Data Package Metadata   View Summary

Data on lizards captured in pitfall traps at the Jornada Basin LTER site, 1989-2006

General Information
Data Package:
Local Identifier:knb-lter-jrn.210007001.49
Title:Data on lizards captured in pitfall traps at the Jornada Basin LTER site, 1989-2006
Alternate Identifier:DOI PLACE HOLDER
Abstract:

This data package contains data on lizards sampled by pitfall traps located at 11 consumer plots at Jornada Basin LTER site from 1989-2006. The objective of this study is to observe how shifts in vegetation resulting from desertification processes in the Chihuahaun desert have changed the spatial and temporal availability of resources for consumers. Desertification changes in the Jornada Basin include changes from grass to shrub dominated communities and major soil changes. If grassland systems respond to rainfall without significant lags, but shrub systems do not, then consumer species should reflect these differences. In addition, shifts from grassland to shrubland results in greater structural heterogeneity of the habitats. We hypothesized that consumer populations, diversity, and densities of some consumers will be higher in grasslands than in shrublands and will be related to the NPP of the sites. Data on lizards captured in pitfall traps at the 11 LTER II/III consumer plots (a subset of NPP plots) were collected quarterly for 2 weeks per quarter. Variables measured include species, sex, recapture status, snout-vent length, total length, weight, and whether tail is broken or whole. This study is complete.

Publication Date:2020-10-21

Time Period
Begin:
1989-06-16
End:
2006-08-18

People and Organizations
Contact:Anderson, John (New Mexico State University) [  email ]
Contact:Lightfoot, David (Jornada Basin LTER (now at Univ. of NM)) [  email ]
Contact:Data Manager(Jornada Basin LTER) [  email ]
Creator:Lightfoot, David (Jornada Basin LTER (now at Univ. of NM))
Creator:Whitford, Walter G (New Mexico State University)

Data Entities
Data Table Name:
Lizard pitfall data file
Description:
Data on lizards collected in pitfall traps from 1989-2006 at Jornada LTER
Other Name:
Taxonomic codes text file
Description:
Key to taxonomic codes used in the data file
Other Name:
History file
Description:
History file documenting problem codes in the data file
Other Name:
JRN DSD file (Dataset Documentation)
Description:
Early format Jornada metadata file for this dataset
Detailed Metadata

Data Entities


Data Table

Data:https://pasta-s.lternet.edu/package/data/eml/knb-lter-jrn/210007001/49/731f52d77045dfc5957589d35c2e6227
Name:Lizard pitfall data file
Description:Data on lizards collected in pitfall traps from 1989-2006 at Jornada LTER
Number of Records:4091
Number of Columns:14

Table Structure
Object Name:JRN007001_lizard_pitfall_data_89-06.csv
Size:198854 bytes
Authentication:37a506cceba6d178e7e59221c46350a0 Calculated By MD5
Text Format:
Number of Header Lines:1
Record Delimiter:\n
Orientation:column
Simple Delimited:
Field Delimiter:,

Table Column Descriptions
 
Column Name:date  
zone  
site  
plot  
pit  
spp  
sex  
rcap  
toe_num  
SV_length  
total_length  
weight  
tail  
pc  
Definition:Data collection dateVegetation zone (C, G, M, T)Research sitePlot identifier (A-D)Pitfall trap number (1-16)Species code (4 letter acronym, see Lizard code file)Sex (M, F, J)Recapture statusToe mark numberSnout-vent length (mm)Body length (mm)Body weight (g)Tail condition (B, W)Problem code (0 or 1)
Storage Type:date  
string  
string  
string  
float  
string  
string  
string  
float  
float  
float  
float  
string  
string  
Measurement Type:dateTimenominalnominalnominalrationominalnominalnominalratioratioratiorationominalnominal
Measurement Values Domain:
FormatYYYY-MM-DD
Precision
Allowed Values and Definitions
Enumerated Domain 
Code Definition
CodeC
DefinitionCreosote bush
Source
Code Definition
CodeG
DefinitionGrassland
Source
Code Definition
CodeM
DefinitionMesquite
Source
Code Definition
CodeT
DefinitionTarbush
Source
Allowed Values and Definitions
Enumerated Domain 
Code Definition
CodeCALI
Definitioncreosotebush Caliche
Source
Code Definition
CodeSAND
Definitioncreosotebush Sand
Source
Code Definition
CodeBASN
Definitiongrassland at lower trailer (BASIN)
Source
Code Definition
CodeIBPE
Definitiongrassland at IBP exclosure
Source
Code Definition
CodeRABB
Definitionmesquite at Rabbit Rain gauge
Source
Code Definition
CodeWELL
Definitionmesquite at West Well
Source
Code Definition
CodeEAST
Definitiontarbush east of Jornada road
Source
Code Definition
CodeWEST
Definitiontarbush west of Jornada road
Source
Code Definition
CodeGRAV
Definitioncreosotebush Gravel
Source
Code Definition
CodeSUMM
Definitiongrassland Mt Summerford site
Source
Code Definition
CodeNORT
Definitionmesquite North site
Source
Allowed Values and Definitions
Enumerated Domain 
Code Definition
CodeA
DefinitionPlot A
Source
Code Definition
CodeB
DefinitionPlot B
Source
Code Definition
CodeC
DefinitionPlot C
Source
Code Definition
CodeD
DefinitionPlot D
Source
Unitnumber
Typewhole
Min
Max16 
DefinitionSpecies code (4 letter acronym, see Lizard code file)
Allowed Values and Definitions
Enumerated Domain 
Code Definition
CodeM
DefinitionMale
Source
Code Definition
CodeJ
DefinitionJuvenile
Source
Code Definition
CodeF
DefinitionFemale
Source
Allowed Values and Definitions
Enumerated Domain 
Code Definition
CodeN
DefinitionNew capture
Source
Code Definition
CodeR
DefinitionRecapture
Source
Unitnumber
Typenatural
Min
Max5112 
Unitmillimeter
Typenatural
Min
Max230 
Unitmillimeter
Typenatural
Min
Max414 
Unitgram
Typenatural
Min
Max61 
Allowed Values and Definitions
Enumerated Domain 
Code Definition
CodeB
DefinitionBroken
Source
Code Definition
CodeW
DefinitionWhole
Source
Allowed Values and Definitions
Enumerated Domain 
Code Definition
Code0
DefinitionNo problem
Source
Code Definition
Code1
DefinitionProblem - see history log
Source
Missing Value Code:        
CodeNA
ExplNo Data
 
