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 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). 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 data files in text format (.txt) for a temperate dry steppe at Rio Mayo, Argentia. One file contains quarterly above-ground biomass data for grasses on the steepe (May 1984-May 1985). The second file contains average annual above-ground primary production (ANPP) data for grasses and shrubs for years 1972-1997 based upon peak above-ground biomass estimates. The third file contains precipitation and maximum/minimum temperature data for the Rio Mayo site for the period 1968 through 1990.Rio Mayo is located in the Patagonia region of Argentina. The vegetation is chiefly composed of grasses and shrubs. Harvest methods were used to estimate grass and shrub production. Between 1972 and 1997, peak annual ANPP of grasses plus shrubs ranged from 21 to 75 g/m2/yr, with an average of about 60 g/m2/yr. Grasses accounted for about two-thirds of the productivity. ANPP was reduced in a drought year, but did not increase in relatively wet years, suggesting that it may not be linearly related to precipitation. ANPP for 1984-1985 was slightly higher (79 g/m2/yr) when a different algorithm was used for estimation. Revision Notes: The original npp data file (rmy_npp.txt) has been split into two files, one file containing seasonal biomass and the other containing annual ANPP estimates. The data file containing annual ANPP estimates has been revised to extend temporage coverage and add additional annual ANPP data. See the Revisions section in this document for details.

This data set contains two ASCII files (.txt format). One file contains above- and below-ground biomass (including standing dead material and litter) and productivity data for a tropical grassland at Kurukshetra University (29.97 N, 76.85 E, Elevation 247 m) in northern India, about 150-km north-northwest of Delhi. The second file contains climate data from a weather station located at the study site. Biomass measurements were made monthly by harvest methods from mid-May 1970 to mid-May 1971. Annual net primary productivity (NPP) was calculated for the grassland according to several methods, with preference shown for the estimate given by summing positive increases in biomass and accounting for mortality. Total NPP was estimated at 3,538 g/m2/yr, with above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) of 2,407 g/m2/yr and below-ground net primary productivity (BNPP) of 1,131 g/m2/yr. Seasonal changes in the vegetation were studied through tiller analysis. Examination of vertical distribution of above-ground biomass showed that different layers of vegetation were dominated by different species in different months. ANPP was maximum during the rainy season (1,706 g/m2) and BNPP was maximum during the dry winter season (785 g/m2). Production was more directed above ground during the rainy season and below ground during the dry season. Apparent efficiency of energy conversion was calculated at 1.66% on the basis of 50% total solar radiation.

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 provides three data files in text format (.txt). Two files contain biomass and above-ground net primary production (ANPP) estimates for two upland meadows with contrasting soil types at the Otradnoe research station of the V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences located on the Karelian peninsula 100-km to the north of St. Petersburg, Russia. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data recorded at the study site for the period 1968-1973. Measurements of above- and below-ground live and dead biomass were made at a sandy meadow (OTRS) from 1969 to 1972 and at a loamy meadow (OTRL) from 1969 to 1973. Additional biomass measurements were made at OTRS in June 1972 and at OTRL in May 1973. Monthly N, P, and S content of above-ground live biomass were measured 1969-1971 at OTRS.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.

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 two data files in text format (.txt). One file contains tri-monthly measurements of above-ground biomass made during the growing season between July 1982 and August 1990 on a dry, cold Eurasian steppe dominated by Stipa grandis at the Tumentsogt Research Station in Mongolia. The second file contains monthly and annual climate data recorded at the study site from 1963 through 1983. Mongolian steppes occupy a major part of eastern Mongolia and northern China and are characterized climatically by low mean annual rainfall and temperature, with a highly seasonal pattern in both. The beginning of spring rainfall and warming are strongly correlated, and the onset of the growing season rainfall triggers the green-up in the region. Land use is dominated by grazing, historically by nomadic pastoralists and more recently for cooperative livestock production. Privatization of grazing land and cropland conversions have been increasing since 1990. Ecosystem degradation such as deterioration of vegetation (e.g., vegetation removal and replacement) and soil (e.g., erosion) is becoming widespread. Peak above-ground biomass at Tumentsogt occurs during a short rainy season (June-August). The amount of biomass fluctuates from year-to-year coherently with rainfall variation. Above-ground net primaryp roductivity (ANPP) estimates are relatively low in comparison to other temperate grasslands, ranging from 72 to 160 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 1996.

This data set contains three data files in text format (.txt) for a temperate dry steppe at Rio Mayo, Argentia. One file contains quarterly above-ground biomass data for grasses on the steepe (May 1984-May 1985). The second file contains average annual above-ground primary production (ANPP) data for grasses and shrubs for years 1972-1997 based upon peak above-ground biomass estimates. The third file contains precipitation and maximum/minimum temperature data for the Rio Mayo site for the period 1968 through 1990.Rio Mayo is located in the Patagonia region of Argentina. The vegetation is chiefly composed of grasses and shrubs. Harvest methods were used to estimate grass and shrub production. Between 1972 and 1997, peak annual ANPP of grasses plus shrubs ranged from 21 to 75 g/m2/yr, with an average of about 60 g/m2/yr. Grasses accounted for about two-thirds of the productivity. ANPP was reduced in a drought year, but did not increase in relatively wet years, suggesting that it may not be linearly related to precipitation. ANPP for 1984-1985 was slightly higher (79 g/m2/yr) when a different algorithm was used for estimation. Revision Notes: The original npp data file (rmy_npp.txt) has been split into two files, one file containing seasonal biomass and the other containing annual ANPP estimates. The data file containing annual ANPP estimates has been revised to extend temporage coverage and add additional annual ANPP data. See the Revisions section in this document for details.