Luke Zachmann, Corey Moffet, and Peter Adler. 2010. Mapped quadrats in sagebrush steppe: long-term data for analyzing demographic rates and plant–plant interactions. Ecology 91:3427.
Abstract. This historical data set consists of 26 permanent 1-m2 quadrats located on sagebrush steppe in eastern Idaho, USA. During most growing seasons from 1923 to 1957, and again in 1973, all individual plants in each quadrat were identified and mapped. This combination of a long time-series with full spatial resolution allows analyses of demographic processes and intra- and interspecific interactions among individual plants. The data provide unique opportunities to test theory about the effect of environmental variation on population and community dynamics and to describe empirical relationships between climate variables and demographic rates. We provide the following data and data formats: (1) the digitized maps in shapefile format; (2) a tabular version of the entire data set (a table with no spatial information except an x,y coordinate for each individual plant record); (3) a species list, containing information on plant growth forms and shapefile geometry type; (4) a record of changes to species names; (5) quadrat information; (6) grazing treatment information; (7) an inventory of the years each quadrat was sampled; (8) monthly precipitation, temperature, and snowfall records; and (9) counts of annuals in the quadrats.
Key words: climate; demography; Geographic Information Systems (GIS); Idaho; plant community; plant population; sagebrush steppe; species interaction.
INTRODUCTION
The chart quadrat data described in this data paper is a mapped time-series that offers unparalleled opportunity for analyses of individual plant survival, growth, and mortality as a function of climate variability and species interactions. Chart quadrats are permanent 1-m2 quadrats in which all individual plants are identified and mapped using a pantograph (Hill 1920). Under Clements' (1907) influence, many range experiment stations across the western U.S. began mapping quadrats between the 1910's and the 1930's and continued annual censuses for decades. We previously published a chart quadrat data set from southern mixed-prairie in western Kansas (Adler et al. 2007). The data set described here, from sagebrush steppe in eastern Idaho, is the second data set of this kind to be published. This data set contains 26 quadrats mapped annually from 1923 to 1957, and again in 1973. Publications for the remaining data sets, from Chihuahuan desert (Wright and Van Dyne 1976), Sonoran desert (Canfield 1957), and northern mixed-prairie (Olson et al. 1985), are still in preparation. Taken together, these data sets represent some of the most widespread plant communities in the Western United States. Combining chart quadrat data from multiple sites may enable users to test ecological theory and describe patterns across species and ecosystems or environmental gradients.
Chart quadrat data are unique in several ways. First, the fine spatial resolution of the maps makes it possible to track the fates of individual plants, providing detailed demographic information that is rare for herbaceous plants (Lauenroth and Adler 2008). Such demographic information is often essential for understanding community and ecosystem patterns and will be important for predicting how plant populations and communities respond to climate change. Second, the maps enable analysis of spatial patterns and interactions among plants in local neighborhoods (e.g., Purves and Law 2002). Third, the long-term nature of the data can reveal temporal variability in demographic performance and spatial interactions. And finally, these data are available for all species in the community.
Chart quadrat data have a rich history in ecological research. The Idaho data set, for example, has been used to evaluate the effect of climate and grazing on range vegetation (Pechanec et al. 1937, Craddock and Forsling 1938, Blaisdell 1958). A second focus of chart quadrat analyses has been the survival of perennial plants (Canfield 1957, Wright and Van Dyne 1976, West et al. 1979). These survival analyses and subsequent re-analyses (Sarukhán and Harper 1973, Fair et al. 1999) contributed much to our current knowledge about the demography of herbaceous perennial plants (White 1985).
Contemporary chart quadrat analyses take advantage of Geographic Information Systems and modern statistical techniques. For example, we have automated analyses of the survival, life expectancies, and life spans of perennial grassland plants (Lauenroth and Adler 2008). Such demographic data can then be used to address additional research questions. We have used the Idaho data set to ask how climate variability influences coexistence (Adler et al. 2009), to identify the factors driving plant population dynamics (Dalgleish et al., in review; Zachmann et al., unpublished manuscript), and to test the importance of niche differences for coexistence (Adler et al., in press). In addition to this demographic research, chart quadrat data can be used to describe patterns of species diversity in space and time (Adler and Lauenroth 2003, Adler 2004, Adler and Levine 2007).
