Data Package Metadata   View Summary

Rabbit survey data on creosotebush and grassland routes from the long-term Small Mammal Exclusion Study (SMES) at Jornada Basin LTER, 1996-ongoing

General Information
Data Package:
Local Identifier:knb-lter-jrn.210086006.11
Title:Rabbit survey data on creosotebush and grassland routes from the long-term Small Mammal Exclusion Study (SMES) at Jornada Basin LTER, 1996-ongoing
Alternate Identifier:DOI PLACE HOLDER
Abstract:

This data package contains rabbit survey data from grassland and creosote shrubland habitats on Jornada Experimental Range (JER) and Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center (CDRRC) lands. Two survey routes were established along Jornada Basin roads in 1996; one in black grama grassland and the other in creosotebush shrubland. Quarterly surveys are conducted on these roads at or near the full moon to measure the density of rabbits in the two vegetation types. Each route is about 6 miles long. Parallel studies were established at the Sevilleta LTER site (New Mexico, USA) and Mapimi Biosphere Reserve (Durango, Mexico). Data collection began in April 1996 and includes date and time lagomorphs are spotted, species identification, habitat type, distance/direction from vehicle, and comments on the weather, moon, and anything unusual. This study is ongoing with new data collected quarterly.

Publication Date:2024-11-26
Language:English
For more information:
Visit: https://jrn.lternet.edu
Visit: DOI PLACE HOLDER

Time Period
Begin:
1996-04-09
End:
2023-10-25

People and Organizations
Contact:Information Manager (Jornada Basin LTER Program) [  email ]
Creator:Schooley, Robert (University of Illinois)
Creator:Bestelmeyer, Brandon T (USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range)
Creator:Lightfoot, David C (University of New Mexico)

Data Entities
Data Table Name:
Rabbit survey data table
Description:
Rabbit survey data on creosotebush and grassland routes
Other Name:
SMES Rabbit Survey Protocol
Description:
SMES Rabbit Survey Protocol
Detailed Metadata

Data Entities


Data Table

Data:https://pasta-s.lternet.edu/package/data/eml/knb-lter-jrn/210086006/11/b41b21340e3513f268f6642b534184b1
Name:Rabbit survey data table
Description:Rabbit survey data on creosotebush and grassland routes
Number of Records:4952
Number of Columns:10

Table Structure
Object Name:JRN086006_smes_rabbit_survey_data_new.csv
Size:285455 byte
Authentication:105cf5e14ffb95e3a7cb9ef669f7f21c Calculated By MD5
Text Format:
Number of Header Lines:1
Number of Foot Lines:0
Record Delimiter:\n
Orientation:column
Simple Delimited:
Field Delimiter:,
Quote Character:"

