Small Mammal Exclosure Study (SMES) Vegetation Line Intercept from Chihuahuan Desert Grassland and Shrubland at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1995-2005)

The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not the activities of small mammals regulate plant community structure, plant species diversity, and spatial vegetation patterns in Chihuahuan Desert shrublands and grasslands. What role if any do indigenous small mammal consumers have in maintaining desertified landscapes in the Chihuahuan Desert? Additionally, how do the effects of small mammals interact with changing climate to affect vegetation patterns over time? This is data for perennial plant vegetation canopy cover measured from all SMES study plots, fall 1995 and fall 2005. The purpose of this data is to provide ground-truth data for comparison with low-level aerial photographs of each study plot. Three, 29 meter lines were measured along three of six rows of the permanent vegetation measurement quadrats. Each line was measured at 10cm resolution for intercepts of perennial plant live canopy cover, and for bare ground. 10cm resolution is comparable to the resolution of the aerial photos. All plants were identified to the species level. These line-intercept measurements are taken once every ten years, at the same time that low-level aerial photographs are taken. These data will be compared to both decadal air photos, and annual measures ofvegetation from one-meter2 quadrats on each plot to provide information on vegetation change over time relative to the various animal exclosure treatments.

本研究旨在探究小型哺乳动物的活动是否会调控奇瓦瓦荒漠灌丛与草原中的植物群落结构、植物物种多样性以及空间植被格局。本土小型哺乳动物消费者在维持奇瓦瓦荒漠的荒漠化景观中发挥着何种作用（若存在的话）？此外，小型哺乳动物的影响如何与气候变化相互作用，进而随时间推移影响植被格局？
本数据集为1995年秋季与2005年秋季于所有SMES研究样地中测得的多年生植物植被冠层覆盖度数据，旨在提供实地验证数据（ground-truth data），用于与各研究样地的低空航空照片进行比对。
本次研究在永久植被监测样方的6排样线中选取3排，沿每排布设3条29米长的样线。以10厘米分辨率对每条样线的多年生植物活体冠层覆盖截点与裸地截点进行测定，该分辨率与航空照片的分辨率相当。所有植物均已鉴定至物种水平。
此类样线截点测量每十年开展一次，与低空航空照片拍摄的时间保持一致。本数据集将与十年期航空照片以及各研究样地内1平方米样方的年度植被监测数据进行比对，以提供与各类动物围栏排除处理相对应的植被随时间变化的相关信息。