This data set contains three ASCII files (.txt format). Two files contain above- and below-ground biomass and productivity data for a desert grassland in the Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico, one file for an ungrazed treatment and the other for a light to moderately grazed treatment. The study site (32.60 N, -106.85 W, Elevation 1,350 m) is located in the Basin and Range geomorphic province at the northernmost extent of the Chihuahuan Desert, near the city of Las Cruces, New Mexico, about 60-km northwest of El Paso, Texas. The third file contains climate data for the period 1954-1992 obtained from a weather station located near the study site (32.62 N, -106.73 W, Elevation 1,300 m).Dynamics of above-and below-ground plant biomass were monitored at roughly 2-week intervals during the growing season from 1970 to 1972. Data on above-ground live biomass, recent and old dead matter, and root-crown biomass are available for one to two replications of grazed and "ungrazed" (relatively undisturbed) treatments. Total below-ground biomass was also sampled. Data were collected as part of a coordinated study over 1-3 years at ten grassland sites of the central and western United States, under the US GrasslandBiome Project of the International Biological Program (IBP).Annual above-ground net primary production (ANPP) was estimated, conservatively, by summing peak biomass of individual species, and annual below-ground net primary production (BNPP) estimated as the sum of positive increments in total root biomass.

This data set contains three ASCII files (.txt format). Two files contain above- and below-ground biomass and productivity data for a mixed prairie grassland, one file for an ungrazed treatment and the other for a moderately grazed treatment. The study site (38.87 N, - 99.38 W, Elevation 714 m) is located in the central Great Plains near the city of Hays, Kansas, about 400-km west of Kansas City. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the period 1891-1994 obtained from a weather station (38.87 N, -99.38 W, Elevation 613 m) located at the Hays grassland study site. Dynamics of above-ground living and dead plant biomass were monitored by the harvest technique at roughly 2-week intervals during the growing season of 1970. Total below-ground biomass was sampled at the same intervals by manual coring within the harvested plots to a depth sufficient to include at least 90% of the root mass. Data were collected as part of a coordinated study over 1-3 years at ten grassland sites of the central and western United States, under the US Grassland Biome Project of the International Biological Program (IBP).Annual above-ground net primary production (ANPP) was estimated conservatively by summing peak biomass of individual species. These values were 363 g/m2/year for ungrazed and 372 g/m2/year for grazed grassland plots. Annual below-ground net primary production (BNPP) was estimated as the sum of positive increments in total root biomass (including root crowns); 1,062 g/m2/year for ungrazed and 855 g/m2/year for grazed grassland plots.

This data set contains four ASCII text files for a 260-hectare humid Trachypogon savanna at the Estacion Biologica de Los Llanos, Calabozo, Venezuela (8.93 N, -67.42 W, Elevation 98 m). Two data files contain monthly estimates of above-ground biomass for the period January 1969 to October 1969, one file for each treatment (burned and unburned plots). These files also provide one estimate of below-ground biomass. Another NPP data file contains monthly estimates of above- and below-ground biomass, LAI, and nitrogen content of living and dead leaves and stems and below-ground biomass for an unburned area of the Calabozo savanna for March 1986 to April 1987. The fourth data file contains precipitation and maximum/minimum temperature data from a nearby weather station at Estacion Biologica de Los Llanos (8.88 N, -67.32 W, Elevation 86 m) for the period 1968-1986. Harvest methods were used to estimate above- and below-ground biomass. Total NPP (above- plus below-ground productivity) was estimated at 682 g/m2/yr for unburned and 755 g/m2/yr for burned grassland plots in 1969. Later TNPP estimates (1986/87) for the unburned grassland ranged from 823 to 1,310 g/m2/yr.Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1998.

