Pinon-Juniper Plant Dimension Study at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1989-1999)

Authors

Jim Gosz

Date

3-7-2016

Abstract

This project was designed to investigate the response of plant growth and reproduction to short- and long-term variation in biotic and abiotic environmental variables. Several perennial taxa, including tree (Juniperus monsperma and Pinus edulis), shrub (Larrea tridentata) and bunch grasses (Oryzopsis hymenoides (now Achnaterum hymenoides) and Sporobolus contractus) species, were monitored at 1-3 sites differing in elevation and topography as well as edaphic variables and annual precipitation. The sites represented optimal or marginal/transitional zones for particular species. Demographic measurements were made biannually, after the 'wet' (fall) and 'dry' (spring) seasons. For tree and shrub species, estimates of growth and reproduction were based on branch demography, with ten branch tips from 10-20 individuals per species per site repeatedly measured from 1989-1993. For J. monsperma, P. edulis and L. tridentata, vegetative growth (i.e., branch growth) as well as reproduction were monitored. Additional measurements included needle length for P. edulis and leaf production, leaf size and branchlet production for L. tridentata. For grasses, basal diameter, leaf length and reproduction were monitored for 100 individuals per species per site. Pinon-juniper plant dimension data was collected to obtain a measure of the change in the size of individual pinon and juniper trees through time. This data encompasses growth over 11 years and was to be used in conjunction with data in the Sevilleta plant demography and plant physiology data bases. However, those studies were discontinued in 1993. This project, SEV025, contains only data on pinon-juniper plant dimensions. Data on other variables and species is contained in SEV006, SEV024, SEV026, SEV027, and SEV028.

Handle

http://hdl.handle.net/1928/29869

Other Identifier

SEV25

Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB) Identifier

knb-lter-sev.25.272924

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/932fbe83a462eb69c582d9c957a6b17e, and may be accessed at http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/932fbe83a462eb69c582d9c957a6b17e. 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/932fbe83a462eb69c582d9c957a6b17e

Temporal coverage

1989-06-27 - 1999-11-16

Spatial coverage

This site encompasses the upper reaches of Goat Draw and is dominated by pinon-juniper vegetation. Two pinon branch demography study sites were located here, each with 49 labeled trees, in a small canyon which drains the Los Pinos Mountains to the east. Vegetation is characterized as a pinon/juniper woodland with occasional occurrences of Quercus turbinella, Yucca spp. and Opuntia spp. Portions of the bird community assessment and plant phenology studies were also located within Goat Draw.Sepultura Canyon is one of the largest ravines coming down from the Los Pinos Mountains to McKenzie Flats. Originally a core site, rodent webs and vegetation line-intersept transects were located in Sepultura Canyon through 1992, when the US Fish and Wildlife Service established the Sevilleta Wolf Management Facility in the area.

DOI

doi:10.6073/pasta/932fbe83a462eb69c582d9c957a6b17e

Permanent URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/932fbe83a462eb69c582d9c957a6b17e

Recommended Citation

Gosz, Jim (2016-03-07): Pinon-Juniper Plant Dimension Study at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1989-1999). Long Term Ecological Research Network. http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/932fbe83a462eb69c582d9c957a6b17e