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1. Core Site Phenology Study from the Chihuahaun Desert Grassland and Shrubland at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico

   https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/ceb693495ef57b8b1ba075ca1ee0f7ed  

   Wright, Karen; McLellan, Jade (January 2023, Environmental Data Initiative)

   Plant phenology or life-history patterns change seasonally as plants grow, mature, flower, and produce fruit and seed. Plant phenology follows seasonal patterns, yet variation may occur due to annual differences in the timing of rainfall and ambient temperature shifts. Foliage growth, flower, fruit, and seed production are important aspects of plant population dynamics and food resource availability for animals. The purpose of this study is to assess phenological patterns of plants across a series of biotic communities that represent an environmental moisture gradient. These communities all in the Chihuahuan Desert include: creosote bush shrubland, black grama grassland, and blue grama grassland. Plant phenology is recorded for all plant species across 4 replicate 200 m transects at each of the 3 habitat sites. Plant phenology measurements are taken once every month from February through October. The first ten individuals (or ten representative individuals) of each plant species encountered along each transect are assessed for life-history status. Data from the site P and J were only collected in 2000 and 2001 and are included in this data set. 

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2. Core Site Grid Quadrat Data for the Net Primary Production Study at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico

   https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/1f8b7af36b6ad51f36f5f4ab9f899a42  

   Baur, Lauren; Collins, Scott; Muldavin, Esteban; Rudgers, Jennifer A; Pockman, William T. (January 2021, Environmental Data Initiative)

   {"Abstract":["Begun in spring 2013, this project is part of a long-term study at\n the Sevilleta LTER measuring net primary production (NPP) across\n three distinct ecosystems: creosote-dominant shrubland (Site C),\n black grama-dominant grassland (Site G), and blue grama-dominant\n grassland (Site B). Net primary production is a fundamental\n ecological variable that quantifies rates of carbon consumption and\n fixation. Estimates of NPP are important in understanding energy\n flow at a community level as well as spatial and temporal responses\n to a range of ecological processes. Above-ground net primary\n production is the change in plant biomass, represented by stems,\n flowers, fruit and foliage, over time and incorporates growth as\n well as loss to death and decomposition. To measure this change the\n vegetation variables in this dataset, including species composition\n and the cover and height of individuals, are sampled twice yearly\n (spring and fall) at permanent 1m x 1m plots within each site. A\n third sampling at Site C is performed in the winter. The data from\n these plots is used to build regressions correlating biomass and\n volume via weights of select harvested species obtained in SEV999,\n "Net Primary Productivity (NPP) Weight Data." This biomass\n data is included in SEV999, "Seasonal Biomass and Seasonal and\n Annual NPP for Core Grid Research Sites.""]} 

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3. Pinon-Juniper (Core Site) Quadrat Data for the Net Primary Production Study at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico

   https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/97e478b38a0e114c58e370e4cefa6f47  

   Baur, Lauren; Collins, Scott; Muldavin, Esteban; Rudgers, Jennifer A; Pockman, William T. (January 2021, Environmental Data Initiative)

   {"Abstract":["This dataset contains pinon-juniper woodland quadrat data and is\n part of a long-term study at the Sevilleta LTER measuring net\n primary production (NPP) across four distinct ecosystems:\n creosote-dominant shrubland (Site C, est. winter 1999), black\n grama-dominant grassland (Site G, est. winter 1999), blue\n grama-dominant grassland (Site B, est. winter 2002), and\n pinon-juniper woodland (Site P, est. winter 2003). Net primary\n production is a fundamental ecological variable that quantifies\n rates of carbon consumption and fixation. Estimates of NPP are\n important in understanding energy flow at a community level as well\n as spatial and temporal responses to a range of ecological\n processes. Above-ground net primary production is the change in\n plant biomass, represented by stems, flowers, fruit and and foliage,\n over time and incorporates growth as well as loss to death and\n decomposition. To measure this change the vegetation variables in\n this dataset, including species composition and the cover and height\n of individuals, are sampled twice yearly (spring and fall) at\n permanent 1m x 1m plots within each site. A third sampling at Site C\n is performed in the winter. The data from these plots is used to\n build regressions correlating biomass and volume via weights of\n select harvested species obtained in SEV157, "Net Primary\n Productivity (NPP) Weight Data." This biomass data is included\n in SEV182, "Seasonal Biomass and Seasonal and Annual NPP for\n Core Research Sites.""]} 

