Structure and Function of a Chihuahuan Desert Ecosystem The Jornada Basin Long-Term Ecological Research Site

by Havstad, Kris M.; Huenneke, Laura F.; Schlesinger, William H.

• ISBN13: 9780195117769
• ISBN10: 019511776X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-07-20
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The Jornada Basin LTER is located in the Chihuahuan Desert, the largest in North America. This region of south central New Mexico has a history of nearly 100 years as the basis for scientific research. This work gives a thorough, encompassing review of the tremendous array of observations resulting from experiments conducted in this ecosystem. Beginning with thorough descriptions of the most salient features of the region, the book then reviews a wide range of archived and active data sets on a diversity of biotic and abiotic features. It next presents a syntheses of important topics including livestock grazing and remediation efforts. A concluding chapter provides a synthesis of the principles that have emerged from this body of work, and how these relate to the broader fields of ecology and natural resource management. It concludes with recommendations for future research directions. The insightful views expressed in this volume should guide management of arid landscapes globally. This is the sixth volume in the Long Term Ecological Network Series .

Table of Contents

Contributors	xiii
Introduction	3	(12)
Kris M. Havstad
William H. Schlesinger
Regional Setting of the Jornada Basin	15	(29)
H. Curtis Monger
Greg H. Mack
Barbara A. Nolen
Leland H. Gile
Climate and Climatological Variations in the Jornada Basin	44	(37)
John Wainright
Soil Development in the Jornada Basin	81	(26)
H. Curtis Monger
Patterns and Controls of Soil Water in the Jornada Basin	107	(26)
Keirith A. Snyder
Katherine A. Mitchell
Jeffrey E. Herrick
Nutrient Cycling within an Arid Ecosystem	133	(17)
William H. Schlesinger
Sandy L. Tartowski
Sebastian M. Schmidt
Biogeochemical Fluxes across Piedmont Slopes of the Jornada Basin	150	(26)
Athol D. Abrahams
Melissa Neave
William H. Schlesinger
John Wainright
David A. Howes
Anthony J. Parsons
Water and Energy Balances within the Jornada Basin	176	(13)
Vincent P. Gutschick
Keirith A. Snyder
Eolian Processes on the Jornada Basin	189	(22)
Dale Gillette
H. Curtis Monger
Plant Communities in the Jornada Basin: The Dynamic Landscape	211	(21)
Debra P. C. Peters
Robert P. Gibbens
Patterns of Net Primary Production in Chihuahuan Desert Ecosystems	232	(15)
Laura F. Huenneke
William H. Schlesinger
Chihuahuan Desert Fauna: Effects on Ecosystem Properties and Processes	247	(19)
Walter G. Whitford
Brandon T. Bestelmeyer
Grazing Livestock Management in an Arid Ecosystem	266	(12)
Kris M. Havstad
Ed L. Fredrickson
Laura F. Huenneke
Remediation Research in the Jornada Basin: Past and Future	278	(27)
Jeffrey E. Herrick
Kris M. Havstad
Albert Rango
Applications of Remotely Sensed Data from the Jornada Basin	305	(16)
Albert Rango
Jerry Ritchie
Tom Schmugge
William Kustas
Mark J. Chopping
Modeling the Unique Attributes of Arid Ecosystems: Lessons from the Jornada Basin	321	(33)
James F. Reynolds
Paul R. Kemp
Kiona Ogle
Roberto J. Fernandez
Qiong Gao
Jianguo Wu
A Holistic View of an an Arid Ecosystem: A Synthesis of Research and Its Applications	354	(15)
Brandon T. Bestelmeyer
Joel R. Brown
Kris M. Havstad
Ed L. Fredrickson
Future Directions in Jornada Research: Applying an Interactive Landscape Model to Solve Problems	369	(18)
Debra P. C. Peters
William H. Schlesinger
Jeffrey E. Herrick
Laura F. Huenneke
Kris M. Havstad
References	387	(60)
Index	447