Nitrogen Fertilization Experiment (NFert): Net Primary Production Quadrat Data at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (2004-present)

This dataset is part of a long-term study at the Sevilleta LTER, begun in spring 2004, which examines how fertilization affects above-ground biomass production (ANPP) in a mixed desert-grassland. Net primary production is a fundamental ecological variable that quantifies rates of carbon consumption and fixation. Estimates of NPP are important in understanding energy flow at a community level as well as spatial and temporal responses to a range of ecological processes. Above-ground net primary production is the change in plant biomass, represented by stems, flowers, fruit and foliage, over time and incorporates growth as well as loss to death and decomposition. To measure this change the vegetation variables in this dataset, including species composition and the cover and height of individuals, are sampled twice yearly (spring and fall) at permanent 1m x 1m plots. The data from these plots is used to build regressions correlating biomass and volume via weights of select harvested species obtained in SEV157, "Net Primary Productivity (NPP) Weight Data." This biomass data is included in SEV186, "Nitrogen Fertilization Experiment (NFert): Seasonal Biomass and Seasonal and Annual NPP Data."