\log
The initial iteration of the documentation section of this file was
generated by Roberto Cortinas and Rick Ingersoll in early May of
1994. Data for litter bags harvested on 1 July and 11 September
1994 were appended to the data section on 18 May 1994 and the file
was put under sccs control then as well.[RCI 18 May 1994] Data for
litter bags harvested on 23 June 1994 were appended to the data
section on 29 June 1994.[RCI 29 June 1994] Data for litter bags
harvested on 17 August 1994 were appended to the data section on
12 September 1994.[RCI 12 September 1994] Data for litter bags
harvested on 21 July 1995 were appended to the data section on
1 September 1995.[MAH 1 September 1995]
\doc
TITLE. Litter decomposition in pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides)
mounds of the Colorado alpine tundra.
ABSTRACT. This research was designed to examine the interaction of
effects of gopher disturbance and aspect on litter decomposition on
alpine tundra. Kobresia myosuroides foliage collected from Niwot Ridge
was dried and placed into 10x20 cm litter bags. About 2 g of plant
material were placed in the litter bags. One-hundred and sixty (160)
litter bags were constructed of polyester mesh with a mesh size of
2mm^2. Forty (40) litter bags were placed inside of gopher mounds,
at the interface between the mounded (gopher excavated) soil and
the original soil surface (top of the O horizon), located on a
slope with a southern aspect. An additional 40 litter bags were placed
on the soil surface near these gopher mounds. The remaining 80 bags
were similarly paired on gopher mounds and undisturbed soils on a
slope with a northern aspect. All litter bags were placed in the
field on 1 July 1993, and an initial harvest was done on the same
date in order to assess the effect of handling and transport to the
field. The second harvest was undertaken on 11 September 1993, at
which time 31 bags were harvested. Retrieved litter bags were dried at
80 degrees Celsius for approximately 24 hr. The litter was removed from
the litter bags and weighed. Litter weight loss was calculated to
estimate decomposition rates. Four remaining harvests are scheduled:
spring 1994, autumn 1994, spring 1995, and autumn 1995.
INVESTIGATOR. M. Roberto Cortinas & Tim Seastedt, INSTAAR, CB 450,
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, (303) 492-3302 or (303) 492-0434,
tims@culter.colorado.edu.
VARIABLES. sample weight loss, percent weight loss.
KEYWORDS. litter decay, decomposition, pocket gophers, mounds, Thomomys talpoides, Biogeochemistry, soil and microbial pools and fluxes, disturbance.
LOCATION. Study areas were located on Niwot Ridge, in and around gopher-
disturbed areas on a south-facing slope located about 75 m east and
northeast of T-Van and a north-facing slope located on the west side of
the Saddle. Samples are stored at Research Laboratory #1 (Room 178) and
original data are stored at Research Laboratory #1 (Room 119).
TIMING. begin 1 July 1993, ongoing, twice per year.
CITATIONS.
COMMENTS. Data were manually entered using EasyEntry forms and processed
on culter. See "The Management of NWT LTER Data on the PC" and "The
Management of NWT LTER Data on culter" for additional information.
Kobresia samples were obtained from Marilyn Walker. The dried
samples were weighed and placed in the litter bags.
Treatment/plot codes consist of 4 characters representing aspect (N for
north or S for south), disturbance level (G for gopher-disturbed soil or
S for surface (undisturbed) soil), site number (1, 2, or 3), and plot
number (1 or 2).
Data for which the field placement data and the harvest date were
the same (1 July 1993), were used to characterize the litter weight
loss effected by transport of litter bags to the field and then
back to the lab. Percent weight loss was calculated for each of
these bags and a mean percent weight loss was calculated from these
values. This mean percent weight loss (3.12%) was then used to
calculate a corrected initial sample weight. This corrected weight was
then used to calculate decomposition for subsequent harvests. Note that
calculated columns COL6, COL10, and COL11 are meaningless where field
placement date and harvest date are the same (i.e., 07/01/93) since the
correction factor for weight loss during transport has, in effect,
been applied twice.
Note that the values in columns COL10, COL11, and COL12 are calculated
from the other columns as follows:
COL10 = COL6 - COL9;
COL11 = ((COL10/COL6)*100);
COL12 = COL8 - COL9 - COL4.
