubs are uncommon but those that occur include Yucca glauca, Ephedra torreyi, and four-wing saltbush (Atriplex canescens). Herbaceous plants include Plantago purshii, Hymenopappus filifolius, and globe mallows (Sphaeralcea spp.). , Location: This site is located just south of the Deep Well tank.Soils: Sand loams, Vegetation: Vegetation is characterized as Plains-Mesa Grassland, dominated by blue and black grama (Bouteloua gracilis and B. eriopoda) and galleta grass (Pleuraphis jamesii), siteid: 48

DOI

doi:10.6073/pasta/609dd389b726f43b1d7d9a3d2037ae88

Permanent URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/609dd389b726f43b1d7d9a3d2037ae88

Recommended Citation

Moore, Douglas I.; Grover, Herb; Gosz, James (2010): Snakeweed Patch Vegetation Quad Data at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM (1984, 1996). Long Term Ecological Research Network. http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/609dd389b726f43b1d7d9a3d2037ae88