Structure and Function of a Chihuahuan Desert Ecosystem: The Jornada Basin Long-Term Ecological Research Site (The Long-Term Ecological Research Network Series)

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 . Contents......Page 12 Contributors......Page 14 1 Introduction......Page 20 2 Regional Setting of the Jornada Basin......Page 32 3 Climate and Climatological Variations in the Jornada Basin......Page 61 4 Soil Development in the Jornada Basin......Page 98 5 Patterns and Controls of Soil Water in the Jornada Basin......Page 124 6 Nutrient Cycling within an Arid Ecosystem......Page 150 7 Biogeochemical Fluxes across Piedmont Slopes of the Jornada Basin......Page 167 8 Water and Energy Balances within the Jornada Basin......Page 193 9 Eolian Processes on the Jornada Basin......Page 206 10 Plant Communities in the Jornada Basin: The Dynamic Landscape......Page 228 11 Patterns of Net Primary Production in Chihuahuan Desert Ecosystems......Page 249 12 Chihuahuan Desert Fauna: Effects on Ecosystem Properties and Processes......Page 264 13 Grazing Livestock Management in an Arid Ecosystem......Page 283 14 Remediation Research in the Jornada Basin: Past and Future......Page 295 15 Applications of Remotely Sensed Data from the Jornada Basin......Page 322 16 Modeling the Unique Attributes of Arid Ecosystems: Lessons from the Jornada Basin......Page 338 17 A Holistic View of an Arid Ecosystem: A Synthesis of Research and Its Applications......Page 371 18 Future Directions in Jornada Research: Applying an Interactive Landscape Model to Solve Problems......Page 386 References......Page 404 A......Page 464 B......Page 465 C......Page 466 D......Page 468 F......Page 469 G......Page 470 J......Page 471 L......Page 472 M......Page 473 O......Page 474 P......Page 475 R......Page 476 S......Page 478 T......Page 480 V......Page 481 Y......Page 482 "The Jornada Basin LTER is located in the Chihuahuan Desert in south-central New Mexico Research in the basin formally began in 1912, with the creation by Presidential Order of the 72,000-hectare Jornada Range Reserve within the United States Department of Agriculture. This volume synthesizes one century of field research in the largest desert in North America."--Jacket