Realm: Terrestrial
Climate: Temperate
Biome: Deserts and xeric shrublands
Central latitude: 32.669000
Central longitude: -106.865000
Duration: 18 years, from 1989 to 2006

1183 records

17 distinct species

Across the time series Uta stansburiana is the most frequently occurring species

Methods

In conjunction with the Jornada net primary production studies, consumer and faunal studies were 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, 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. Two of the lizard pitfall grids were discontinued (G-IBPE-A and M-RABB-C), and new grids were established (G-SUMM, M-NORT). Very detailed methods that include this change are described in the attached "dsd" file and others listed under Additional Files below accessible at the original data source. 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 periods. 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 measurements), in May-June (following spring NPP), in August, and in October-November (following fall NPP). Note that arthropods were collected concurrently with this study, first in the same traps from 1988-1994 (knb-lter-jrn.210008002), and then in a separate grid of pitfall traps from 1996-2001 (knb-lter-jrn.210008001). Notes about the data: In early years of the study, there were multiple pitfall grids at some NPP sites that are distinguished by Plot identifiers, and there no pitfall grids at other NPP sites. In 1995, the pitfall grids at M-RABB Plot C and G-IBPE Plot A sites were discontinued and new grids were established at two additional NPP sites, M-NORT and G-SUMM. Also included in this dataset are observations from one additional pitfall grid called C-SAND Plot C that was discontinued in 1997, and from an unknown location (plot values = NA) associated with the M-RABB site (possibly identified as Plot B or BB). It may be advisable to remove these observations from analysis. The species code column (spp) includes a few codes not included in the original list of lizard species in 'Lizardcodelist.txt'. The NONE code signifies that an observation was made at the pitfall trap, but it was not of a lizard or other species (usually flooding or other problems). SOSE and BUDE codes probably stand for Sonora semiannulata (ground snake) and Bufo debilis (green toad), respectively. Finally, note that the recapture marking method changed in 1995 from toe clipping to using marking pens. This change is detailed in some of the additional files listed below. Additional files at Original Data Source: 'Lizardcodelist.txt' is a text file describing the taxonomic codes identifying lizards 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. 'pitfall.pro.txt' is a detailed sampling protocol. It applies to early arthropod and lizard collections during this project. 'LizardPro.pdf' is another detailed protocol. It was written after the 1995 changes to the experimental design and is specific to lizards.

Citation(s)

@article{BioTIME_cit812, Study_id={839}, Citation_id={812}, Title = {Lizard pitfall trap data from 11 NPP study locations at the Jornada Basin LTER site, 1989-2006 ver 38}, Publisher = {Environmental Data Initiative}, Url = {https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?packageid=knb-lter-jrn.210007001.38}, Doi = {10.6073/pasta/51814fa39f87aea44629a5be8602ec49}, Author = {Lightfoot, D. and Whitford, W.}, Year = {2022}, }