CodeNA
ExplNo Data
CodeNA
ExplNo Data
CodeNA
ExplNo Data
CodeNA
ExplNo Data
CodeNA
ExplNo Data
CodeNA
ExplNo Data
CodeNA
ExplNo Data
 
Accuracy Report:                            
Accuracy Assessment:                            
Coverage:                            
Methods:                            

Non-Categorized Data Resource

Name:Taxonomic codes text file
Entity Type:unknown
Description:Key to taxonomic codes used in the data file
Physical Structure Description:
Object Name:Lizardcodelist.txt
Size:1416 bytes
Authentication:23259611ddd551e1eee1d0d0156ffbc5 Calculated By MD5
Externally Defined Format:
Format Name:text/plain
Data:https://pasta-s.lternet.edu/package/data/eml/knb-lter-jrn/210007001/49/717b51c16318540b2312e545806a63ff

Non-Categorized Data Resource

Name:History file
Entity Type:unknown
Description:History file documenting problem codes in the data file
Physical Structure Description:
Object Name:lizrdpit.his.txt
Size:42025 bytes
Authentication:a7a7a3386025715d677af98c37c9ac3d Calculated By MD5
Externally Defined Format:
Format Name:text/plain
Data:https://pasta-s.lternet.edu/package/data/eml/knb-lter-jrn/210007001/49/1b3c84ab832ff5537e85092e3b86f749

Non-Categorized Data Resource

Name:JRN DSD file (Dataset Documentation)
Entity Type:unknown
Description:Early format Jornada metadata file for this dataset
Physical Structure Description:
Object Name:lizrdpit.dsd.txt
Size:34555 bytes
Authentication:894b62a86e9110122c90814d7c90bad6 Calculated By MD5
Externally Defined Format:
Format Name:text/plain
Data:https://pasta-s.lternet.edu/package/data/eml/knb-lter-jrn/210007001/49/392ffff125b26f947b8cfc5727b5b805

Data Package Usage Rights

This information is released under the Creative Commons license - Attribution - CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The consumer of these data ("Data User" herein) has an ethical obligation to cite it appropriately in any publication that results from its use. The Data User should realize that these data may be actively used by others for ongoing research and that coordination may be necessary to prevent duplicate publication. The Data User is urged to contact the authors of these data if any questions about methodology or results occur. Where appropriate, the Data User is encouraged to consider collaboration or co-authorship with the authors. The Data User should realize that misinterpretation of data may occur if used out of context of the original study. While substantial efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of data and associated documentation, complete accuracy of data sets cannot be guaranteed. All data are made available "as is." The Data User should be aware, however, that data are updated periodically and it is the responsibility of the Data User to check for new versions of the data. The data authors and the repository where these data were obtained shall not be liable for damages resulting from any use or misinterpretation of the data. Thank you.

Keywords

By Thesaurus:
LTER Core AreaPopulations
LTER Controlled Vocabularyreptiles, lizards, diversity, density, pitfall traps, populations, consumers
JRN Dataset KeywordsLTER II, LTER III
Jornada Place NamesC-CALI, C-GRAV, C-SAND, G-BASN, G-IBPE, G-SUMM, M-NORT, M-RABB, M-WELL, T-EAST, T-TAYL, T-WEST, JER, CDRRC
Jornada Project Namesstudy 007

Methods and Protocols

These methods, instrumentation and/or protocols apply to all data in this dataset:

Methods and protocols used in the collection of this data package
Description:

Methods

In conjunction with net primary production studies, consumer and faunal studies are conducted at or near NPP sites using pitfall traps. "Consumer plot" trapping grids were established in 1989 (LTER II) at three creosotebush sites, three grassland sites, and three mesquite sites, and two tarbush sites (11 of the 15 NPP sites). Each grid consisted of 4 x 4 rows of traps spaced at 15 meter intervals. Note that methods changed somewhat in 1995 at the start of 1995, and separate pitfall traps for arthropods were also established at this time. Very detailed methods that include this change are described in the attached "dsd" file listed in Additional Files below.