Litter bags 104 and 30 (harvested on 8 September 1994) were contaminated
with soil.
Final dry litter weights for bags 42 and 70 (harvested on 21 July 1995)
were corrected for the presence of dirt.
The tag for litter bag 115 (harvested on 21 July 1995) had tooth marks
on it.
\type
statistical.
\header
COL1. label=bag number, type=integer, units=none, missing value
indicator=, minimum=001, maximum=160, precision=1
COL2. label=treatment/plot code, type=string, units=none, missing
value indicator, minimum=, maximum=, precision=
COL3. label=field placement date (mm/dd/yy), type=string, units=none,
missing value indicator=, minimum=07/01/93, maximum=, precision=
COL4. label=initial dry bag weight, type=real, units=grams, missing
value indicator=, minimum=, maximum=, precision=
COL5. label=initial dry litter weight, type=real, units=grams,
missing value indicator=, minimum=, maximum=, precision=
COL6. label=corrected initial dry litter weight, type=real, units=
grams, missing value indicator=, minimum=, maximum=, precision=
COL7. label=harvest date (mm/dd/yy), type=string, units=none,
missing value indicator=, minimum=07/01/93, maximum=, precision=
COL8. label=final dry total weight (bag+litter), type=real, units=
grams, missing value indicator=99.999, minimum=, maximum=,
precision=
COL9. label=final dry litter weight, type=real, units=grams, missing
value indicator=, minimum=, maximum=, precision=
COL10. label=litter weight loss, type=real, units=grams, missing
value indicator=, minimum=, maximum=, precision=
COL11. label=percent litter weight loss, type=real, units=percent,
missing value indicator=, minimum=, maximum=, precision=
COL12. label=change in non-litter (bag) weight, type=real, units=
grams, missing value indicator=999.99, minimum=, maximum=,
precision=
{*********************************************************************
If the data section below contains no data then you will need to
obtain permission from the investigator listed in the documentation
section of this file. If you have obtained permission or if the data
are already contained in this file, include the following
acknowledgment (in addition to an acknowledgment of the investigator)
in any published use of these data: "Logistical support
and/or data were provided by the Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological
Research project (NSF DEB 0423662) and the Mountain Research Station
(BIR 9115097)." Please send 4 reprints or high-quality copies of any
such publications to Todd Ackerman, NWT LTER data manager,
INSTAAR, CB 450, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309-0450.
The data contained in these files have many sources. Generally,
data collected prior to 1993 would have been subjected to quality
control standards imposed by the investigator. Data after 1992
were likely to have been manually entered and/or processed in the
NWT LTER central data management laboratory. Detailed information
on the quality control protocols and programs associated with any
data routed through the NWT LTER data management laboratory will
be supplied upon request. The user of these data should be aware
that, while efforts have been taken to ensure that these data are
of the highest quality, there is no guarantee of perfection for
the data contained herein and the possibility of errors exists.
If you encounter questionable data, please contact the NWT LTER
data manager (todda@culter.colorado.edu; (303) 492-4771) so that
the data can be corrected or qualified. Thus, these data should
be considered dynamic in that past data may be modified and future
data will be appended.