This data set contains the following data and data formats: (1) the digitized maps in shapefile format; (2) a tabular version of the entire data set (a table with no spatial information except an x,y coordinate for each individual plant record); (3) a species list, containing information on plant growth forms and shapefile geometry type; (4) a record of changes to species names; (5) quadrat information; (6) grazing treatment information; (7) an inventory of the years each quadrat was sampled; (8) monthly precipitation, temperature, and snowfall records; and (9) counts of annuals in the quadrats.
METADATA
CLASS I. DATA SET DESCRIPTORS
A. Data set identity: Mapped plant community time series, Dubois, ID, 1923–1957, 1973
B. Data set identification code: Not applicable (N/A)
C. Data set description
1. Principal Investigators:
Luke Zachmann, Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
Corey Moffet, Research Rangeland Scientist, U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Sheep Experiment Station, Dubois, ID 83423, USA
Peter Adler, Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
2. Abstract: This historical data set consists of 26 permanent 1-m2 quadrats located on sagebrush steppe in eastern Idaho, USA. During most growing seasons from 1923 to 1957, and again in 1973, all individual plants in each quadrat were identified and mapped. This combination of a long time-series with full spatial resolution allows analyses of demographic processes and intra- and interspecific interactions among individual plants. The data provide unique opportunities to test theory about the effect of environmental variation on population and community dynamics and to describe empirical relationships between climate variables and demographic rates. We provide the following data and data formats: (1) the digitized maps in shapefile format; (2) a tabular version of the entire data set (a table with no spatial information except an x,y coordinate for each individual plant record); (3) a species list, containing information on plant growth forms and shapefile geometry type; (4) a record of changes to species names; (5) quadrat information; (6) grazing treatment information; (7) an inventory of the years each quadrat was sampled; (8) monthly precipitation, temperature, and snowfall records; and (9) counts of annuals in the quadrats.
D. Key words: climate; demography; Geographic Information Systems (GIS); Idaho; plant community; plant population; Sagebrush steppe; species interaction.
CLASS II. RESEARCH ORIGIN DESCRIPTORS
A. Overall project description: We digitized the Idaho dataset as part of a National Science Foundation project to digitize, distribute, and analyze four historical chart quadrat data sets.
B. Specific subproject description
1. Site description: The U.S. Sheep Experiment Station is located on the upper Snake River plain at the foothills of the Centennial Mountains, approximately 10 kilometers north of Dubois, Idaho, USA. The station headquarters sits on 27,930 acres of ARS land at elevations ranging from roughly 1,650 to 1,800 meters. Permanent quadrats were established on station land in 1923.
a. Site type: N/A
b. Geography: The study site is located approximately 10 kilometers north of Dubois, ID (44.2° N, 112.2° W)
c. Habitat: Blaisdell (1958), Craddock and Forsling (1938), and Pechanec et al. (1937) describe the vegetation at the site. The vegetation type is sagebrush steppe, though the cover of vegetation is discontinuous with numerous patches of bare ground and exposed rock. The most conspicuous components of the vegetation where the quadrats are located are the shrubs, primarily threetip sagebrush (Artemisia tripartita), but also spineless horsebrush (Tetradymia canescens), antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), and yellow rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus). Beneath and between these shrubs are grasses, such as bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), needle and thread (Hesperostipa comata), Indian ricegrass (Achnatherum hymenoides), Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda), and other wheatgrass species (Elymus spp.), as well as forbs, such as arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata), tapertip hawksbeard (Crepis acuminata), tailcup lupine (Lupinus caudatus), and mountain dandelion (Agoseris taraxacifolia). The forbs are more diverse than the grasses, but their distribution on the landscape is much less uniform.