Each trap was 40 cm deep and contained an inner plastic container and funnel. A ceramic tile was placed over each trap to close the trap during non-sampling perions. For a 2-week period during each quarterly sample period, the tiles were raised on one side, and the traps were checked every 3 days in summer and once a week in winter. Individual lizards were taken from the traps, identified, sexed, measured, and weighed. Each lizard was clipped with a unique number using the codes on the diagram on the field data sheets. Toe clipping was done from 1989 to 1995. Starting in March 1995 toe clipping was terminated and lizards were instead marked with a black sharpie marking pen to provide a temporary mark to determine recapture status over a particular 2-week trapping period. A black mark was made posterior to the cloaca on the ventral base of the tail.

Traps were opened for two consecutive weeks every month for the period 16 June 1989 to 23 August 1991. Beginning after August 1991, traps were opened for two consecutive weeks quarterly: in February-March (following winter NPP), in May-June (following spring NPP), in August, and in October-November (following fall NPP).

Additional files

'Lizardcodelist.txt' is a text file describing the taxonomic codes identifyinglizards in the data file (by scientific and common name). The 'CODE' column should match (at least some of) the taxonomic codes in the data file.

'lizrdpit.his.txt' is a listing of notes recorded during data collection. Often they are field notes specific to a particular record in the data file. The 'pc' column in the data file references this file when its value is 1.

'lizrdpit.dsd.txt' is a metadata file created during the time of the study. It contains additional metadata that may not have been placed into the current EML file for this data package.

Related publications

none found so far

People and Organizations

Publishers:
Organization:Environmental Data Initiative
Email Address:
info@environmentaldatainitiative.org
Web Address:
https://environmentaldatainitiative.org
Creators:
Individual: David Lightfoot
Organization:Jornada Basin LTER (now at Univ. of NM)
Individual: Walter G Whitford
Organization:New Mexico State University
Id:https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1155-6162
Contacts:
Individual: John Anderson
Organization:New Mexico State University
Email Address:
0000-0001-5060-9955
Id:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6417-8022
Individual: David Lightfoot
Organization:Jornada Basin LTER (now at Univ. of NM)
Email Address:
dlightfo@unm.edu
Individual: Data Manager
Organization:Jornada Basin LTER
Email Address:
datamanager.jrn.lter@gmail.com

Temporal, Geographic and Taxonomic Coverage

Temporal, Geographic and/or Taxonomic information that applies to all data in this dataset:

Time Period
Begin:
1989-06-16
End:
2006-08-18
Geographic Region:
Description:Arthropod pitfall traps were at 12 of of the 15 NPP sites, spanning 4 vegetation community types in the Jornada Basin. This bounding box includes all 12 sites. More precise geographic coordinates for this study may be requested from the JRN LTER Data Manager.
Bounding Coordinates:
Northern:  32.669Southern:  32.488
Western:  -106.865Eastern:  -106.713

Project

Parent Project Information:

Title:Jornada Basin LTER II/III
Personnel:
Individual: William Schlesinger
Organization:Duke University
Id:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1391-0885
Role:Principal Investigator
Funding: NSF DEB-9411971
Related Project:
Title:Jornada Basin LTER II/III
Personnel:
Individual: Walter G Whitford
Organization:New Mexico State University
Id:https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1155-6162
Role:Principal Investigator
Funding: NSF DEB-9411971

Maintenance

Maintenance:
Description:completed
Frequency:

Additional Info

Additional Information:
 

Pitfall grids consist of sixten stations (four by four row grid with 15 meters between stations) located at the following 11 sites (the old code, no longer used, is given in parentheses following each site*): T-WEST (TBA), T-EAST (TBB), M-RABB-A (MDA), M-NORT (formerly M-RABB-C (MDC), moved to M-NORT in 1995), M-WELL (MDB), G-IBPE-C (GLC), G-SUMM (formerly G-IBPE-A(GLA), moved to G-SUMM in 1995), G-BASN (GLB), C-SAND (CBB), C-CALI (CBA), and C-GRAV (CBD). Pitfalls formerly located at MB (mixed basin slope NE of weather trailer) and C-SAND-C (CBC) have been closed. No pitfalls are directly associated with the following NPP sites: P-COLL, P-SMAL, P-TOBO (because of flooding potential), or T-TAYL. The pitfall for C-SAND is located NW of the NPP site (see site map). The location of each trap is marked by a rebar bearing a numbered aluminum tag.

* (old codes may still be found in data books and vial labels)

Other Metadata

EDI is a collaboration between the University of New Mexico and the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Center for Limnology:

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