Vegetation data from grazing LTER in Beit-Govrin National Park, Israel (2011-2012)

This subset contains annual vegetation biodiversity and biomass data collected in Beit-Govrin National Park, Israel during winter and spring 2011-2012. The sampling design included three blocks with three treatments per block (grazing, grass removal, and control) and four blocks with two treatments (grazing and control) in two habitats (valley and slope). Each plot is 20x20m, and sampling was conducted in the inner 10x10m area. This area was sampled by 25 quadrates of 0.04m2 organized in five clusters of 1m2 to allow multiple spatial scales. Clipping experiments were conducted in the peripheral areas of control plots in 0.16m2 plots. Presence-absence data was collected during spring 2012 from grazed, ungrazed and grass-removal plots and biomass samples were taken in spring 2011. Clipped plots were sampled during winter 2011 for seedling abundance and spring 2012 for adult abundance. Clipped biomass was dried and weighted.
The methods are described in the following publications: Segre, H., De Malach, N., Henkin, Z. & Kadmon, R. (under minor revision). Quantifying Competitive Exclusion and Competitive Release in Ecological Communities: A Conceptual Framework and a Case Study, PlosONE. Segre, H., Ron, R., De Malach, N., Henkin, Z., Mandel, M. & Kadmon, R. (2014). Competitive exclusion, beta diversity, and deterministic vs. stochastic drivers of community assembly. Ecol. Lett., 17, 1400–1408.