d. Geology: In relatively recent geologic time (during Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs), a lava flow covered the station range and surrounding territory, creating a flat to gently rolling surface (Craddock and Forsling 1938, Blaisdell 1958). The soil is a fine basaltic, sandy loam several centimeters to over a meter in depth with frequent exposed reefs of basalt (Pechanec et al. 1937, Craddock and Forsling 1938). These soils are relatively low in nitrogen and organic matter, but have undergone little leaching as a result of the low precipitation (Blaisdell 1958).
e. Watersheds/hydrology: There is an absence of surface water except where an intermittent stream crosses the northwest corner of the sheep station (Craddock and Forsling 1938).
f. Site history: Most of the quadrats (18 of 26 total) are located in small fenced areas in which grazing was excluded. The remaining 8 quadrats are located in one of five “paddocks.” The paddocks are located within a short distance of the station headquarters and are fairly similar with respect to plant cover, topography, and soil. Historically, a different system of grazing was applied to each paddock (Bork et al. 1998).
g. Climate: Mean annual precipitation is 325 mm and mean annual temperature is 6ºC. Craddock and Forsling (1938), as well as Blaisdell (1958), provide an excellent review of the climate at the site. Temperatures are generally favorable for plant growth from early April until late October. Somewhat less than half the precipitation falls as snow during the late fall and winter; rains are most common in spring and summer. During late spring, and especially through the summer months, rainless periods are common, during which the soil becomes thoroughly dried for weeks at a time.
2. Experimental or sampling design
a. Design characteristics: 26 permanent quadrats were located in both grazed and ungrazed units. The two grazed paddocks contain four quadrats each. The four ungrazed units contain a total of 18 quadrats (anywhere from 4 to 6 quadrats per exclosure).
b. Permanent plots: See quadrat information data file in IV.
c. Data collection: Quadrats were mapped annually from 1923 to 1957 and once again in 1973, with some exceptions (see the quadrat sampling schedule data file in IV). Quadrats were mapped late in the growing season each summer (generally between late May and early July, depending on the year).
3. Research Methods
a. Field / laboratory: The data were collected in the field using pantographs (Hill 1920), a mechanical device used to make scale drawings. The original paper maps were first scanned and then stored as TIFF image files. These images were then converted into shapefiles by heads-up digitization in ArcGIS. For a complete digitization protocol, contact Peter Adler. Monthly climate data was obtained from the National Climatic Data Center (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html).
b. Instrumentation: Pantographs, scanners, and computers running ArcGIS, Python, and R.
c. Taxonomy and systematics: Originally assigned plant names were corrected for synonyms based on the USDA Plants Database (http://plants.usda.gov/).
d. Permit history: N/A
e. Legal / organizational requirements: None.
CLASS III. DATA SET STATUS AND ACCESSIBILITY
A. Status
1. Latest Update: 11 November 2009.
2. Latest Archive date: 11 November 2009.
3. Metadata status: The metadata are complete and up to date.
4. Data verification: After the initial digitizing phase, all maps were checked for completeness and accuracy. In addition, time series of species abundances were generated to identify outlier maps. Luke Zachmann made the following changes to the original (digitized) GIS data set (stored shapefiles) between 2007 and 2008:
a) Shapefiles were rotated to have a consistent North–South vertical orientation;
b) Species names for large unlabeled or obviously mislabeled polygons were assigned based on species names assigned to the same features in previous or later years;
c) Shapefiles were processed using R and Python scripts to cut polygons and point features at the map borders and remove any small polygon “slivers” generated accidentally while digitizing;
d) Other miscellaneous corrections based on visual inspection of the shapefiles;
e) All species were then classified as either density- or cover-type features. All forbs, with the exception of Antennaria spp., show up as point features. Antennaria spp. at the sheep experimental station grow in basal rosettes, or patches, that are most conveniently mapped as polygons. All grasses are mapped as polygon features, with polygons representing basal cover (the portion of the plant in contact with the ground surface). Grasses mapped as points (usually single grass tillers) were an assigned arbitrary small cover of 0.25 cm2. All shrubs show up as both point and polygon features, with the polygons representing canopy (aerial) cover. Small, young shrubs without significant canopy cover were mapped in the field as point features, so they remain point-features in the shapefiles. Many of these larger shrubs have stems that are mapped as points features; we have linked these stem points to associated canopy polygons using a common identifier in the shapefile attribute table;
f) Plant names were corrected for synonyms based on the USDA PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov/). Some questionable, infrequent taxa were lumped into "spp." categories; and
g) x,y coordinates of each polygon centroid were added to shapefile attribute tables.
