Survey 200 long term study of multiple sites in central Arizona-Phoenix: neighborhood characteristics

The Ecological Survey of Central Arizona (ESCA) is an extensive field survey and
integrated inventory designed to capture key ecological indicators of the CAP LTER study
area consisting of the urbanized, suburbanized, and agricultural areas of metropolitan
Phoenix, and the surrounding Sonoran desert. The survey is conducted every five years at
approximately 200 sample plots (30m x 30m) that were located randomly using a
tessellation-stratified dual-density sampling design. Study plots cover habitats throughout
the CAP LTER study area ranging from native Sonoran desert sites to residential yards to an
airport tarmac. Measurements include an inventory of all plants (identified to the lowest
possible taxonomic unit, typically species), plant biovolume, soil coring for
physicochemical properties, arthropod sweep-net sampling, photo documentation, and a visual
survey of site and area characteristics. The objectives of the survey are to (1)
characterize patches in terms of key biotic, physical, and chemical variables, and (2)
examine relationships among land use, general plant diversity, native plant diversity, plant
biovolume, soil nutrient status, and social-economic indices along an indirect urban
gradient. Survey 200 was the original name of the project, and it was renamed to ESCA following
the survey conducted in 2015. The data set here includes a subset of information from the
Survey200/ESCA focusing exclusively on neighborhood characteristics around the survey plots.
Investigators interested in more recent survey data, or other variables measured as part of
ESCA should search the data catalog for 'ecological survey of central arizona' or 'survey
200'.

亚利桑那中部生态调查（Ecological Survey of Central Arizona，ESCA）是一项大规模野外调查与集成编目项目，旨在获取CAP长期生态研究（CAP LTER）研究区的关键生态指标。该研究区涵盖凤凰城都会区的城市化、郊区化区域与农业用地，以及周边的索诺兰沙漠。
该调查每五年开展一次，共设置约200个30米×30米的样地，采用镶嵌分层双密度采样设计进行随机布设。调查样地覆盖CAP LTER研究区内的各类生境，从原生索诺兰沙漠生境、住宅庭院直至机场停机坪。
调查测量指标涵盖所有植物的编目（鉴定至最低可行分类单元，通常为物种级）、植物生物体积（plant biovolume）、用于理化性质检测的土壤钻孔采样、节肢动物扫网采样、影像归档记录，以及样地与区域特征的目视普查。
本调查的研究目标为：(1) 基于关键生物、物理与化学变量对斑块进行特征描述；(2) 解析间接城市梯度下土地利用、总体植物多样性、本土植物多样性、植物生物体积、土壤养分状况与社会经济指数之间的关联关系。
该项目最初名为“Survey 200”，并于2015年完成调查后更名为ESCA。本次提供的数据集仅包含Survey200/ESCA项目中与调查样地周边邻里特征相关的信息子集。
若研究人员需要获取更新的调查数据或ESCA项目中其他测量变量，可在数据目录中检索“ecological survey of central arizona”或“survey 200”。