Date
2015
Abstract
Observations of the soil surface on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge indicate that the surface is very dynamic. During collections of decomposition bags it has been noted that the bags are frequently resting on pedestals of soil, often 2-3cm above the surrounding surface. This study will attempt to measure the dynamics of the soil surface using a specially designed soil bridge. The soil bridge will allow for repeated measurements of the relative height of the soil surface at several sites on the Sevilleta. These measurements will be used to assess the impact of the changing soil surface on nutrient cycling.
Handle
http://hdl.handle.net/1928/29831.2
Other Identifier
SEV65
Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB) Identifier
knb-lter-sev.65.189927
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/af6ebdc94ad7d6fac15e3394dd47e19f
Temporal coverage
1994-11-16 - 2013-10-23
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: The Cerro Montosa Pinyon-Juniper site has been the location of major Sevilleta LTER research since 1989. Meteorological trends, net primary productivity, rodent and ground-dwelling arthropod populations, mycorrhizal responses to fertilizer, pinyon-juniper fruit and nut production, and pinyon mortality are all being investigated at this site. Previous studies have included analyses of pinyon tree rings for regional climate reconstruction.Vegetation: The vegetation is New Mexico Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, dominated by Colorado pinyon (Pinus edulis) and one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma), and accompanied by gray oak (Quercus grisea). There is a diverse shrub component, including scrub live oak (Q. turbinella), mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus), broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), sacahuista (Nolina microcarpa), red barberry (Mahonia haematocarpa), Apache plume (Fallugia paradoxa), tree cholla (Opuntia imbricata), skunkbush (Rhus trilobata), and banana yucca (Yucca baccata). Grass diversity is also high, and open spaces between trees are dominated by blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), with hairy and sideoats grama (B. hirsuta and B. curtipendula) and black grama (B. eriopoda) also being significant. Other common grasses include purple threeawn (Aristida purpurea), wolftail (Lycurus phleoides), mountain and ring muhly (M. montanus and M. torreyi), and New Mexican porcupinegrass (Heterostipa neomexicana). Common forbs include small-flowered milkvetch (Astragalus nuttallianus), white sagebrush (Artemesia ludoviciana), Fendler’s arabis (Arabis fendleri), Fendler’s sandmat (Chamaesyce fendleri), New Mexico thistle (Cirsium neomexicanum), false pennyroyal (Hedeoma oblongifolia), bastard sage (Eriogonum wrightii), pingüe rubberweed (Hymenoxys richardsonii), large four o’clock (Mirabilis multiflora), Fendler's penstemon (Penstemon fendleri), and globemallows (Sphaeralcea hastulata and S. wrightii). , Location: This site is located in the foothills of the Sierra Ladrones on the west side of the Sevilleta NWR. Red Tank is a man-made earthen drainage pool and is the location of Met Station 43. Research conducted at the site includes soil moisture and erosion studies related to the Sierra Ladrone watershed project.Vegetation: The woody vegetation in this stream bed includes juniper (Juniperus monosperma), Brickellia californica, Apache plume (Fallugia paradoxa). On the hills are Junipers and shrubs such as cane cholla (Opuntia imbricata), beargrass (Nolina microcarpa), and Oreganillo (Aloysia wrightii). The herbs in the washes include Lesquerella ovalifolia, and Mirabilis multiflora. The grasses found at this site include three-awn (Aristida sp.), fluff-grass Erioneuron pulchellum, and four species of grama grass (Bouteloua spp.). , siteid: 12Location: The Rio Salado is an ephemeral tributary of the Rio Grande on the west side of the Sevilleta NWR, flowing west by northwest to east by southeast. Rio Salado Grassland and Rio Salado Larrea are two study sites established in 1989. These sites were established as counterparts to sites at Five Points. Between 1989 and 1998, vegetation, litter decomposition, and ground dwelling arthropod and rodent populations were studied at both sites. Core studies at these sites were largely terminated in 1998, although rodent populations are still monitored at the Rio Salado Larrea site as the Small Mammal Exclosure Study's Larrea plots are co-located there. Rio Salado Grassland is the location of Met Station 44. The Rio Salado study sites are accessed by taking the San Acacia exit, going west and then taking the frontage road back north to the Sevilleta NWR gate. After entering the refuge turn left after 0.2 mi and take this road 1.4 mi to a "T" in the road at the power lines. An earthen berm stops road travel here and the met station is located about 300 m west on the blocked road. Vegetation: The Rio Salado Grassland site is Plains-Mesa Sand Scrub habitat characterized by stabilized deep-sand dominated by coppice dunes of honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa). Co-dominant shrubs are sand sagebrush (Artemesia filifolia) and fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens), with winterfat (Krascheninnikovia lanata), Mormon tea (Ephedra torreyana), broom indigobush (Psorothamnus scoparius), soapweed yucca (Yucca glauca), and broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae) as other notable shrubs. One-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma) is present as well, especially along shallow washes. Compared to the Black Grama Core Site, grass cover is sparse and dominated by poverty threeawn (Aristida divaricata), Indian ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymenoides), mesa and spike dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus and S. contractus), as well as patches of black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda). Notable forbs included spectaclepod (Dimorphocarpa wislizenii), tansy aster (Machaeranthera tanacetifolia), desert marigold (Baileya multiradiata), Abert buckwheat (Eriogonum abertianum), dwarf gilia (Ipomopsis pumila), rattlesnake weed (Chamaesyce albomarginata), blunt tansymustard (Descarania obtusa), plains hiddenflower (Cryptantha crassisepala), and Rocky Mountain zinnia (Zinnia grandiflora), siteid: 13
DOI
doi:10.6073/pasta/af6ebdc94ad7d6fac15e3394dd47e19f
Permanent URL
http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/af6ebdc94ad7d6fac15e3394dd47e19f
Recommended Citation
White, Carleton (2015): Soil Surface Dynamics in the Chihuahuan Desert at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1994- ). Long Term Ecological Research Network. http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/af6ebdc94ad7d6fac15e3394dd47e19f
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knb-lter-sev.65.189927-provenance.xml (3 kB)
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sev065_bridges_20150610.csv (714 kB)
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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/af6ebdc94ad7d6fac15e3394dd47e19f, and may be accessed at http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/af6ebdc94ad7d6fac15e3394dd47e19f. 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.