B. Accessibility
1. Storage location and medium: The data are available from the Ecological Society of America’s data archives. Duplicate copies of the data are being stored at Utah State University and on the Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB).
2. Contact person: Peter Adler, Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322 USA, peter.adler@usu.edu.
3. Copyright restrictions: None.
4. Proprietary restrictions: None, although we would like to hear how the data are being used (e.g., for what research questions or teaching exercises).
5. Costs: None.
CLASS IV. DATA STRUCTURAL DESCRIPTORS
SPATIAL DATA
A. Data Set File
1. Identity: shapefiles.zip
2. Size: 51,097,147 bytes.
3. Format and storage mode: Shapefiles compressed and submitted together in a zipped directory.
4. Header information: The fields within the attribute tables for each shapefile are described in the tabular data, see "Records of all individual plants mapped as points" and "Records of all individual plants mapped as polygons" for the density and cover shapefiles, respectively.
B. Variable information: This is a zipped directory, containing every individual shapefile for each year that each quadrat was mapped. File names reflect the quadrat (Q#), year (YY), and geometry (C or D) of each shapefile. C refers to "cover" (e.g., features mapped as polygons) while D refers to "density" (e.g., features mapped as points). So for example, “Q1_36_D.shp” is the point shapefile for year 36 in Quadrat 1. Each feature in these shapefiles has attributes that describe the individual, such as species name and location within the quadrat. The size of this zip file is 48.7 Mb.
RECORDS OF ALL INDIVIDUAL PLANTS MAPPED AS POINTS
A. Data Set File
1. Identity: allrecords_density.csv
2. Size: 40,837 records, 3,161,211 bytes.
3. Format and storage mode: ASCII text, comma separated. No compression scheme was used.
4. Header information: The first row of the file contains the variable names below.
B. Variable information
Variable name |
Variable definition |
Unit/Format |
Storage type |
Precision |
Variable codes and definitions |
quad |
Name of the quadrat |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
N/A |
year |
The year of the observation (just the last 2 digits). All observations are from the 1900's. |
YY |
Integer |
1 |
N/A |
OBJECTID |
Identification of each record (an individual point in a shapefile) within a given quadrat in a given year. If the value in the "stem" column of the table is "Y", the point is a stem for a shrub polygon in the cover shapefile for the same quadrat and year, and the OBJECTID for that record relates to the "stemID" in cover shapefiles and records. To avoid artificial duplication of records in analyses involving both density and cover data, most investigators will want to remove any records "stem" = "Y" from the data set before analysis. |
N/A |
Integer |
N/A |
N/A |
species |
Latin name of the plant species (genus, species) or other label ("unknown", for example). |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
N/A |
seedling |
Indicates whether an individual was mapped as a seedling by the original surveyors. |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
N – Age/stage of the individual is unknown Y – The individual is a seedling |
stem |
Indicates whether the individual is the stem of a shrub in the cover shapefiles. |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
N – The individual is not a stem for a shrub in the cover shapefile Y – The individual is a stem for a shrub in the cover shapefile |
