Assessing the rate and reversibility of large herbivore effects on community composition in a semi-arid grassland ecosystem with GZTX data on the Central Plains Experimental Range, Nunn, Colorado, USA 1992-2017

This data package was produced initially by researchers working on the Shortgrass Steppe Long Term Ecological Research (SGS-LTER) Project, administered at Colorado State University. Then, was continued by the Rangeland Resources and Systems Research Unit of the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Data collection was conducted on the Central Plains Experimental Range in Nunn, Colorado.
When the CPER was established in 1939, researchers constructed a .5-1 ha grazing exclosure in each of the pastures. These areas have remained protected from grazing for the past 70 years. The remaining areas have been grazed for the past 20+ years. This collection of pastures and exclosures provided an extraordinary opportunity to reinitiate grazing and protection, and evaluate the balance between degradation and aggradation. We proposed to rearrange fences and expose areas to grazing that have been protected for 50 years, and protect areas from grazing that had been grazed for 50 years. The combinations of grazing conditions were: 1. Long-term protection 2. Long-term grazing (moderate) 3. 50 years of protection followed by grazing 4. 50 years of grazing followed by protection Net primary production, nitrogen dynamics, cattle utilization, and community dynamics of vegetation were measured. Additional information and referenced materials about many of the long-term studies initiated on the CPER can be found: http://hdl.handle.net/10217/85596. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: Monthly Precipitation Data (1991-2017) from the Central Plains Experimental Range, Nunn, CO. File Name: precipitationData.xlsxResource Description: These data were collected from a catch can located at the CPER headquartersResource Title: Species level percent basal cover data associated with the GZTX study on the Central Plains Experimental Range.. File Name: baseline3_GZTX.xlsxResource Description: Species level percent basal cover data associated with the GZTX study on the Central Plains Experimental Range.Resource Title: baseline3 GZTX Data Dictionary. File Name: baseline3_GZTX_dataDictionary.csv

本数据集最初由科罗拉多州立大学管理的短草草原长期生态研究（SGS-LTER）项目的研究人员创建。随后，由美国农业部农业研究服务局牧地资源与系统研究单元继续进行。数据收集在科罗拉多州努恩的中部平原实验牧场进行。自1939年成立CPER以来，研究人员在每个牧场上构建了0.5-1公顷的放牧围栏。这些区域在过去70年中一直免于放牧。其余区域在过去20多年中一直处于放牧状态。这些牧场和围栏的集合为重新启动放牧和保护，并评估退化与积累之间的平衡提供了非凡的机会。我们提议重新布置围栏，将过去50年未被放牧的区域暴露于放牧之下，并将过去50年放牧的区域进行保护。放牧条件的组合包括：1. 长期保护 2. 长期放牧（适度）3. 50年保护后放牧 4. 50年放牧后保护。测量了净初级生产、氮循环、牲畜利用和植被群落动态。关于在CPER上启动的许多长期研究的相关信息和参考文献，可在以下链接找到：http://hdl.handle.net/10217/85596。本数据集中的资源包括：资源标题：中部平原实验牧场的月降水量数据（1991-2017）（文件名：precipitationData.xlsx），资源描述：这些数据来自CPER总部放置的集水器。资源标题：与中部平原实验牧场GZTX研究相关的物种水平基盖度数据（文件名：baseline3_GZTX.xlsx），资源描述：与中部平原实验牧场GZTX研究相关的物种水平基盖度数据。资源标题：baseline3 GZTX 数据字典（文件名：baseline3_GZTX_dataDictionary.csv）。