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.