x |
Location of the record in the East–West direction within the quadrat. |
m |
Fixed Point |
1.00E-015 |
N/A |
y |
Location of the record within the plot in the North–South direction. |
m |
Fixed Point |
1.00E-015 |
N/A |
RECORDS OF ALL INDIVIDUAL PLANTS MAPPED AS POLYGONS
A. Data Set File
1. Identity: allrecords_cover.csv
2. Size: 80,233 records, 7,425,597 bytes.
3. Format and storage mode: ASCII text, comma separated. No compression scheme was used.
4. Header information: The first row of the file contains the variable names below.
B. Variable information
Variable name |
Variable definition |
Unit/Format |
Storage type |
Precision |
Variable codes and definitions |
quad |
Name of the quadrat |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
N/A |
year |
The year of the observation (just the last 2 digits). All observations are from the 1900s. |
YY |
Integer |
1 |
N/A |
SP_ID |
Identification of each record (an individual polygon in a shapefile) within a given quadrat in a given year. |
N/A |
Integer |
N/A |
N/A |
species |
Latin name of the plant species (genus, species) or other label ("unknown", for example). |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
N/A |
area |
Area of individual polygons |
m2 |
Fixed Point |
1.00E-015 |
N/A |
stemID |
A non-null stemID indicates that a polygon (shrub) feature has a mapped stem in the density shapefile layer (D.shp) for the same quad and same year. The number in this field relates to the number in the "OBJECTID" field of the density shapefile for the same quadrat and year. |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
null – the polygon has no mapped stem non-null integer – see Variable definition |
x |
Location of the polygon centroid in the East–West direction within the quadrat |
m |
Fixed Point |
1.00E-015 |
N/A |
y |
Location of the polygon centroid within the plot in the North–South direction |
m |
Fixed Point |
1.00E-015 |
N/A |
QUADRAT INFORMATION
A. Data Set File
1. Identity: quad_info.csv
2. Size: 26 records, 593 bytes.
3. Format and storage mode: ASCII text, comma separated. No compression scheme was used.
4. Header information: The first row of the file contains the variable names below.
B. Variable information
Variable name |
Variable definition |
Unit/ Format |
Storage type |
Precision |
Variable codes and definitions |
quadrat |
Quadrat name |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
N/A |
shapefiles |
Quadrat name for shapefiles: shapefiles have naming restrictions which required abbreviated versions of the original quadrat names |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
N/A |
grazing |
Presence or absence of sheep grazing |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
No – No grazing (quadrat is located inside livestock exclosure) Yes – Grazing (quadrat is located outside livestock exclosure) |
paddock |
Paddock in which the quadrat is located (from Bork et al. 1998) |
N/A |
Integer |
N/A |
N/A |
GRAZING INFORMATION
A. Data Set File
1. Identity: grazing_info.csv
2. Size: 25 records, 850 bytes.
3. Format and storage mode: ASCII text, comma separated. No compression scheme was used.
4. Header information: The first row of the file contains the variable names below.
B. Variable information
Variable name |
Variable definition |
Unit/ Format |
Storage type |
Precision |
Variable codes and definitions |
paddock |
Paddock in which the quadrat is located (from Bork et al. 1998), relates to the “paddock” field in the quadrat information data file |
N/A |
Integer |
N/A |
N/A |
yearRange |
All observations are from the 1900's. |
YY – YY |
Integer |
1 |
N/A |
timing |
Seasonal grazing treatments |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
Spring – spring-grazed Fall – fall-grazed Spring and Fall – spring- and fall-grazed Exclosure – exclosed |