******************************************************************}
\data
001,SG11,07/01/93,09.589,01.767,1.712,07/01/93,99.999,01.705,0.007,0.41,99.999
003,SS11,07/01/93,08.768,01.780,1.724,07/01/93,99.999,01.701,0.023,1.33,99.999
006,NG11,07/01/93,09.449,01.774,1.719,07/01/93,99.999,01.752,-0.033,-1.92,99.999
007,NS11,07/01/93,09.600,01.762,1.707,07/01/93,99.999,01.713,-0.006,-0.35,99.999
024,SS12,07/01/93,09.111,01.752,1.697,07/01/93,99.999,01.681,0.016,0.94,99.999
092,NS11,07/01/93,08.923,01.753,1.698,07/01/93,99.999,01.696,0.002,0.12,99.999
005,SG11,07/01/93,09.276,01.761,1.706,09/11/93,10.372,00.987,0.719,42.15,0.109
011,SS11,07/01/93,09.117,01.758,1.703,09/11/93,10.715,01.523,0.18,10.57,0.075
017,SG12,07/01/93,09.372,01.751,1.696,09/11/93,10.426,00.895,0.801,47.23,0.159
023,SG12,07/01/93,09.056,01.753,1.698,09/11/93,10.326,01.088,0.61,35.92,0.182
025,SS12,07/01/93,09.194,01.751,1.696,09/11/93,10.826,01.512,0.184,10.85,0.12
036,SG21,07/01/93,09.561,01.756,1.701,09/11/93,10.510,00.815,0.886,52.09,0.134
041,SS21,07/01/93,09.234,01.753,1.698,09/11/93,10.825,01.521,0.177,10.42,0.07
043,SG22,07/01/93,09.482,01.752,1.697,09/11/93,10.660,00.939,0.758,44.67,0.239
050,SS22,07/01/93,08.984,01.755,1.700,09/11/93,10.546,01.456,0.244,14.35,0.106
057,SG31,07/01/93,09.219,01.754,1.699,09/11/93,10.271,00.915,0.784,46.14,0.137
060,SG31,07/01/93,09.690,01.754,1.699,09/11/93,10.903,01.033,0.666,39.20,0.18
063,SS31,07/01/93,09.127,01.756,1.701,09/11/93,10.801,01.472,0.229,13.46,0.202
068,SS31,07/01/93,08.978,01.751,1.696,09/11/93,10.496,01.445,0.251,14.80,0.073
072,SG32,07/01/93,09.058,01.750,1.695,09/11/93,10.294,00.974,0.721,42.54,0.262
076,SS32,07/01/93,08.896,01.754,1.699,09/11/93,10.493,01.540,0.159,9.36,0.057
084,NG11,07/01/93,09.322,01.752,1.697,09/11/93,99.999,00.968,0.729,42.96,99.999
094,NS11,07/01/93,09.341,01.751,1.696,09/11/93,10.835,01.401,0.295,17.39,0.093
097,NG12,07/01/93,09.197,01.754,1.699,09/11/93,10.228,00.876,0.823,48.44,0.155
101,NG12,07/01/93,09.303,01.754,1.699,09/11/93,10.477,00.967,0.732,43.08,0.207
102,NS12,07/01/93,08.740,01.752,1.697,09/11/93,10.288,01.424,0.273,16.09,0.124
107,NS12,07/01/93,09.861,01.752,1.697,09/11/93,11.379,01.451,0.246,14.50,0.067
112,NG21,07/01/93,09.970,01.752,1.697,09/11/93,11.029,00.897,0.8,47.14,0.162
119,NS21,07/01/93,09.380,01.754,1.699,09/11/93,99.999,01.289,0.41,24.13,99.999
126,NG22,07/01/93,08.894,01.756,1.701,09/11/93,10.112,01.049,0.652,38.33,0.169
131,NS22,07/01/93,09.587,01.753,1.698,09/11/93,11.174,01.511,0.187,11.01,0.076
135,NG31,07/01/93,09.104,01.753,1.698,09/11/93,10.094,00.829,0.869,51.18,0.161
145,NS31,07/01/93,09.273,01.755,1.700,09/11/93,10.824,01.476,0.224,13.18,0.075
148,NG32,07/01/93,08.951,01.756,1.701,09/11/93,09.921,00.841,0.86,50.56,0.129
150,NG32,07/01/93,09.207,01.755,1.700,09/11/93,10.174,00.805,0.895,52.65,0.162
