Date
2011
Abstract
In 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a prescribed burn over a large part of the northeastern corner of the Sevilleta NWR. This study was designed to look at the effect of fire on above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) within different vegetation types. Net primary production (NPP) is a fundamental ecological variable that measures 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 (ANPP) is equal to the change in plant mass, including loss to death and decomposition, over a given period of time. To measure this change, ANPP is sampled twice a year (spring and fall) for all species in each of three vegetation types. In addition, volumetric measurements are obtained from adjacent areas to build regressions correlating biomass and volume. Three vegetation types were chosen for this study: mixed grass (MG), mixed shrub (MS) and black grama (G). Forty permanent 1m x 1m plots were installed in both burned and unburned sections of each habitat type. The core black grama site included in SEV129 was incorporated into this dataset as an unburned control, so an additional unburned G site was not created. The data for this site is noted as site=G and treatment=C (i.e., control). The original mixed-grass unburned plot caught fire unexpectedly in the fall of 2009 and was subsequently moved to the south.Volumetric measurements are made using vegetation data from permanent plots collected in SEV156, "Burn Study Sites Quadrat Data for the Net Primary Production Study " and regressions correlating biomass and volume constructed using seasonal harvest weights from SEV157, "Net Primary Productivity (NPP) Weight Data."
Handle
http://hdl.handle.net/1928/30011.1
Other Identifier
SEV185
Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB) Identifier
knb-lter-sev.185.205949
Document Type
Dataset
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/4e2372aaecc104407c331763260d9b9a
Temporal coverage
2004-02-15 - 2010-10-30
Spatial coverage
Location: Five Points is the area which encompasses the Five Points Black Grama and Five Points Creosote Core study sites and falls along the transition between Chihuahuan Desert Scrub and Desert Grassland habitats. Both sites are subject to intensive research activity, including NPP measurement, phenology observation, pollinator diversity studies, and ground dwelling arthropod and rodent population assessments. There are drought rain-out shelters in both the Black Grama and Creosote sites, as well as the mixed-ecotone, with co-located ET Towers.Vegetation: The Five Points Creosote site is characterized as Chihuahuan Desert Scrub, dominated by a creosotebush overstory with broom snakeweed, purple pricklypear (O. macrocentra) and soapweed yucca as notable shrubs. The site is also characterized by numerous dense grass dominated patches, reflecting proximity to the Five Points Black Grama site and the relatively recent appearance of creosotebush. Dominant grasses are black grama, fluffgrass (Dasyochloa pulchellum), burrograss (Scleropogon brevifolia), bush muhly (M. porteri), and galleta (Pleuraphis jamesii). Notable forb species include field bahia (Bahia absinthifolia), baby aster (Chaetopappa ericoides), plains hiddenflower (Cryptantha crassisepala), Indian rushpea (Hoffmannseggia glauca), Fendlers bladderpod (Lesquerella fendleri), and globemallow (Sphaeralcea spp.). Five Points Black Grama habitat is ecotonal in nature, bordering Chihuahuan Desert Scrub at its southern extent and Plains-Mesa Grassland at its northern, more mesic boundary. There is also a significant presence of shrubs, particularly broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), along with less abundant fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens), Mormon tea (Ephedra torreyana), winterfat (Krascheninnikovia lanata), tree cholla (Opuntia imbricata), club cholla (O. clavata), desert pricklypear (O. phaeacantha), soapweed yucca (Yucca glauca), and what are presumed to be encroaching, yet sparsely distributed, creosotebush (Larrea tridentata). Characteristically, the dominant grass is black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda). Spike, sand, and mesa dropseed grasses (Sporobolus contractus, S. cryptandrus, S. flexuosus) and sand muhly (Muhlenbergia arenicola) could be considered co-dominant throughout, along with blue grama (B. gracilis) in a more mesic, shallow swale on the site. Notable forb species include trailing four o’clock (Allionia incarnata), horn loco milkvetch (Astragalus missouriensis), sawtooth spurge (Chamaesyce serrula), plains hiddenflower (Cryptantha crassisepala), blunt tansymustard (Descarania obtusa), wooly plaintain (Plantago patagonica), globemallow (Sphaeralcea wrightii), and mouse ear (Tidestromia lanuginosa)., siteid: 2Location: Five Points Black Grama is on the transition between Chihuahuan Desert Scrub and Desert Grassland habitat. The site is subject to intensive research activity, including assessments of net primary productivity, phenology, and pollinator diversity, amongst other projects. It is the site