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4. Pinon-Juniper (Core Site) Seasonal Biomass and Seasonal and Annual NPP Data for the Net Primary Production Study at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico

   https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/61b45622d7d453195052a409d14b7c45  

   Baur, Lauren; Collins, Scott; Muldavin, Esteban; Rudgers, Jennifer A; Pockman, William T. (January 2021, Environmental Data Initiative)

   {"Abstract":["This dataset contains pinon-juniper woodland biomass data and is\n part of a long-term study at the Sevilleta LTER measuring net\n primary production (NPP) across four distinct ecosystems:\n creosote-dominant shrubland (Site C, est. winter 1999), black\n grama-dominant grassland (Site G, est. winter 1999), blue\n grama-dominant grassland (Site B, est. winter 2002), and\n pinon-juniper woodland (Site P, est. winter 2003). Net primary\n production is a fundamental ecological variable that quantifies\n rates of carbon consumption and fixation. Estimates of NPP are\n important in understanding energy flow at a community level as well\n as spatial and temporal responses to a range of ecological\n processes. Above-ground net primary production is the change in\n plant biomass, represented by stems, flowers, fruit and and foliage,\n over time and incoporates growth as well as loss to death and\n decomposition. To measure this change the vegetation variables in\n this dataset, including species composition and the cover and height\n of individuals, are sampled twice yearly (spring and fall) at\n permanent 1m x 1m plots within each site. A third sampling at Site C\n is performed in the winter. Volumetric measurements are made using\n vegetation data from permanent plots (SEV278, "Pinon-Juniper\n (Core Site) Quadrat Data for the Net Primary Production Study")\n and regressions correlating species biomass and volume constructed\n using seasonal harvest weights from SEV157, "Net Primary\n Productivity (NPP) Weight Data.""]} 

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5. Rates of premature fruit drop for 201 plant species on Barro Colorado Island, Panama

   https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.4mw6m909j  

   Calderón, Osvaldo; Wright, S Joseph; Gripenberg, Sofia; Jackson, Eleanor E (January 2022, Dryad)

   Pre-dispersal seed mortality caused by premature fruit drop is a potentially important source of plant mortality, but one which has rarely been studied in the context of tropical forest plants. Of particular interest is premature fruit drop triggered by enemies, which – if density-dependent – could contribute to species co-existence in tropical forest plant communities.  We used a long-term (31 year) dataset on seed and fruit fall obtained through weekly collections from a network of seed traps in a lowland tropical forest (Barro Colorado Island, Panama) to estimate the proportion of seeds prematurely abscised for 201 woody plant species. To determine whether enemy attack might contribute to premature fruit drop we tested whether plant species abscise more of their fruit prematurely if they: (1) have attributes hypothesised to be associated with high levels of enemy attack, and (2) are known to be attacked by one enemy-group (insect seed predators). We also tested (3) whether mean rates of premature fruit drop for plant species are phylogenetically conserved. Overall rates of premature fruit drop were high in the plant community. Across all species, 39% of seeds were abscised before completing their development. Rates of premature seed abscission varied considerably among species and could not be explained by phylogeny. Premature seed abscission rates were higher in species which are known to host pre-dispersal insect seed predators and species with attributes that were hypothesised to make them more susceptible to attack by pre-dispersal enemies, namely species which (1) have larger seeds, (2) have a greater average height, (3) have temporally predictable fruiting patterns, and (4) are more abundant at the study site. Synthesis. Premature fruit drop is likely to be a major source of seed mortality for many plant species on Barro Colorado Island. It is plausible that pre-dispersal seed enemies, such as insect seed predators, contribute to community-level patterns of premature fruit drop and have the potential to mediate species co-existence through stabilising negative density dependence. Our study suggests that the role of pre-dispersal enemies in structuring tropical plant communities should be considered alongside the more commonly studied post-dispersal seed and seedling enemies. 

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