154,NS32,07/01/93,09.144,01.755,1.700,09/11/93,10.636,01.429,0.271,15.94,0.063
156,NS32,07/01/93,09.029,01.755,1.700,09/11/93,10.506,01.415,0.285,16.76,0.062
008,SG11,07/01/93,09.477,01.752,1.697,06/23/94,10.597,00.762,0.935,55.10,0.358
014,SS11,07/01/93,09.393,01.753,1.698,06/23/94,10.776,01.067,0.631,37.16,0.316
019,SG12,07/01/93,09.638,01.752,1.697,06/23/94,10.833,00.814,0.883,52.03,0.381
028,SS12,07/01/93,09.394,01.755,1.700,06/23/94,10.624,01.006,0.694,40.82,0.224
032,SG21,07/01/93,08.888,01.753,1.698,06/23/94,09.745,00.703,0.995,58.60,0.154
039,SS21,07/01/93,08.996,01.756,1.701,06/23/94,10.430,01.091,0.61,35.86,0.343
044,SG22,07/01/93,09.017,01.752,1.697,06/23/94,09.912,00.719,0.978,57.63,0.176
051,SS22,07/01/93,08.997,01.751,1.696,06/23/94,10.069,00.975,0.721,42.51,0.097
055,SG31,07/01/93,08.978,01.751,1.696,06/23/94,10.096,00.874,0.822,48.47,0.244
064,SS31,07/01/93,09.241,01.753,1.698,06/23/94,10.339,00.958,0.74,43.58,0.14
069,SG32,07/01/93,09.469,01.752,1.697,06/23/94,11.070,00.878,0.819,48.26,0.723
071,SG32,07/01/93,08.861,01.752,1.697,06/23/94,10.301,00.976,0.721,42.49,0.464
079,SS32,07/01/93,09.590,01.754,1.699,06/23/94,10.640,00.916,0.783,46.09,0.134
081,SS32,07/01/93,08.908,01.753,1.698,06/23/94,10.203,01.247,0.451,26.56,0.048
088,NG11,07/01/93,09.239,01.752,1.697,06/23/94,10.724,00.950,0.747,44.02,0.535
090,NS11,07/01/93,09.666,01.751,1.696,06/23/94,10.724,00.955,0.741,43.69,0.103
098,NG12,07/01/93,09.206,01.751,1.696,06/23/94,10.350,00.902,0.794,46.82,0.242
103,NS12,07/01/93,09.309,01.750,1.695,06/23/94,10.398,00.930,0.765,45.13,0.159
109,NG21,07/01/93,09.632,01.754,1.699,06/23/94,11.576,01.083,0.616,36.26,0.861
116,NS21,07/01/93,09.387,01.757,1.702,06/23/94,10.400,00.918,0.784,46.06,0.095
121,NG22,07/01/93,09.619,01.753,1.698,06/23/94,11.146,01.081,0.617,36.34,0.446
125,NG22,07/01/93,09.092,01.754,1.699,06/23/94,10.276,00.847,0.852,50.15,0.337
129,NS22,07/01/93,09.205,01.757,1.702,06/23/94,10.372,01.071,0.631,37.07,0.096
130,NS22,07/01/93,09.861,01.752,1.697,06/23/94,11.062,01.029,0.668,39.36,0.172
136,NG31,07/01/93,09.005,01.752,1.697,06/23/94,10.224,00.920,0.777,45.79,0.299
144,NS31,07/01/93,08.695,01.751,1.696,06/23/94,09.914,01.011,0.685,40.39,0.208
153,NG32,07/01/93,09.086,01.751,1.696,06/23/94,09.989,00.717,0.979,57.72,0.186
158,NS32,07/01/93,09.247,01.753,1.698,06/23/94,10.587,01.058,0.64,37.69,0.282
002,SG11,07/01/93,09.446,01.754,1.699,08/17/94,10.489,00.806,0.893,52.56,0.237
010,SG11,07/01/93,09.073,01.755,1.700,08/17/94,09.846,00.586,1.114,65.53,0.187
013,SS11,07/01/93,09.164,01.753,1.698,08/17/94,10.052,00.777,0.921,54.24,0.111
016,SS11,07/01/93,09.334,01.753,1.698,08/17/94,10.373,00.857,0.841,49.53,0.182
020,SG12,07/01/93,09.303,01.755,1.700,08/17/94,10.381,00.811,0.889,52.29,0.267
022,SG12,07/01/93,09.250,01.753,1.698,08/17/94,10.405,00.840,0.858,50.53,0.315
