Lizard pitfall trap data from 11 NPP study locations at the Jornada Basin LTER site, 1989-2006

This data package contains data on lizards sampled by pitfall traps located at 11 consumer plots at Jornada Basin LTER site from 1989-2006. The objective of this study is to observe how shifts in vegetation resulting from desertification processes in the Chihuahaun desert have changed the spatial and temporal availability of resources for consumers. Desertification changes in the Jornada Basin include changes from grass to shrub dominated communities and major soil changes. If grassland systems respond to rainfall without significant lags, but shrub systems do not, then consumer species should reflect these differences. In addition, shifts from grassland to shrubland results in greater structural heterogeneity of the habitats. We hypothesized that consumer populations, diversity, and densities of some consumers will be higher in grasslands than in shrublands and will be related to the NPP of the sites. Lizards were captured in pitfall traps at the 11 LTER II/III consumer plots (a subset of NPP plots) quarterly for 2 weeks per quarter. Variables measured include species, sex, recapture status, snout-vent length, total length, weight, and whether tail is broken or whole. This study is complete.