Precipitation, soil moisture, and vegetation data from 36 experimental plots in southeastern Utah, near Canyonlands National Park (2015 - 2018)
Description
These data were compiled for a study that investigated the effects of drought seasonality and plant community composition on two dominant perennial grasses, Achnatherum hymenoides (C3 photosynthesis), and Pleuraphis jamesii (C4 photosynthesis), in a dryland ecosystem. In 2015 USGS Ecologists recorded vegetation and soil moisture data in 36 experimental plots which manipulated precipitation in two plant community types. The experiment consisted of three precipitation treatments: control (ambient precipitation), cool-season drought (-66% ambient precipitation November-April), and warm-season drought (-66% ambient precipitation May-October), applied in two plant communities (perennial grasses with or without a large shrub, Ephedra viridis) over a three-year period. These data were collected from 2015 to 2018 near Canyonlands National Park, UT. These data represent precipitation, soil moisture, greenness and biomass from experimental treatments. These data can be used to compare the effects of drought seasonality on two dominant perennial grasses.