Table Column Descriptions
 Survey dateObservation datetimeSurvey routeObservation code typeMileageDistance to rabbitDirection of rabbitQuality flag 1Quality flag 2Comment
Column Name:survey_date  
date_time_obs  
route  
type  
mileage  
distance  
direction  
qflag1  
qflag2  
comment  
Definition:Date that the survey beganDate and time the observation occurred and was recordedRoad route (1=creosotebush, 3=grassland)Species code or survey code [LECA=Lepus californicus, SYAU=Sylvilagus audubonii, UNKN=unknown rabbit species, START=starting time of route, END=ending time of route, GATE= gate crossed in route]Mileage on vehicle odometer along rabbit route (miles)Perpendicular distance from center of road to rabbit (meters)Direction relative to road where rabbit was spotted (L=left, R=right, C=exact center of road)Quality flag indicating a survey event, data issue, or commentColumn for a second quality flag indicating a survey event, data issue, or commentComment field - weather and anything unusual
Storage Type:dateTime  
dateTime  
integer  
string  
float  
float  
string  
string  
string  
string  
Measurement Type:dateTimedateTimenominalnominalratiorationominalnominalnominalnominal
Measurement Values Domain:
FormatYYYY-MM-DD
Precision1
FormatYYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss
Precision1
Allowed Values and Definitions
Enumerated Domain 
Code Definition
Code1
DefinitionCreosotebush route
Source
Code Definition
Code3
DefinitionGrassland route
Source
Definitionany text
Unitmile
Typereal
Unitmeter
Typereal
Allowed Values and Definitions
Enumerated Domain 
Code Definition
CodeC
DefinitionIn road centerline
Source
Code Definition
CodeL
DefinitionLeft of road centerline
Source
Code Definition
CodeR
DefinitionRight of road centerline
Source
Allowed Values and Definitions
Enumerated Domain 
Code Definition
CodeA
Definitionvalues accepted as good
Source
Code Definition
CodeCV
DefinitionCOVID-19 Restrictions. This quarter, rabbit survey was not completed due to covid restrictions
Source
Code Definition
CodeEM
Definitionestimated mileage
Source
Code Definition
CodeET
Definitionestimated time
Source
Code Definition
CodeRA
Definitionincorrect alternate route used. See history file entry dated 2/6/2001
Source
Code Definition
CodeTE
Definitionterminated due to equipment problems before completion of survey route
Source
Code Definition
CodeTW
Definitionterminated due to weather before completion of survey route
Source
Code Definition
CodeWC
Definitionweather conditions
Source
Allowed Values and Definitions
Enumerated Domain 
Code Definition
CodeEM
Definitionestimated mileage
Source
Code Definition
CodeTE
Definitionterminated due to equipment problems before completion of survey route
Source
Code Definition
CodeWC
Definitionweather conditions
Source
Definitionany text
Missing Value Code:
CodeNA
ExplNo date or time was recorded
CodeNA
ExplNo date or time was recorded
 
CodeNA
ExplMissing value - data not collected or otherwise unavailable
CodeNA
ExplNo mileage was recorded
CodeNA
ExplVehicle was at START, END, or GATE in route or no mileage was recorded
CodeNA
ExplNo direction recorded, or at START, END, or GATE in route
 
CodeNA
ExplNo comment, quality flag, or additional information available
CodeNA
ExplNo comment, quality flag, or additional information available
Accuracy Report:                    
Accuracy Assessment:                    
Coverage:                    
Methods:                    

Non-Categorized Data Resource

Name:SMES Rabbit Survey Protocol
Entity Type:otherEntity
Description:SMES Rabbit Survey Protocol
Physical Structure Description:
Object Name:Rabbit_Survey_Protocol.pdf
Size:101256 byte
Authentication:52ecf0f031e08c17a6a20d81bb9f7cc9 Calculated By MD5
Externally Defined Format:
Format Name:PDF
Data:https://pasta-s.lternet.edu/package/data/eml/knb-lter-jrn/210086006/11/6befdeae9a835b91939ee73eb9c9c127

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 coauthorship 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 Research AreasLand Use and Land Cover Change, populations
LTER Controlled Vocabulary v1abundance, animals, consumers, deserts, fauna, grasslands, herbivory, land use, long term, long term monitoring, populations, rabbits, shrubs, small mammals, vertebrates
noneBlack-tailed jackrabbit, Desert cottontail, Lepus californicus, Sylvilagus audubonii, rabbit demography, spotlight, survey line
Jornada Basin LTER dataset keywordsPlant-Animal Interactions
Jornada Basin project namesSMES, prj 086
Jornada Basin place namesSMES
USDA National Ag Library's Agricultural ThesaurusLTAR, LTER

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:

Two rabbit survey routes were established along Jornada Basin roads in 1996; one in black grama grassland and the other in creosotebush shrubland. These routes were chosen to pass through habitat resembling the vegetation at grassland and creosotebush sites in the Small Mammal Exclusion Study. Quarterly surveys are conducted on these roads at or near the full moon to measure the density of rabbits in the two vegetation types. Each route is about 6 miles long.

