+------------------------------------------------------------------+ | JORNADA LTER | | New Mexico State University | | Data Set Documentation Form | +------------------------------------------------------------------+ All Jornada Desert Site NSF/LTER data sets must be documented on the following form. This applies to any data set intended for permanent archiving. All raw data sets collected under the auspices of the Jornada NSF/LTER Program will be described by the following standardized form. Information that is not available at this time, must be included when available. See data manager for any questions regarding this form. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Data set access (RESTRICTED or UNRESTRICTED): --------------------------------------------- UNRESTRICTED 2) Data set title: --------------- Rabbit browse total nitrogen 3) Project title: -------------- Transect Rabbit Herbage Wastage 4) Responsible investigator(s): ---------------------------- W.G. Whitford 5) Date data collection commenced (mm/dd/yyyy): -------------------------------------------- 11/11/1986 6) Date data collection terminated (mm/dd/yyyy or ONGOING): -------------------------------------------------------- 05/28/1987 7) Expected duration of study: --------------------------- 2 years 8) Frequency of measurement: ------------------------- monthly 9) Researchers: (Personnel who will be obtaining data and who would need to be contacted directly if there is a problem in the raw data): ---------------------------------------------------------------- J. Anderson 10) Methods of recording (field data sheets, instrumental, etc.): ---------------------------------------------------------------- data book (titled "Herbage Wastage") 11) Site location (Describe in sufficient detail that the site can be relocated): ---------------------------------------------------------------- In the spring of 1982, as part of the establishment of the Jornada Long-Term Ecological Research site in southern New Mexico, a 135 ha portion of a 1500 ha, internally drained, watershed was exclosed from grazing by domestic livestock. Prior to exclosure the watershed, as well as the rest of the Jornada basin, had been moderately to heavily grazed for the past 100 years. Concurrent with grazing, the vegetation had undergone a dramatic change from desert grassland, with an almost continuous cover of C4 perennial grasses, to isolated patches of the original grassland in a mosaic with desert shrub dominated plant communities (Buffington and Herbel, 1965). The exclosure lies along a northeast facing piedmont slope at the base of a steep isolated mountain peak, and covers a variety of component landforms from the foot of the mountain to the basin floor. The northeast side of the exclosure is immediately upslope of the College Playa located near the NMSU College Ranch. Three parallel transects (2.7 km in length) run from the middle of the College Playa up into the foot of Mt. Summerford. The Control transect is to the west, the Treatment transect on the east side of the Control transect, and the Alternate Control to the east of the Treatment transect. Each transect is 30 meters wide with a 45 meter buffer zone between each transect. The Treatment transect was treated annually until 1987 with NHNO3 in a concentration equal to 10g N/m2. The station markers at 30 meter intervals along each transect. LTER-I Control and Treatment transect, around C62 and T61 (creosotebush zone), and around C48 and T46 (upper basin slope). Three paired 5x5 meter plots were established approximately halfway between transect stations and approximately 5m from transect walkway on both the treatment and control transects in upper basin and creosotebush zones. Each pair of plots consists of a control and treatment. The control is closest to the transect walkway. The control is marked with wood stakes at plot corners. The treatment abuts the control and is fenced with aluminum window screening approximately 3" high. An additional inch on the bottom is folded inward and pegged to ground with "60 common" nails every 20cm to prevent rabbit pellets from rolling out of plots. 12" 1x2 wood stakes are placed every meter with the aluminum mesh stapled to them. 8" long 3/8" diameter rebar are placed between stakes to maintain an inward angle on screen to prevent rabbit pellets from rolling over the top during high winds. 12) Data set description (State the hypothesis and / or objectives which collection of data set addresses): ---------------------------------------------------------------- Rabbit browse (clippings) were collected from 24 5x5m plots at approximately 1 month intervals. Dry weight by date and plot was recorded. Plant material collected was subsampled and analyzed for Total N. Plots are located along LTER-I Control and Treatment transects in creosotebush (around station C62 and T61) and upper basin slope (around station C48 and T46). (See site description.) 13) Attributes measured: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Variable name: blank Number of columns between fields CCCCCCCC See attribute description Format: C = character (C3: Three characters [XXX]) I = integer (I2: Integer with two places [##]) F = floating point (F4.2: Total places with decimal point = 4, with 2 decimal places. [#.