029,SS12,07/01/93,09.191,01.751,1.696,08/17/94,10.693,01.009,0.687,40.51,0.493
030,SS12,07/01/93,09.125,01.756,1.701,08/17/94,11.445,01.642,0.059,3.47,0.678
037,SS21,07/01/93,08.947,01.754,1.699,08/17/94,10.005,00.942,0.757,44.56,0.116
038,SS21,07/01/93,09.105,01.753,1.698,08/17/94,10.144,00.912,0.786,46.29,0.127
052,SS22,07/01/93,09.087,01.754,1.699,08/17/94,10.160,00.955,0.744,43.79,0.118
054,SS22,07/01/93,08.887,01.750,1.695,08/17/94,10.036,00.959,0.736,43.42,0.19
056,SG31,07/01/93,09.239,01.753,1.698,08/17/94,10.134,00.695,1.003,59.07,0.2
058,SG31,07/01/93,09.343,01.754,1.699,08/17/94,10.220,00.663,1.036,60.98,0.214
065,SS31,07/01/93,08.948,01.753,1.698,08/17/94,09.966,00.882,0.816,48.06,0.136
067,SS31,07/01/93,08.832,01.752,1.697,08/17/94,09.894,00.901,0.796,46.91,0.161
073,SG32,07/01/93,09.316,01.751,1.696,08/17/94,10.281,00.731,0.965,56.90,0.234
074,SG32,07/01/93,09.525,01.752,1.697,08/17/94,10.908,00.806,0.891,52.50,0.577
077,SS32,07/01/93,09.245,01.753,1.698,08/17/94,10.361,01.042,0.656,38.63,0.074
078,SS32,07/01/93,09.314,01.753,1.698,08/17/94,10.439,01.041,0.657,38.69,0.084
089,NS11,07/01/93,09.268,01.752,1.697,08/17/94,10.420,00.960,0.737,43.43,0.192
104,NS12,07/01/93,09.304,01.753,1.698,08/17/94,12.266,01.098,0.6,35.34,1.864
108,NS12,07/01/93,09.157,01.752,1.697,08/17/94,11.004,01.003,0.694,40.90,0.844
031,SG21,07/01/93,09.172,01.755,1.700,08/17/94,09.927,00.643,1.057,62.18,0.112
035,SG21,07/01/93,09.319,01.752,1.697,08/17/94,10.196,00.642,1.055,62.17,0.235
045,SG22,07/01/93,08.937,01.754,1.699,08/17/94,09.676,00.615,1.084,63.80,0.124
047,SG22,07/01/93,09.090,01.752,1.697,08/17/94,09.788,00.579,1.118,65.88,0.119
086,NG11,07/01/93,09.198,01.755,1.700,08/17/94,10.202,00.703,0.997,58.65,0.301
087,NG11,07/01/93,09.316,01.756,1.701,08/17/94,10.182,00.638,1.063,62.49,0.228
095,NG12,07/01/93,09.169,01.753,1.698,08/17/94,10.110,00.745,0.953,56.12,0.196
110,NG21,07/01/93,09.765,01.754,1.699,08/17/94,10.921,00.960,0.739,43.50,0.196
113,NG21,07/01/93,09.058,01.752,1.697,08/17/94,09.982,00.740,0.957,56.39,0.184
118,NS21,07/01/93,08.861,01.753,1.698,08/17/94,09.776,00.791,0.907,53.42,0.124
120,NS21,07/01/93,09.185,01.751,1.696,08/17/94,10.122,00.828,0.868,51.18,0.109
122,NG22,07/01/93,09.011,01.753,1.698,08/17/94,10.117,00.746,0.952,56.07,0.36
127,NG22,07/01/93,09.932,01.753,1.698,08/17/94,10.841,00.725,0.973,57.30,0.184
128,NS22,07/01/93,09.253,01.754,1.699,08/17/94,10.324,00.965,0.734,43.20,0.106
134,NS22,07/01/93,09.278,01.751,1.696,08/17/94,10.354,00.962,0.734,43.28,0.114
137,NG31,07/01/93,09.151,01.752,1.697,08/17/94,09.949,00.652,1.045,61.58,0.146
138,NG31,07/01/93,09.095,01.751,1.696,08/17/94,09.965,00.737,0.959,56.54,0.133
141,NS31,07/01/93,09.277,01.754,1.699,08/17/94,10.345,00.894,0.805,47.38,0.174
146,NS31,07/01/93,09.042,01.752,1.697,08/17/94,10.057,00.886,0.811,47.79,0.129