Night-time road surveys are conducted during or near a full moon event (+/- 3 days) in winter (January/February), spring (April/May), summer (July/August), and autumn (October/November). The counts can be conducted during the full moon in either month of each season, depending on when the weather is best. The portion of road surveyed through the creosotebush environment (Route 1) runs 6.2 miles (9.98 kilometers) across the east bajada of the Dona Ana Mountains (dominated with creosotebush with scattered mesquite), from the USDA, JER south entrance on Jornada Road at the rock pillars, to the power-line road, past the C-GRAV and C-SAND sites, to the Weather Trailer gate. The grassland portion of the road (Route 3) runs 6.3 miles (10.14 kilometers) from South Well to USDA Pasture 13, along the west boundary of Pasture 13, then along the north boundary of Pasture 13 to Jornada Road at the "wind tunnel" site. One open bed pickup truck is driven approximately 12 miles per hour along each road route. The driver (data recorder) of the truck sets the trip odometer to zero at the start of each of the road segments (creosotebush and grassland). Two people (observers) in the back of the truck scan each side of the road for rabbits, each using a 100,000 candle-power spotlight. The observers shine the light beam in a 90 degree arc from the road ahead to the area perpendicular to the truck. The observers should watch for rabbits, and the reddish reflection of rabbits eyes in the light. Each time a rabbit is observed, the truck stops, and the observer guides the truck to a position perpendicular to the rabbit. The observer then calls out information to the driver who records the following information in the data book:

In addition, the data recorder must record the road mileage from the odometer for the START and END points as well as the mileage and time for the GATE that is passed through along each route. The terms START, END, and GATE are entered into the species field on the data sheet. At the start of each route, Comments must be made by the data recorder on the Moon Phase (full moon) at the beginning of the first route. Weather conditions (for example, scattered high clouds, mostly clear, no wind) should be commented on at the beginning and end of each route since wind and cloud cover conditions may change.

NOTE: Rabbit surveys are conducted only when the moon is full, the skies are mostly clear, and winds are light (less than 10 mph).

NOTE: Bushnell Yardage Pro Compact 800 rangefinder (laser rangefinder) used beginning January 2002.

For more detailed methods, see the rabbit survey protocol document included with this data package ("Rabbit_Survey_Protocol.pdf"). This study is ongoing.

People and Organizations

Publishers:
Organization:Environmental Data Initiative
Email Address:
info@edirepository.org
Web Address:
https://edirepository.org
Id:https://ror.org/0330j0z60
Creators:
Individual: Robert Schooley
Organization:University of Illinois
Email Address:
schooley@illinois.edu
Id:https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5951-2340
Individual: Brandon T Bestelmeyer
Organization:USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range
Email Address:
brandon.bestelmeyer@usda.gov
Id:https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5060-9955
Individual: David C Lightfoot
Organization:University of New Mexico
Email Address:
dlightfo@unm.edu
Contacts:
Organization:Jornada Basin LTER Program
Position:Information Manager
Address:
P.O. Box 30003; MSC 3JER New Mexico State University,
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8003 U.S.A.
Phone:
575-322-2430
Email Address:
jornada.data@nmsu.edu
Web Address:
https://lter.jornada.nmsu.edu/information-management/
Metadata Providers:
Organization:Jornada Basin LTER Program
Position:Jornada Basin LTER program
Address:
P.O. Box 30003; MSC 3JER New Mexico State University,
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8003 USA
Email Address:
jornada.lter@nmsu.edu
Web Address:
https://lter.jornada.nmsu.edu
Id:https://ror.org/05976ta47

Temporal, Geographic and Taxonomic Coverage

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

Time Period
Begin:
1996-04-09
End:
2023-10-25
Geographic Region:
Description:Western Bajada: Study occurred in the western bajada geomorphic zone in the Jornada Basin. More precise geographic coordinates for this study may be requested from the JRN LTER Data Manager (jornada.data@nmsu.edu).
Bounding Coordinates:
Northern:  32.542771Southern:  32.467228
Western:  -106.851460Eastern:  -106.729443
Geographic Region:
Description:Basin Floor: Study occurred in the basin floor geomorphic zone in the Jornada Basin. More precise geographic coordinates for this study may be requested from the JRN LTER Data Manager (jornada.data@nmsu.edu).
Bounding Coordinates:
Northern:  32.749487Southern:  32.473173
Western:  -106.872883Eastern:  -106.692716

Project

Parent Project Information:

