This data set contains two ASCII files (.txt format). One file contains monthly above-ground biomass data (total live biomass plus dead matter) for May 1956 to February 1958 for an annually burned, humid derived savanna in the Olokemeji Forest Reserve, Nigeria (7.42 N, 3.55 E) . This file also contains single measurements of above-ground biomass for years 1963 and 1964, single measurements of above-ground biomass at a nearby area for years 1960 and 1964, a single measurement of peak herbaceous leaf area index (LAI) for 1963, and a single measurement of peak tree/shrub LAI for 1964. Harvest procedures were used to measure biomass. LAI was determined by direct measurements. The second file contains climate data (precipitation amount and maximum/minimum temperature) from a weather station at the study site for the period 1956/01/01 through 1964/12/31.Annual above-ground net primary production (ANPP) estimates presented here are the sum of the increase in above-ground plant matter accumulation (total live biomass plus dead matter). ANPP of the herbaceous layer was estimated in 1957 to be around 680 g/m2/yr based on peak total clipped matter.

This data set provides three data files in text format (.txt). One file contains monthly above-ground biomass measurements made in 1965 in a humid grass savanna at the Lamto Research Station, Cote Ivoire, Africa. The second file contains monthly above- and below-ground biomass measurements and calculations of carbon/nitrogen ratio of above-ground live and dead biomass and below-ground biomass from the same site for 1969-1987. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for the period 1969-1990.Total net primary production (NPP) of the Loudetia simplex grass savanna was estimated at 2,150 g/m2/yr, of which 1,320 g/m2/yr (61%) was below-ground production. Normally 50-90% of above-ground grass biomass is burned annually,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 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 provides three data files in text format (.txt). One file contains a long time series of monthly biomass measurements and net primary productivity (NPP) estimates made between July 1984 and November 1994 on an ungrazed tropical dry savanna grassland in the Nairobi National Park, Kenya. The second file contains a shorter time series (October 1989-June 1991) of monthly biomass measurements made on an adjacent savanna that had been clipped in September 1989. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for the period 1969-1989.Measurements of above-ground live phytomass, standing dead, and litter biomass were made on the 15th day of each month on the ungrazed grassland over the time series (except during 1987 and at a few other times). The time series for below-ground biomass (BNPP) measurements (live and dead) is more discontinuous with large gaps in 1987-1989. NPP estimates are only available for part of 1984 through 1986 on the ungrazed savanna. The above-ground NPP (ANPP) values averaged 1,004 g/m2/yr and BNPP averaged 875 g/m2/yr. The record of above- and below-ground biomass measurements for the clipped savanna is complete except for a few months in 1990. 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.

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 one NPP data file and two climate data files (ASCII .txt format). The NPP file contains above- and below- ground biomass, litterfall, standing litter crop, and nutrient content data for a moist semi-deciduous secondary tropical forest at the Kade Agricultural Research Station (6.15 N 0.92 W), Ghana, spanning several collections periods between 1957 and 1972. Climate data come from weather stations at Kade near the study site (1958-1997) and at Kumasi near Kade (1945-1990).The Kade study site is typical of an old secondary forest which has probably not been cultivated or harvested since around 1915-1925. Tree basal area measured in 1957 was quite high at 33.7 m2/ha; measurements in 1968 of a plot a few hundred meters away gave 30.6 m2/ha.Detailed above- and below-ground biomass data are provided from a single clear-felling made in 1957. Nutrient content for lianas, leaves and twigs, branches, large wood, standing dead wood, stumps, litter, and roots is also provided. Total live + dead biomass was 36,102 g/m2, of which 5,414 g/m2 (15%) was below-ground live biomass and 23,568 g/m2 was above-ground live biomass. Monthly litterfall is available for 26 months (1970-72).Total annual NPP was estimated in the late 1950s at about 2,400 g/m2/year based on litterfall of 1,054 g/m2/year plus rough estimates of timber fall (1,070-1,121 g/m2/year) and root production (258 g/m2/year). In the 1970s, NPP was recalculated at 2,200-2,500 g/m2/year based on additional measurements of litter, wood fall, and decomposition.

This data set contains five data files in text format (.txt). Three files contain biomass dynamics data for a broad-leaved savanna located in the 800-hectare Nylsvley study site 200 km north of Johannesburg, South Africa. One net primary productivity (NPP) file contains monthly above-ground biomass data from harvests made between mid-October 1974 and mid-September 1977. A second NPP file contains three-year mean monthly values for above-ground, standing dead, and litter biomass. The third NPP file contains monthly below-ground living and dead biomass data from excavations made from August 1988 to November 1989. Climate data are provided in the other two files. One file contains air temperature data measured at the study site (1975-1983). The other file contains rainfall data measured at a nearby farmhouse (1917-1995).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.

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 seven data files in text format (.txt). The files provide biomass estimates, soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) measurements made at an artificially-established grassland savanna study site in Towoomba, South Africa. The study site was part of a long-term experiment to test the effect of fertilizer application. Biomass data are available for the years 1950-1981 (data are not available for 1976 or 1977); soil C, N, and P data are available for the years 1949, 1962, 1980, and 1990. The 1949 estimates were inferred in 1990 from undisturbed savanna adjacent to the experiment. The savanna-fertilizer experiment was several hectares in extent, with five levels of nitrogen and three levels of phosphorus laid out in a randomized block design on an area from which all trees were removed. The ammonium sulphate and superphosphate fertilizers were added during November (50% of total), January (25%) and February (25%). The response to N fertilizer saturated at higher levels, so data from only six (3 x 2) of the 15 possible treatment combinations are provided.Above-ground biomass was sampled by mowing to 5-cm height. It was assumed that 50 g/m2 was left in the field, plus an additional 5% of the mowed dry weight. 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.

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.