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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Range Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #382210
Research Project: Science and Technologies for the Sustainable Management of Western Rangeland Systems

Location: Range Management Research

Title: Quadrat-based monitoring of desert grassland vegetation at the Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico, 1915-2016

Author
item Christensen, Erica
item James, Darren
item Slaughter, Amalia - Amy
item MAXWELL, CONNIE - New Mexico State University
item ADLER, PETER - Utah State University
item Havstad, Kris
item Bestelmeyer, Brandon

Submitted to: Ecology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/22/2021
Publication Date: 9/8/2021
Citation: Christensen, E.M., James, D.K., Slaughter, A.L., Maxwell, C., Adler, P., Havstad, K.M., Bestelmeyer, B.T. 2021. Quadrat-based monitoring of desert grassland vegetation at the Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico, 1915-2016. Ecology. 102(125).Article e03530. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3530.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3530

Interpretive Summary: This submission is a data paper, consisting of a data set with detailed metadata documentation. The documentation includes methods of data collection, data processing, history of the data collection project, and a description of projects for which the data has been used in the past. Although this is not a traditional journal manuscript sumbission, it is still peer-reviewed to ensure the documentation is complete and understandable.

Technical Abstract: The data set covers a 101-year period (1915-2016) of quadrat-based plant sampling at the Jornada Experimental Range in southern New Mexico. At each sampling event, a pantograph was used to record the location and perimeter of living plants within permanent quadrats. Basal area was recorded for perennial grass species, canopy cover area was recorded for shrub species, and all other perennial species were recorded as point data. The data set includes 122 1m by 1m permanent quadrats, although not all quadrats were sampled in each year of the study and there is a gap in monitoring from 1980-1995. These data provide a unique opportunity to investigate changes in the plant community over 100 years of variation in precipitation and other environmental conditions. We provide the following data and data formats: (1) the digitized maps in shapefile format; (2) data table containing coordinates (x,y) of perennial species within quadrats, including cover area for grasses and shrubs; (3) data table of counts of annual plant individuals per quadrat; (4) species list indicating growth form and habit of recorded species; (5) table of dates when each quadrat was sampled; (6) table of the pasture each quadrat was located within (note that pasture boundaries have changed over time). Pantograph sampling is currently conducted at 5 year intervals by USDA-ARS staff, and new data will be added periodically.