springRates |
Approximate average spring stocking rates |
Sheep-Days per Acre |
Floating Point |
0.1 |
N/A |
fallRates |
Approximate average fall stocking rates |
Sheep-Days per Acre |
Floating Point |
0.1 |
N/A |
QUADRAT SAMPLING SCHEDULE
A. Data Set File
1. Identity: quad_inventory.csv
2. Size: 29 records, 2957 bytes.
3. Format and storage mode: ASCII text, comma separated. No compression scheme was used.
4. Header information: The first row of the file contains the variable names below.
B. Variable information
Variable name(s) |
Variable definition |
Unit/ Format |
Storage type |
Precision |
Variable codes and definitions |
year |
The year of the observation (just the last 2 digits). All observations are from the 1900's. |
YY |
Integer |
1 |
N/A |
[quadrat name] (Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. See Quadrat Information data file for complete list) |
Year values (YY) indicate that the named quadrat was sampled that year. NAs indicate the year specified by the "year" column was not sampled for the named quadrat. |
YY |
Integer |
1 |
See Variable definition |
SPECIES LIST
A. Data Set File
1. Identity: species_list.csv
2. Size: 97 records, 3,686 bytes.
3. Format and storage mode: ASCII text, comma separated. No compression scheme was used.
4. Header information: The first row of the file contains the variable names below.
B. Variable information
Variable name |
Variable definition |
Unit/Format |
Storage type |
Precision |
Variable codes and definitions |
species |
Latin name of a plant species (genus, species), and miscellaneous "unknown" labels |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
N/A |
density |
The total number of records of each species in the dataset (all quadrats and all years) mapped as points. These individuals can be found in shapefiles with file names ending "D.shp." An "NA" entry in "density" for a species indicates that it shows up only as cover-type features in cover shapefiles, which have file names ending "C.shp." Some shrub species are represented in both density and cover shapefiles. |
N/A |
Integer |
1 |
See Variable definition |
cover |
The total number of records of each species in the dataset (all quadrats and all years) mapped as polygons. These individuals can be found in shapefiles with file names ending "C.shp." An "NA" entry in "cover" for a species indicates that it shows up only as density in density-type features shapefiles, which have file names ending "D.shp." |
N/A |
Integer |
1 |
See Variable definition |
growthForm |
Classification of species by growth form. Information about species growth form was taken from the USDA PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov/). |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
forb – Perennial forbs (non-graminoid herbaceous plants) grass – Perennial graminoid shrub – Woody perennial plants unknown – unknown growth form lichen – lichen moss – moss |
TAXONOMIC GROUPING DECISIONS
A. Data Set File
1. Identity: taxonomic_grouping.csv
2. Size: 26 records, 2,757 bytes.
3. Format and storage mode: ASCII text, comma separated. No compression scheme was used.
4. Header information: The first row of the file contains the variable names below.
B. Variable information
Variable name |
Variable definition |
Unit/Format |
Storage type |
Precision |
Variable codes and definitions |
TaxonomicGroup |
Reassigned Latin name of a plant species (genus, species), and miscellaneous "unknown" labels |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
N/A |
OriginalTaxa |
The original, mapped name of a plant species, typically the scientific name, but occasionally the common name |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
N/A |
Justification |
Notes that document or explain decisions to change species designations |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