This data set contains two ASCII files (.txt format). One file provides monthly above-ground live biomass, dead matter, and litter data and daily above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) data for a temperate grassland steppe at the Media Luna Ranch in Patagonia, Argentina (45.60 S, 71.42 W, Elevation 630 m) for the period May 1981 to March 1983. The second file contains climate data recorded at Media Luna Ranch from 1981 through 1985. Productivity of the steppe was monitored at monthly or bi-monthly intervals during two growing seasons. The ANPP measurement presented here is the sum of the increase in above-ground live biomass, dead matter, and litter. ANPP was estimated to be 0.00-0.15 g/m2/day in winter months (May-September) and 0.22-0.94 g/m2/day in the warmer months. Annual ANNP was estimated to be 35 g/m2/year. The study site is a 2.5-hectare exclosure situated on the Rio Mayo terraces. The steepe represents one of the most important grassland areas of Patagonia which occupy a narrow belt in the foothills of the Andes. The region has been over-grazed by introduced livestock since the early 1900s, and is currently used for sheep production.

This data set contains three ASCII files (.txt format). Two files contain above-ground biomass and productivity data for a humid temperate tall-grass prairie grassland located in the Konza Prairie Natural Research Area, Kansas. One file provides data for an unburned treatment and the other for a burned treatment for 1975 to 1990. The third file contains climate data for the period 1891-1988 obtained from a weather station at Konza. The above-ground net primary productivity measurement presented here (394 g/m2/year) is a 10-year average (1975-1984) based on peak seasonal live biomass values averaged for burned and unburned lowland and upland grasslands. The Konza study site (39.10 N, - 96.61 W, Elevation 400 m) is situated near the town of Manhattan in north-eastern Kansas, about 170-km west of Kansas City. The Konza research program is built upon a long-term database on ecological pattern and process data derived from a fully replicated watershed-level experimental design, in place at the Konza Prairie Biological Station since 1977. This design includes replicate watersheds subject to different fire and grazing treatments. Within the watersheds, permanent sampling transects are replicated at various topographic positions, where plant species composition, plant and consumer populations, above-ground net primary production (ANPP), soil properties, and other key above- and below-ground processes are measured. In addition to these watershed-level studies, the Konza Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program includes a number of long-term plot-level experiments.

This data set contains two ASCII text files; one providing above-ground biomass, productivity, and bioelement concentration data for a derived savanna at Canas (10.4 N 85.1 W Elevation 45 m) in northwestern Costa Rica, and the other providing climate data from the La Pacifica weather station near Canas and rom other sources. Monthly dynamics of above-ground plant matter were monitored from July 1969 to June 1970 using harvest procedures within an exclosure to restrict grazing. The climate data are available from three time periods: 1951-1960, 1963, and 1969-1970. The climate is characterized by a dry season from late November to April, with little seasonal differences in temperature. The Canas study site is dominated almost exclusively by Hyparrhenia rufa, a perennial grass of African origin introduced extensively throughout the tropics. The original vegetation cover was closed semideciduous forest. The study area was deforested and converted to a grass savanna around January 1947, 22.5 years before the start of the present study. Light grazing by cattle and horses is accompanied by burning of the Canas savanna annually between December and April. Above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) was estimated by two methods: maximum standing crop of herbaceous shoot tissue (peak live + dead matter) (968 g/m2/year); and the sum of monthly estimates of shoot production (including estimated mortality) (1,387 g/m2/year). End-of-season (November, 1969) live root biomass estimates of 1,220 g/m2 at 0-20 cm depth and 2,254 g/m2 at 0-100 cm depth are available in the literature.

This data set contains two ASCII files (.txt format). One file contains monthly productivity data measured on an arid dwarf-shrub steppe in northern Patagonia, Argentina from August 1980 to March 1982. The second file contains climate data recorded at a weather station set up onsite for the duration of the NPP study.Dynamics of above-ground biomass, dead matter, and litter were monitored at Pampa de Leman (-45.43 S, -69.83 W, Elevation 400 m) at monthly or bi-monthly intervals in a 1.5-hectare exclosure area protected from sheep grazing. The vegetative community is dominated by the dwarf shrub Nassauvia glomerulosa, with two grasses (Poa dusenii and Hordeum comosum).Annual above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) of 78 g/m2/yr was estimated from the sum of the increase in above-ground biomass, dead matter, and litter.

