The objective of this ongoing study is to investigate how pulses of precipitation translate into pulses of plant aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and how the small mammal community responds to such changes in relation to shrub gradients in northern Chihuahuan Desert landscapes. This dataset consists of an index of relative abundance of rodents calculated as the number of unique individuals captured. The abundance measure is derived from mark-recapture data from 4 consecutive night trapping events held annually in three habitat vegetation zones (grassland, ecotone, and mesquite shrubland) at three grassland-to-shrubland ecotone sites in the Jornada Basin, Dona Ana County, New Mexico, USA. Variables include rodent species, sex, reproductive status, weight, and maturity status.