From 2011-2018 USGS biologists recorded vegetation and biological soil crust (BSC) cover by species and tracked survival of tagged individual plants (388 in total) across 40 locations where paired experimental plots had been installed in 2010. Plant cover was visually estimated using four 75 x 100 cm survey frames. Each site contained a two plots measuring 1.5 by 2.0 meteres: a control plot and a plot covered by a shelter that excluded 35% of incoming precipitation. Plots were selected to represent shallow vs. deep soils, sandstone vs. shale parent material, and dominant plant species on the Colorado Plateau around Moab, Utah. We used an information theoretic approach using generalized linear models to determine the combination of factors that best predicted mortality. We included treatment, year, and species as fixed effects in our first order models to test for treatment effects on mortality while accounting for the influence of interannual-climate variability and species-level differences. Models also included individual plant ID nested within site as random effects to account for pseudo-replication across sites and tagged individuals. We continued with a second set of models by adding abiotic variables including elevation (m), soil depth (shallow or deep), and parent material as additional explanatory variables to the best-fit model.

These data were compiled to assess the response of vegetation and biological soil crusts to drought in a semi-arid ecosystem on the Colorado Plateau near Moab, Utah. Objective(s) of our study were to explore how vegetation cover, soil conditions, and growing season nitrogen (N) availability are impacted by multifaceted drying climate conditions using data from a long-term precipitation reduction experiment (30% reduction). In 2010, U.S. Geological Survey biologists installed paired experimental plots with a control plot and a plot covered by a shelter that excluded 35% of incoming precipitation. These 40 sites represent shallow vs. deep soils and sandstone vs. shale parent material. These data were collected at various time frames include plot-level plant species richness, individual plant mortality of focal species, ocular plant cover estimates, cover of biological soil crusts, available Nitrogen pools, foliar isotopes, soil chemistry and texture. Data were collected from 2014 to 2020 by U.S. Geological Survey scientists and technicians from the Southwest Biological Science Center - Moab, UT, Research Station. These data can be used to predict vegetation and ground cover response to extreme and prolonged drought conditions across the Upper Colorado Plateau.

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.

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.

These data were compiled for a study that investigated the effects of experimentally imposed seasonal droughts (cool season drought, warm season drought, ambient) and drought recovery on plant community dynamics in a mixed dryland ecosystem. In 2015, U.S. Geological Survey ecologists began recording 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, Mormon tea, Ephedra viridis) over a three-year period. These data were collected from 2015 to 2024 near Canyonlands National Park, UT. These data represent biogeochemical concentrations (carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus), estimates of individual Mormon tea plants, plant and interspace ocular cover estimates, experimental plot, soil moisture (soil volumetric water content), grass mortality, phenology, observed plant species, species abundance, estimates of plant species biomass, species composition and ground cover data from experimental treatments. The datasets includes data on when treatments were imposed, ambient precipitation, soil moisture measured at two depths, plant cover and plant biomass measured in the spring and fall from 2015-2019. Additionally, soil cores were collected in the fall 2018 and spring 2019 to measure biogeochemical cycling concentrations for available carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and microbial biomass. Standing grass biomass and Mormon tea biomass are done through allometric relationships based on a combination of point-frame green hits, leaf lengths, and leaf numbers, combined with double sampling. The biomass data provide an estimate of how treatments are impacting overall grass and shrub species productivity. These data can be used to compare the effects of drought seasonality on shrub and grass communities and biogeochemistry dynamics.

These data consist of plot-level plant species cover measurements from a precipitation manipulation experiment located in the Spruce Gulch Wildlife and Research Reserve near Boulder, Colorado. This data release consists of absolute percent live foliar cover measurements of all plant species within each plot for the years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. From 2011-2013, plots received one of three precipitation manipulations over the winter (October through March) and summer (April-September): 'reduce' = 50 percent reduction in ambient precipitation, 'increase' = 50 percent increase in ambient precipitation, or 'ambient' = no manipulation of precipitation. Precipitation was reduced through the use of rain-out shelters that blocked precipitation from half of each plot. Precipitation was increased by irrigating plots using water from a local well. The 'increase' precipitation treatments were discontinued after 2013, and thus some winter and summer precipitation treatments for plots were reassigned in 2020-2023.

