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ARS Home » Plains Area » Mandan, North Dakota » Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #405412
Research Project: Sustainable Agricultural Systems for the Northern Great Plains

Location: Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory

Title: NGRPL modified Whittaker dataset submission to Ag Data Commons

Author
item Toledo, David
item Sanderson, Matt
item Johnson, Holly

Submitted to: Ag Data Commons
Publication Type: Database / Dataset
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/30/2023
Publication Date: 5/30/2023
Citation: Toledo, D.N., Sanderson, M.A., Johnson, H.A. 2023. NGRPL modified Whittaker dataset submission to Ag Data Commons. Ag Data Commons. 1.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Dataset include modified Whittaker plant biodiversity data and percent canopy cover values for pastures at the USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory. Ancillary data include GPS coordinates, ecological sites, soil lab analyses, and soil texture. In 2011, 33 Modified Whittaker plots were measured at USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory (NGPRL). Soil chemistry analysis was performed by Ward labs. In 2012, 12 plots at NGPRL and soil chemistry analysis was performed by Ward labs. At each site a multiscale plot sampling approach with plot sizes of 1, 10, 100, and 1000 m2 (the modified Whittaker plot technique; Stohlgren et al., 1995; Stohlgren, 2007; Tracy and Sanderson, 2000; Goslee and Sanderson, 2010; Figure 3) was used to quantify plant species cover, richness, and pattern diversity. Plots were georeferenced. All species present within a 20 by 50 m area were recorded, and percentage canopy visually estimated within ten 1 m2 quadrats (2 by 0.5 m) distributed in the larger plot. Species richness was also recorded in subplots of two intermediate sizes (2 by 5 m and 5 by 20 m) at the entire 1000 m2 plot. We focused on species abundance from the 1 m2 quadrats, and species richness at the 1 m2 and 1000 m2 scales.