Title:Jornada Basin LTER
Personnel:
Individual:Dr. Niall Hanan
Address:
P.O. Box 30003, MSC 3JER,
New Mexico State University,
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8003 United States
Phone:
575-646-3335 (voice)
Email Address:
nhanan@nmsu.edu
Role:Principal Investigator
Abstract:

Dryland ecosystems occupy nearly half of the Earth's land surface and provide goods and services for more than 1 billion people. The goal of the Jornada Basin Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program is to understand what factors determine the structure and function of drylands, and to develop general principles governing changes between grassland and shrubland ecosystems. This research is based on long-term data collected in the Chihuahuan Desert. We translate our findings to dryland ecosystems around the world, and forecast the dynamics of future ecosystem states in response to changing climate and land use.

Funding:

The Jornada LTER program has been continuously funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation since 1982 (Current NSF award: DEB-2025166)

Additional Award Information:
Funder:National Science Foundation
Funder ID:https://ror.org/021nxhr62
Number:DEB 2025166
Title:LTER: Long –Term Research at the Jornada Basin (LTER VII)
URL:https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2025166
Additional Award Information:
Funder:National Science Foundation
Number:DEB 1832194
Title:Prior award: LTER: Long - Term Research at the Jornada Basin (LTER VII)
URL:https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1832194
Additional Award Information:
Funder:National Science Foundation
Number:DEB 1235828
Title:Prior award: LTER: Long-Term Research at the Jornada Basin (LTER-VI)
URL:https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1235828
Additional Award Information:
Funder:National Science Foundation
Number:DEB 0618210
Title:Prior award: Jornada Basin LTER V: Landscape Linkages in Arid and Semiarid Ecosystems
URL:https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0618210
Additional Award Information:
Funder:National Science Foundation
Number:DEB 0080412
Title:Prior award: LTER IV: Jornada Basin: Linkages in Semi-arid Landscapes
URL:https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0080412
Additional Award Information:
Funder:National Science Foundation
Number:DEB 9411971
Title:Prior award: LTER: The Chihuahuan Desert (The Jornada LTER III Consortium)
URL:https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9411971
Additional Award Information:
Funder:National Science Foundation
Number:DEB 8811160, 9240261
Title:Prior award: Interactions in Time and Space Variability in a Chihuahuan Desert Ecosystem: Jornada LTER (II)
Additional Award Information:
Funder:National Science Foundation
Number:DEB 8114466, 8612106
Title:Prior award: Interactions of Time and Space Variability in a Chihuahuan Desert Ecosystem in New Mexico (Jornada LTER I)

Maintenance

Maintenance:
Description:ongoing - New data are collected quarterly
Frequency:annually
Other Metadata

Additional Metadata

additionalMetadata
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        |___element 'metadata'
        |     |___text '\n         '
        |     |___element 'unitList'
        |     |     |___text '\n            '
        |     |     |___element 'unit'
        |     |     |     |  \___attribute 'abbreviation' = 'm'
        |     |     |     |  \___attribute 'id' = 'meter'
        |     |     |     |  \___attribute 'multiplierToSI' = '1'
        |     |     |     |  \___attribute 'name' = 'meter'
        |     |     |     |  \___attribute 'unitType' = 'length'
        |     |     |     |___text '\n               '
        |     |     |     |___element 'description'
        |     |     |     |     |___text 'SI unit of length'
        |     |     |     |___text '\n            '
        |     |     |___text '\n            '
        |     |     |___element 'unit'
        |     |     |     |  \___attribute 'abbreviation' = 'mile'
        |     |     |     |  \___attribute 'id' = 'mile'
        |     |     |     |  \___attribute 'multiplierToSI' = '1609.344'
        |     |     |     |  \___attribute 'name' = 'mile'
        |     |     |     |  \___attribute 'parentSI' = 'meter'
        |     |     |     |___text '\n               '
        |     |     |     |___element 'description'
        |     |     |     |     |___text '5280 ft or 1609.344 meters'
        |     |     |     |___text '\n            '
        |     |     |___text '\n         '
        |     |___text '\n      '
        |___text '\n   '

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