Integrated Upland Vegetation and Soils Monitoring for Petrified Forest National Park: 2007 Summary Report
DeCoster JK and Swan MC. 2009. Integrated Upland Vegetation and Soils Monitoring for Petrified Forest National Park: 2007 Summary Report. Natural Resource Data Series. NPS/SCPN/NRDS—2009/005. Natural Resource Program Center. Fort Collins, Colorado
The National Park Service Vital Signs Monitoring Program was designed to monitor the status and trends in the condition of park natural resources, providing a strong scientific foundation for decision making and resource conservation for park managers. The Southern Colorado Plateau Network (SCPN) and park staff selected three ecological sites to be monitored at Petrified National Forest (PEFO): Clayey Fan, Loamy Upland, and Sandy Loam Upland. The SCPN Upland Monitoring crew implemented monitoring at PEFO in 2007, establishing 10 plots in each of three ecological sites. An updated soil survey was published in 2007 which merged the Sandy Loam Upland and Loamy Upland ecological sites into a single ecological site, designated Sandy Loam Upland. Field methodology is provided in detail in the SCPN Integrated Upland Protocol. These data represent the first year baseline of sampling for the Clayey Fan and Sandy Loam Upland ecological sites at PEFO. These sites are dominated by grasses, with moderate cover of shrubs. Both sites contain Sporobolus airoides, Bouteloua gracilis, Pleuraphis jamesii, and Atriplex canscens. The Sandy Loam Upland site has greater shrub cover, and consequently greater total live vegetative cover. Species diversity patterns are similar for both sites. Shannon diversity and evenness is greater for the Sandy Loam Upland site, while ecological site richness is greater for the Clayey Fan site. Species richness is higher in the Clayey Fan site at all spatial scales, particularly at the finer scales. Soil aggregate stability corresponds with soil texture: the Clayey Fan site has greater stability than the Sandy Loam Upland site.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- DeCoster, James; Swan, Megan
- Date of Issue
- 2009-07
- Publisher
- Natural Resource Program Center
- Units
- NRSS , PEFO , SCPN
- Keywords
- Abundance (Biodiversity), Clayey Fan ecological site, Loamy Upland ecological site, Monitoring, Presence (Biodiversity), Sandy Loam Upland ecological site, Soils, Taxa Links To Datasets, upland ecosystems, Vegetation, Vouchers