NEON Prototype data: Vegetation characterization data from multiple sites, 2012-2013

In advance of initiating sampling at each NEON site, surveys of plant presence, abundance and biomass were conducted in the Tower airshed. The data collected were used to 1) test measurement protocols, 2) evaluate effect of plot size biomass estimates, 3) generate initial species lists, and 4) select species for plant phenology observation. Data were collected by an external contractor, within temporary plots, some of which were later established for sampling in operations. Tree data for SCBI are not presented here; for characterization purposes, NEON utilized existing data from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) Large Forest Dynamics Plot (Bourg, N. A., W. J. McShea, J. R. Thompson, J. C. McGarvey, and X. Shen. 2013. Initial census, woody seedling, seed rain, and stand structure data for the SCBI SIGEO Large Forest Dynamics Plot. Ecology 94:2111–2112. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/13-0010.1). See NEON site characterization reports for more information about these datasets.

在每个全国生态观测网络（National Ecological Observatory Network，简称NEON）站点启动采样工作前，研究人员已在通量塔气域内开展了植物存在状况、种群丰度与生物量的调查。所采集的数据被用于四项研究目标：1）验证测量规程；2）评估样地大小对生物量估算的影响；3）生成初始物种名录；4）筛选用于植物物候观测的目标物种。本数据集由外部承包商在临时样地内采集，其中部分临时样地后续被设立为正式采样作业样地。

本文未呈现史密森尼保护生物学研究所（Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute，简称SCBI）的树木数据；为完成站点特征描述工作，NEON采用了该研究所大型森林动态样地的现有公开数据（Bourg, N. A.、W. J. McShea、J. R. Thompson、J. C. McGarvey及X. Shen，2013）。相关论文信息：《SCBI SIGEO大型森林动态样地的首次普查、木本幼苗、种子雨及林分结构数据》，发表于*Ecology* 94卷：2111–2112，DOI: 10.1890/13-0010.1。

如需了解本数据集的更多详情，请参阅NEON站点特征描述报告。