This data set contains three ASCII files (.txt format). One file provides above- and below-ground biomass, productivity, litterfall, and bioelement data for a native C3 grassland near Charleville (-26.40 S, 146.27 E, Elevation 304 m) in southern Queensland, northeast Australia. The second file provides above- and below-ground biomass and productivity estimates for an introduced C4 grassland near Charleville. The third file contains climate data (precipitation and maximum/minimum temperature) recorded a weather station located at the Charleville Airport for the period 1942-1994. The NPP studies were carried out over a 12-month period from 1973 to 1974 using harvest techniques with a view to parameterizing a simulation model of primary production and livestock carrying capacity. Peak above-ground standing crop at the end of the summer season was 122 g/m2 and 154 g/m2 for the native and introduced grasslands, respectively. Maximum below-ground standing crop was markedly different, at 110 g/m2 and 400 g/m2, respectively, suggesting a significant difference in shoot/root allocation. Annual net primary production was estimated as the sum of above-ground peak standing crop (live + dead) and root increment. These values were 182 and 319 g/m2/yr for the native and introduced grasslands, respectively. Additional data on litter production and nutrient dynamics are available for the native grassland site. Data on soil moisture, determined gravimetrically with each biomass harvest, are available in the literature.

This data set contains three ASCII files (.txt format). Two files contain above- and below-ground biomass and productivity data for a northern mixed prairie grassland, one file for an ungrazed treatment and the other for a heavily grazed treatment. The study site (46.90 N, -102.82 W, Elevation 784 m) is located in the northern Great Plains, near the city of Dickinson, about 160-km west of Bismarck, North Dakota. The third file contains climate data for the period 1891-1994 obtained from a weather station near Dickinson (46.88 N, -102.80 W, Elevation 750 m). Dynamics of above-ground living and dead plant biomass were monitored by the harvest technique at roughly 2-week intervals during the growing season of 1970. Total below-ground biomass was sampled at the same intervals by manual coring within the harvested plots to a depth sufficient to include at least 90% of the root mass. Data were collected as part of a coordinated study over 1-3 years at ten grassland sites of the central and western United States, under the US Grassland Biome Project of the International Biological Program (IBP).Above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) was estimated conservatively by summing peak biomass of individual species. These values were 351 g/m2/year for ungrazed and 302 g/m2/year for grazed grassland plots. Below-ground net primary productivity (BNPP) was estimated as the sum of positive increments in total root biomass (including root crowns); 932 g/m2/year for ungrazed and 958 g/m2/year for grazed grassland plots. Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1998.

This data set provides three data files in text format (.txt). One file contains monthly biomass measurements and net primary productivity (NPP) estimates made between June 1984 and December 1994 on an ungrazed saline grassland (MNT1) that was accidently burned in February 1986 at the Colegio de Postgraduados field station site, Montecillo, Mexico. The second file contains a shorter time series of monthly biomass measurements and NPP estimates on an adjacent saline grassland (MNT2) that was burned in May 1989, probably by local farmers following normal burning practices. Both files also contain above-and below-ground dead matter decomposition rates. There are data gaps in both files. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the period 1963-1989 from the Chapingo meteorological station located 5 km northeast for the study area.Annual NPP at MNT1 was calculated for 1985-1987 to determine impacts of the unexpected fire. Above-ground NPP (NPP) averaged 669.2 g/m2/yr despite post-fire decline and recovery and variable rainfall over the period. Below-ground NPP (BNPP) was higher, averaging 1,007 g/m2/yr, but with a similar post-fire decline and recovery pattern. Total NPP reflected the yearly variation in ANPP and BNPP, averaging 1,676 g/m2/yr over the 3 year period. Monthly ANPP and BNPP values for MNT2 were lower overall but were not analyzed to determine annual trends.Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1996.