These data consist of plot-level plant species cover measurements from a precipitation manipulation experiment located in the Spruce Gulch Wildlife and Research Reserve near Boulder, Colorado. This data release consists of absolute percent live foliar cover measurements of all plant species within each plot for the years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. From 2011-2013, plots received one of three precipitation manipulations over the winter (October through March) and summer (April-September): 'reduce' = 50 percent reduction in ambient precipitation, 'increase' = 50 percent increase in ambient precipitation, or 'ambient' = no manipulation of precipitation. Precipitation was reduced through the use of rain-out shelters that blocked precipitation from half of each plot. Precipitation was increased by irrigating plots using water from a local well. The 'increase' precipitation treatments were discontinued after 2013, and thus some winter and summer precipitation treatments for plots were reassigned in 2020-2023.

These data are daily climate, water balance, and soil moisture data for 270 plots in the National Park Service (NPS) Southern Colorado Plateau Network (SCPN) Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) network. Climate data was collected from a gridded, daily climate dataset, Daymet (https://daymet.ornl.gov/). Climate, alongside field-collected soils (SoilDepthsByPlot.csv) and vegetation information, were then used to drive a point based, daily, multi soil-layer, ecosystem water-balance model, SOILWAT2 (https://github.com/DrylandEcology/SOILWAT2). SCPN plots were established to capture the range of ecosystem conditions present in this network. Plant communities of the SCPN are a vital sign for this region, enhancing habitat, stabilizing soils, and moderating hydrology. However, these ecosystems are water-limited, and many plant and ecosystem processes are driven by the amount of water available in the soil profile (i.e. soil moisture). These data provide daily observations of gridded climate and predicted measures of water-balance (ie. transpiration, evaporation, etc.) and soil moisture availability for the last 38 years for 270 NPS plots and can be used to provide insight into plant and ecosystem processes.

These data are daily climate, water balance, and soil moisture data for 270 plots in the National Park Service (NPS) Southern Colorado Plateau Network (SCPN) Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) network. Climate data was collected from a gridded, daily climate dataset, Daymet (https://daymet.ornl.gov/). Climate, alongside field-collected soils (SoilDepthsByPlot.csv) and vegetation information, were then used to drive a point based, daily, multi soil-layer, ecosystem water-balance model, SOILWAT2 (https://github.com/DrylandEcology/SOILWAT2). SCPN plots were established to capture the range of ecosystem conditions present in this network. Plant communities of the SCPN are a vital sign for this region, enhancing habitat, stabilizing soils, and moderating hydrology. However, these ecosystems are water-limited, and many plant and ecosystem processes are driven by the amount of water available in the soil profile (i.e. soil moisture). These data provide daily observations of gridded climate and predicted measures of water-balance (ie. transpiration, evaporation, etc.) and soil moisture availability for the last 38 years for 270 NPS plots and can be used to provide insight into plant and ecosystem processes.

These data are daily climate, water balance, and soil moisture data for 270 plots in the National Park Service (NPS) Southern Colorado Plateau Network (SCPN) Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) network. Climate data was collected from a gridded, daily climate dataset, Daymet (https://daymet.ornl.gov/). Climate, alongside field-collected soils (SoilDepthsByPlot.csv) and vegetation information, were then used to drive a point based, daily, multi soil-layer, ecosystem water-balance model, SOILWAT2 (https://github.com/DrylandEcology/SOILWAT2). SCPN plots were established to capture the range of ecosystem conditions present in this network. Plant communities of the SCPN are a vital sign for this region, enhancing habitat, stabilizing soils, and moderating hydrology. However, these ecosystems are water-limited, and many plant and ecosystem processes are driven by the amount of water available in the soil profile (i.e. soil moisture). These data provide daily observations of gridded climate and predicted measures of water-balance (ie. transpiration, evaporation, etc.) and soil moisture availability for the last 38 years for 270 NPS plots and can be used to provide insight into plant and ecosystem processes.