Annual Aboveground Net Primary Productivity by plant functional groups across grassland-shrubland ecotones at 3 sites in the Jornada Basin, 2006-ongoing

The objective of this ongoing study is to investigate how pulses of
precipitation translate into pulses of plant aboveground net primary
productivity (NPP) across grassland to shrubland ecotones in the
northern Chihuahuan Desert. This dataset consists of annual
aboveground net primary productivity estimates by plant functional
groups in three habitat vegetation zones (grassland, ecotone, and
shrubland) at three grassland-to-shrubland ecotone sites in the
Jornada Basin, Dona Ana County, New Mexico, USA. The annual ANPP
estimates are derived from plant cover measurements (see methods).
Due to its growth form, Yucca elata (YUEL), in the leaf succulent
functional group, has been found to produce large errors in
interyear biomass estimates. This data package separates biomass
estimates for YUEL and non-YUEL leaf succulents so that users can
decide whether to combine them or keep them separate. In general,
the authors recommend against using the YUEL estimates for most
purposes. Data collection is ongoing with new observations in spring
and fall of each year; data from both annual sampling times are
required to estimate annual ANPP.