of the unburned black grama (GU) component of the Burn NPP study. On August 4, 2009, a lightning-initiated fire began on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. By August 5, 2009, the fire had reached the Five Points Black Grama site. Portions of this site were burned, but not the entirety. See individual projects for further information on the effects of the burn. Vegetation: The Five Points Black Grama site is ecotonal in nature, bordering Chihuahuan Desert Scrub at its southern extent and Plains-Mesa Grassland at its northern, more mesic boundary. Characteristically, the dominant grass is black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda)., Location: McKenzie Flats is located within the northeastern section of the Sevilleta NWR, encompassing an area from Black Butte south to Palo Duro Canyon and east to the Los Pinos.Landform: McKenzie Flats is a broad, nearly flat grassland plain between the Los Pinos Mountains and the breaks on the east side of the Rio Grande., Geology: Deep (20,000 ft) alluvial and aeolian deposits., Soils: Turney Series: fine-loamy, mixed, thermic Typic Calciorthids. Berino Series: fine-loamy, mixed, thermic Typic Haplargids., Hydrology: Surface water only during rain events, no arroyos. Run-on plain for Los Pinos Mountains., Vegetation: The terrain is generally a mixed-species desert grassland, dominated by black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda), blue grama (B. gracilis), sand muhly (Muhlenbergia arenicola), various drop seeds and sacatons (Sporobolus spp.), purple three-awn (Aristida purpurea), and burrow grass (Scleropogon brevifolia). Shrubs are common in the area around Five Points, including creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) and snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae)., Climate: Long-term mean annual precipitation is 243 mm, about 60% of which occurs during the summer. Long-term mean monthly temperatures for January and July are 1.5 degrees C and 25.1 degrees C, respectively., History: McKenzie Flats encompasses an area of approximately 50 square miles and was one of the primary livestock grazing areas within what is now the Sevilleta NWR. Cattle have been excluded from the site since 1974-76. The ranch headquarters buildings and corrals were located at the junction of Legs C and D of the coyote survey. , siteid: 25Location: The grassland burn (GB) site is located on the east side of the road toward Five Points from Deep Well.Vegetation: This is a Chihuahuan desert grassland dominated by black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda) with some dropseed (Sporobolus spp.)., siteid: 34Location: The mixed grass (MG) site includes a burned and an unburned area. The mixed grass unburned (MGU) site is located just to the southeast of the Deep Well weather station. The mixed grass burned (MGB) site is on the east side of the road north of Deep Well.On August 4, 2009, a lightning-initiated fire began on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. The fire reached the mixed-grass unburned plots on August 5, 2009, consuming them in their entirety. As a result, in the spring of 2010, the mixed-grass unburned plots were moved to a different area within Deep Well, to the southwest of the Warming site. Vegetation: This is a mixed grass area dominated by black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda) and blue grama (B. gracilis) with dropseed (Sporobolus spp.) and galleta grass (Pleuraphis jamesii) also prominent., History: In 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a prescribed fire over a large part of the northeast corner of the Sevilleta NWR, including the area near Deep Well containing the mixed grass site., siteid: 32Location: The mixed shrub (MS) location consists of burned and unburned areas. Both the mixed shrub burned (MSB) and mixed shrub unburned (MSU) areas are on the north side of the road running southeast from Five Points.Vegetation: This area is dominated by creosotebush (Larrea tridenta) but also maintains a relatively dense understory of black grama in comparison to true shrub land., History: The northwest half of the site was burned in June 2003. The southeast half was used as the control. Plots were established in spring 2004, siteid: 33
DOI
doi:10.6073/pasta/4e2372aaecc104407c331763260d9b9a
Permanent URL
http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/4e2372aaecc104407c331763260d9b9a
Recommended Citation
Muldavin, Esteban (2011): Burn Study Sites Seasonal Biomass and Seasonal and Annual NPP Data for the Net Primary Production Study at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2004- ). Long Term Ecological Research Network. http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/4e2372aaecc104407c331763260d9b9a
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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/4e2372aaecc104407c331763260d9b9a, and may be accessed at http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/4e2372aaecc104407c331763260d9b9a. 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.