N/A |
MONTHLY TEMPERATURES
A. Data Set File
1. Identity: monthly_mean_temp.csv
2. Size: 83 records, 5,800 bytes.
3. Format and storage mode: ASCII text, comma separated. No compression scheme was used.
4. Header information: The first row of the file contains the variable names below.
B. Variable information
Variable name(s) |
Variable definition |
Unit/ Format |
Storage type |
Precision |
Variable codes and definitions |
YEAR |
Calendar year in which the temperatures were recorded |
YYYY |
Integer |
N/A |
N/A |
JAN, FEB, MAR, APR, MAY, JUN, JUL, AUG, SEP, OCT, NOV, DEC |
Mean monthly temperature for that month, respectively |
Fahrenheit |
Floating Point |
0.01 |
N/A |
MONTHLY PRECIPITATION
A. Data Set File
1. Identity: total_monthly_ppt.csv
2. Size: 83 records, 5,410 bytes.
3. Format and storage mode: ASCII text, comma separated. No compression scheme was used.
4. Header information: The first row of the file contains the variable names below.
B. Variable information
Variable name(s) |
Variable definition |
Unit/ Format |
Storage type |
Precision |
Variable codes and definitions |
YEAR |
Calendar year in which the precipitation measurements were recorded |
YYYY |
Integer |
N/A |
N/A |
JAN, FEB, MAR, APR, MAY, JUN, JUL, AUG, SEP, OCT, NOV, DEC |
Total precipitation for that month, respectively |
inch |
Floating Point |
0.01 |
N/A |
MONTHLY SNOWFALL
A. Data Set File
1. Identity: total_monthly_sno.csv
2. Size: 84 records, 4,199 bytes.
3. Format and storage mode: ASCII text, comma separated. No compression scheme was used.
4. Header information: The first row of the file contains the variable names below.
B. Variable information
Variable name(s) |
Variable definition |
Unit/ Format |
Storage type |
Precision |
Variable codes and definitions |
YEAR |
Calendar year in which the snowfall measurements were recorded |
YYYY |
Integer |
N/A |
N/A |
JAN, FEB, MAR, APR, MAY, JUN, JUL, AUG, SEP, OCT, NOV, DEC |
Total precipitation for that month, respectively |
inch |
Floating Point |
0.1 |
N/A |
COUNTS OF ANNUALS
A. Data Set File
1. Identity: annuals_counts_v3.csv
2. Size: 1361 records, 48,259 bytes.
3. Format and storage mode: ASCII text, comma separated. No compression scheme was used.
4. Header information: The first row of the file contains the variable names below.
B. Variable information
Variable name |
Variable definitions |
Unit/ Format |
Storage type |
Precision |
Variable codes and definitions |
quad |
Name of the quadrat |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
N/A |
year |
The year of the observation (just the last 2 digits) |
YY |
Integer |
1 |
N/A |
species |
Latin name of the plant species (genus, species) or other label ("unknown", for example) |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
N/A |
count |
Number of individuals of each species in a given quadrat and year |
individuals per m2 |
Integer |
1 |
N/A |
notes |
Notes made by map surveyors in map margins |
N/A |
Character |
N/A |
2 X 50% cruise – Number of individuals of a species estimated by surveying only half of the quadrat 5 X 20% cruise – Number of individuals of a species estimated by surveying only one-fifth of the quadrat |
CLASS V. SUPPLEMENTAL DESCRIPTORS
A. Data acquisition
1. Data forms: N/A
2. Location of completed data forms: The original chart quadrat data sheets are archived at the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station.
3. Data entry verification procedures: See II.3.
B. Quality assurance/quality control procedures: The procedures described above (II.3) ensured accurate transfer of information from the original to the digital maps and correction of some errors introduced at the original mapping stage. Nevertheless, future users must become familiar enough with the raw data provided here to determine whether or not it is appropriate for their particular research question.
C. Related materials: Zip files containing the scanned images of the original maps (TIFF format, *.tif) may be found at the Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity: http://knb.ecoinformatics.org/index.jsp/.
D. Computer programs and data processing algorithms: N/A
E. Archiving
1. Archival Procedures: Data files and associated metadata have been archived on the Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB). The current link for the metadata is (http://knb.ecoinformatics.org/knb/metacat?action=read&qformat=knb&sessionid=8BF741E0A743813407453AF34173CA30&docid=lzachmann.6.36). Data files may also be retrieved from this site.
2. Redundant Archival Sites: Data on the KNB is automatically replicated onto the Long-Term Ecological Research Network site (http://metacat.lternet.edu/knb/index.jsp).
F. Publications and results: subset the literature cited
G. History of data set usage
1. Data request history: N/A
2. Data set update history: N/A
3. Review history: N/A
4. Questions and comments from secondary users: N/A
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank Sarah Sampson, Anthony Frenzel, Daniel Anaya, Isaac Ashby, Spencer Allred, Zac Covington, Lisa Barnes, and Mindi Lundberg for their help in the lab painstakingly digitizing data. Digital archiving of the chart quadrat data was made possible by the support of the National Science Foundation (grant DEB-0614068) and start-up funds provided to Peter Adler by the Utah State University Ecology Center.
LITERATURE CITED
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