149,NG32,07/01/93,09.456,01.755,1.700,08/17/94,10.277,00.647,1.053,61.94,0.174
151,NG32,07/01/93,08.767,01.753,1.698,08/17/94,09.588,00.658,1.04,61.25,0.163
157,NS32,07/01/93,09.226,01.751,1.696,08/17/94,10.352,00.943,0.753,44.40,0.183
160,NS32,07/01/93,09.178,01.752,1.697,08/17/94,10.368,00.957,0.74,43.61,0.233
004,SG11,07/01/93,09.214,01.753,1.698,07/21/95,99.999,00.814,0.884,52.06,99.999
009,SG11,07/01/93,09.279,01.751,1.696,07/21/95,99.999,00.655,1.041,61.38,99.999
012,SS11,07/01/93,08.908,01.751,1.696,07/21/95,99.999,00.815,0.881,51.95,99.999
015,SS11,07/01/93,09.224,01.754,1.699,07/21/95,99.999,00.788,0.911,53.62,99.999
018,SG12,07/01/93,09.488,01.754,1.699,07/21/95,99.999,00.576,1.123,66.10,99.999
021,SG12,07/01/93,09.017,01.753,1.698,07/21/95,99.999,00.900,0.798,47.00,99.999
026,SS12,07/01/93,10.076,01.755,1.700,07/21/95,99.999,00.750,0.95,55.88,99.999
027,SS12,07/01/93,09.381,01.752,1.697,07/21/95,99.999,00.870,0.827,48.73,99.999
033,SG21,07/01/93,08.940,01.750,1.695,07/21/95,99.999,00.657,1.038,61.24,99.999
034,SG21,07/01/93,09.220,01.754,1.699,07/21/95,99.999,00.552,1.147,67.51,99.999
040,SS21,07/01/93,09.312,01.752,1.697,07/21/95,99.999,00.935,0.762,44.90,99.999
042,SS21,07/01/93,09.145,01.753,1.698,07/21/95,99.999,01.129,0.569,33.51,99.999
046,SG22,07/01/93,08.963,01.751,1.696,07/21/95,99.999,00.556,1.14,67.22,99.999
048,SG22,07/01/93,09.186,01.752,1.697,07/21/95,99.999,00.599,1.098,64.70,99.999
049,SS22,07/01/93,09.406,01.752,1.697,07/21/95,99.999,00.754,0.943,55.57,99.999
053,SS22,07/01/93,08.962,01.751,1.696,07/21/95,99.999,00.841,0.855,50.41,99.999
059,SG31,07/01/93,09.770,01.752,1.697,07/21/95,99.999,00.628,1.069,62.99,99.999
061,SG31,07/01/93,09.068,01.753,1.698,07/21/95,99.999,00.844,0.854,50.29,99.999
062,SS31,07/01/93,09.421,01.754,1.699,07/21/95,99.999,00.866,0.833,49.03,99.999
066,SS31,07/01/93,09.212,01.755,1.700,07/21/95,99.999,00.961,0.739,43.47,99.999
070,SG32,07/01/93,09.550,01.751,1.696,07/21/95,99.999,01.005,0.691,40.74,99.999
075,SG32,07/01/93,09.401,01.752,1.697,07/21/95,99.999,00.843,0.854,50.32,99.999
080,SS32,07/01/93,09.205,01.757,1.702,07/21/95,99.999,00.940,0.762,44.77,99.999
082,SS32,07/01/93,09.110,01.753,1.698,07/21/95,99.999,00.754,0.944,55.59,99.999
111,NG21,07/01/93,09.282,01.754,1.699,07/21/95,99.999,00.998,0.701,41.26,99.999
114,NG21,07/01/93,09.169,01.754,1.699,07/21/95,99.999,00.914,0.785,46.20,99.999
115,NS21,07/01/93,09.068,01.754,1.699,07/21/95,99.999,00.852,0.847,49.85,99.999
117,NS21,07/01/93,09.164,01.753,1.698,07/21/95,99.999,00.705,0.993,58.48,99.999
123,NG22,07/01/93,09.907,01.755,1.700,07/21/95,99.999,00.626,1.074,63.18,99.999
124,NG22,07/01/93,08.836,01.755,1.700,07/21/95,99.999,00.576,1.124,66.12,99.999
132,NS22,07/01/93,09.308,01.756,1.701,07/21/95,99.999,00.778,0.923,54.26,99.999
133,NS22,07/01/93,09.490,01.753,1.698,07/21/95,99.999,00.791,0.907,53.42,99.999