##]) Variable code: * See attribute description listing See external listing of variable codes N/A = Not applicable VARIABLE MEASURED VARIABLE NAME FORMAT UNITS CODE ATTRIBUTE DESCRIPTION -------- -------- -------- -------- ------------------------- mmddyy I6 N/A N/A Date (mmddyy) plot C3-I1 N/A * plot i.d. spp C4 N/A CRPO Species = Croton potsii LATR = Larrea tridentata EPTR = Ephedra trifurca XAMI = Xanthocephalum microcepalum DEPI = Descurania pinnata CHST = Chaenactis stevioides PRGL = Prosposis glandulosa 1 dig F5.2 mg/g N/A total nitrogen - 1st digestion 2 dig F5.2 mg/g N/A total nitrogen - 2nd digestion *Plot coding is as follows: UCC-1,2,3 CCC-1,2,3 UCT-1,2,3 CCT-1,2,3 UTC-1,2,3 CTC-1,2,3 UTT-1,2,3 CTT-1,2,3 where: XXX-# ||||__ plot #: 1, 2, or 3 |||____ control or treatment plot: C = control || T = Treatment, mesh wire ||_____ control or treatment transect: C = control | T = Treament, fertilized |______ upper basin or creosotebush zone: U or C 14) Missing or questionable values (describe how these are represented in the data set): ---------------------------------------------------------------- Missing values represented by "NA" 15) Methodology (Provide sufficient detail such that an unaware reader could repeat the described data collection procedures.) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Initial collection consists of picking up both new and old rabbit cuttings from control and treatment plots and then sweeping plots to collect rabbit pellets. Clippings were placed in paper bags and rabbit pellet sweepings in large plastic garbage bags labeled with plot number and returned to Biology Annex for later processing. 2. Plots will be sampled monthly. Clippings and pellets will be picked up by hand. (The initial idea of vacuuming with CarVac didn't work.) 3. Clippings will be sorted by species, oven-dried at 50C, weighed, and subsampled for Total N analysis. 4. Rabbit pellets will be oven-dried, weighed, and subsampled for Total N analysis. 5. Subsample is ground in Wiley mill sufficient to pass through a #40 mesh. Nitrogen analysis is by Kjeldahl digestion. Each subsample is digested twice. 16) Key literature (Citations that describe sampling procedures, [reference of a published paper, thesis, etc.]): ---------------------------------------------------------------- Bremmer, J.M. and C.S. Mulvaney. 1982. Nitrogen--total. Pages 595-624 in A.L. Page, R.H. Miller, and D.R. Keeney, editors. Methods of soil analysis. Part 2. Chemical and microbiological properties. Second edition. American Society of Agronomy. Soil Science Society of America. Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Keeney, D.R. and D.W. Nelson. 1982. Nitrogen--inorganic forms. Pages 643-698 in A.L. Page, R.H. Miller, and D.R. Keeney, editors. Methods of soil analysis. Part 2. Chemical and microbiological properties. Second edition. American Society of Agronomy. Soil Science Society of America. Madison, Wisconsin, USA. 17) Keywords (keywords that describe data set; maximum of 10): ---------------------------------------------------------------- rabbit browse, nitrogen, transect 18) Treatment of data: (List any programs used in analysis of the data): [Note: Programs should be appended and stored with this form.] ---------------------------------------------------------------- 19) Associated computer accounts: ---------------------------------------------------------------- 20) Files associated with this data set: ---------------------------------------------------------------- A) Metadata files FILE NAME DESCRIPTION OF FILES ------------ ----------------------------------------------- TRANRABB.PRJ Project documentation HWBROWTN.DSD Data documentation ------------ ----------------------------------------------- B) Data files FILE NAME DESCRIPTION OF FILES ------------ ----------------------------------------------- HWBROWTN.DAT Rabbit Browse Total Nitrogen Data (ASCII) ------------ ----------------------------------------------- C) Data entry, verification, and analysis files FILE NAME DESCRIPTION OF FILES ------------ ----------------------------------------------- BROWTOTN.SAS SAS Analysis File (SAS) RABBIT.EXE Data Entry Application (FORTRAN) RABBIT.FOR Data Entry Program Text File (ASCII) RABBIT.OBJ Data Entry File (DOS) ------------ ----------------------------------------------- D) Other (Any other related files.) FILE NAME DESCRIPTION OF FILES ------------ ----------------------------------------------- BROWTNAV.DAT Rabbit Browse Total Nitrogen Averages (ASCII) HWBROWSE.DSD Rabbit Browsed Plant Biomass Documentation HWBROWSE.DAT Rabbit Browsed Plant Biomass Data (ASCII) HWBROWTN.WS Old documentation form (ASCII) ------------ ----------------------------------------------- 21) Comments (Include any comments here that more fully describe this data set): ---------------------------------------------------------------- Data book located with LTER site manager. Plot ID variable description in original documentation is incorrect. Note: 1st collection collected from 11/11/86 - 12/4/86. 2nd collection (1/30/87, 1/31/87, & 2/3/87) is for 2 months of pellets. All collections beginning 2/28/87 collected on same day. Last collection of current study made 1/3/89 as per WGW on 1/1/89. 22) Data set documentation history log: ---------------------------------------------------------------- Data set title - Rabbit Browse Total Nitrogen Data set file name - HWBROWTN.DSD ---------------------------------------------------------------- mm/dd/yyyy - Date of Comment Int - Initials of person making Comment JPA = John P. Anderson MAB = Michelle A. Buonopane Changes/Updates - List any changes made to document mm/dd/yyyy Int Changes/Updates ---------- --- ----------------------------------------------- 11/25/2002 MAB Updated to current form. 03/04/2003 JPA Corrected spellings. 05/12/2003 JPA 10 data records added to BROWTN.DAT from BROWTNAV that were not in file. Reason unknown. ------------------------------------------------------------------- END OF DATA SET FILE -------------------------------------------------------------------