NPP Grassland: Calabozo, Venezuela, 1969-1987


[PHOTOGRAPH]
Photograph: General view of the Trachypogon savanna at Calabozo (click on the photo to view a series of images from this site).

Data Citation

Cite this data set as follows:

San Jose, J., and R. A. Montés. 1998. NPP Grassland: Calabozo, Venezuela, 1969-1987. Data set. Available on-line [http://www.daac.ornl.gov] from Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S.A.

Description

Productivity of a humid savanna was determined at the Estacion Biologica de Los Llanos, Calabozo, beginning in 1969. Much of the research work at this site has been carried out by staff from, or in association with, the Ecology Centre of the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (Centro de Ecologia, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas - IVIC).

The Calabozo study site (8.93 N 67.42 W) is situated 10 km south-southeast of Calabozo, Guarico State. It is typical of the Central Eastern Orinoco llanos of Venezuela, which occupy 300,000-500,000 km2 of the grassy plains of northern South America. The llanos have been used for cattle grazing for at least the past 100 years, although forage production is modest and forage quality is poor (low in nutrients). The 260-hectare Calabozo study site has been protected from grazing and burning since 1960.

Monthly data on above-ground live biomass and total dead matter, and a single estimate of total below-ground matter, are available for 1969. Burned and unburned plots were measured, as well as the effect of irrigation during the dry season. An additional year's data were reported in 1991, including monthly leaf area index, monthly nitrogen dynamics and functional growth analysis. Note that data have been read from published graphs, therefore the least significant digit may be in error. Total NPP (above and below ground) was estimated at 682 g/m2/yr for unburned and 755 g/m2 for burned plots, although later estimates range from 365 to 968 g/m2/yr (40-50% of production below ground).

Contact Information

Contact: Dr. J. San Jose
Instituto Venezuelano de Investigaciones Cientificas
Aptdo. 21827
Caracas 1020-A
VENEZUELA

Telephone: +58 (2) 571-3164
Fax: +58 (2) 572-7446
E-mail: jsanjose@oikos.ivic.ve

Alternative Contact: Dr. R. A. Montés
Departamento de Estudios Ambientales
Universidad Simon Bolivar
Apartado Postal 89.000
Caracas 1080-A
VENEZUELA

Fax: +58 (2) 906-3064
E-mail: ramontes@usb.ve
or rmontes@oikos.ivic.ve

Click on the following linked phrase to view references and summaries.

Click on the "Graphs" box to view a series of data plots for this site,e.g., biomass dynamics, climate data.