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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/712349635D3E0CCEFF60B4D8F1F6C67B  

   Wright, Karen (January 2021, 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. The individual and combined effects of snowmelt timing and frost exposure on the reproductive success of montane forbs

   https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13152  

   Pardee, Gabriella L.; Jensen, Isaac O.; Inouye, David W.; Irwin, Rebecca E.; Satake, ed., Akiko (March 2019, Journal of Ecology)

   Abstract Changes from historic weather patterns have affected the phenology of many organisms world‐wide. Altered phenology can introduce organisms to novel abiotic conditions during growth and modify species interactions, both of which could drive changes in reproduction.We explored how climate change can alter plant reproduction using an experiment in which we manipulated the individual and combined effects of snowmelt timing and frost exposure, and measured subsequent effects on flowering phenology, peak flower density, frost damage, pollinator visitation and reproduction of four subalpine wildflowers. Additionally, we conducted a pollen‐supplementation experiment to test whether the plants in our snowmelt and frost treatments were pollen limited for reproduction. The four plants included species flowering in early spring to mid‐summer.The phenology of all four species was significantly advanced, and the bloom duration was longer in the plots from which we removed snow, but with species‐specific responses to snow removal and frost exposure in terms of frost damage, flower production, pollinator visitation and reproduction. The two early blooming species showed significant signs of frost damage in both early snowmelt and frost treatments, which negatively impacted reproduction for one of the species. Further, we recorded fewer pollinators during flowering for the earliest‐blooming species in the snow removal plots. We also found lower fruit and seed set for the early blooming species in the snow removal treatment, which could be attributed to the plants growing under unfavourable abiotic conditions. However, the later‐blooming species escaped frost damage even in the plots where snow was removed, and experienced increased pollinator visitation and reproduction.Synthesis.This study provides insight into how plant communities could become altered due to changes in abiotic conditions, and some of the mechanisms involved. While early blooming species may be at a disadvantage under climate change, species that bloom later in the season may benefit from early snowmelt, suggesting that climate change has the potential to reshape flowering communities. 

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4. 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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5. 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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