Reproductive ecology data for female Agassiz's desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) in Joshua Tree National Park, USA

These data were compiled to evaluate the reproductive ecology of Agassiz's desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizzi) in the Sonoran Desert of California using two populations within Joshua Tree National Park, including five reproductive seasons that spanned 20 years (1997-1999, 2015-2016). Compared to their conspecifics inhabiting the Mojave Desert, the reproductive ecology of G. agassizii in the Sonoran Desert is understudied. Climatic variation between the two deserts can affect reproductive ecology, including fecundity and clutch phenology. Mature female tortoises (straight-line carapace length ≥ 20 cm) outfitted with radiotransmitters were located and X-radiographed approximately every 10-14 days during the reproductive...

Categories: Data; Tags: Agassiz's desert tortoise, California, Ecology, Geography, Gopherus agassizii, All tags... Information Sciences, Joshua Tree National Park, Sonoran Desert, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Wildlife Biology, X-radiography, X-ray egg width, biota, climatic variation, clutch number, clutch phenology, clutch size, ecology, egg production, egg size, fecundity, field monitoring, field sampling, nests, reproductive ecology, size, tortoise, Fewer tags

Russian-thistle field and seed bank data at Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, 2015-2016

These data were compiled as part of a field and growth chamber study of the establishment of Salsola tragus (Russian thistle), an invasive non-native annual plant in North America. Field work was conducted at Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona in 2015 and 2016 and the growth chamber study was conducted in 2016. The data represent field measurements of Salsola germination and growth (cover) and sediment movement at two field sites, one a stabilized sand sheet (SS) and the other on the ridge of a sand dune (SD). The data also represent a growth chamber assessment of the soil and litter seed bank from representative samples take at the two field sites.

Tags: Arizona, Botany, Colorado Plateau, Ecology, Geography, All tags... Information Sciences, Land Use Change, North America, Petrifield Forest National Park, Salsola, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), annual plants, biota, cover, field data, field measurements, field monitoring, field observation, germination, growth, growth chamber, invasive plant, invasive species, litter seed bank, non-native plant, non-native species, plants (organisms), sand dune ridge, sediment, sediment movement, seed bank, seed germination, soil seed bank, southwest United States, stabilized sand sheet, Fewer tags