Litterfall data from mesquite sites along the Jornada Basin LTER transect, 1985-1988

This dataset contains measurements of litterfall from mesquite
communities along the Jornada Basin LTER (LTER-I) transects in
southern New Mexico, USA. These transects are located in a livestock
exclosure established in 1982 in the Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland
Research Center (CDRRC) and run from the middle of the College Playa
up to the foot of Mt. Summerford (2.7 km in length). Prior to the
exclosure, the study site was moderately to heavily grazed for the
past 100 years. The treatment transect was treated annually with
ammonium nitrate fertilizer (NH4NO3 at 10g N/m2/yr) until 1987.
Mesquite litterfall was collected monthly from traps under ten
shrubs in the mesquite fringe on the south side of College Playa.
Oven-dry weights of leaves, stems, and seed fractions as well as
total dry weight of monthly collections are recorded. This study is
complete.