Toward Broad-scale Perspectives on Ecological Dynamics: The National Ecological Dynamics Database

MLRAs where woody plant increase in rangelands appears to be a prominent management concern. Information was harvested from ecological site descriptions (ESDs) available for the western US. This process was found to be time-consuming and unreliable due to inconsistencies in both the availability of ESDs and the kinds of information provided by them. In contrast, the NEDD will allow such maps to be easily and rapidly created. In the coming months we will employ literature reviews and workshop interviews to populate NEDD.

2 Key phrases

How can dominant natural resource issues of different regions be rapidly summarized and compared?

Example database key phrases associated with generalized ecological states

Bromus tectorum absent Bromus tectorum dominant Relatively high productivity Relatively low productivity

Relatively moderate productivity C3 species dominant C4 species dominant

CAM species dominant Relatively good habitat for priority species

Relatively moderate habitat for priority species Relatively poor habitat for priority species

Perennial grasses dominant Perennial grasses ephemeral Perennial grasses persistent

Shrubs or trees dominant Shrubs or trees ephemeral Shrubs or trees persistent

1 Generalized state and transition models

From region to region, what land use practices and natural processes impact the long-term sustainability of ecological services?

• Ecological site descriptions help to communicate and evaluate ecosystem function and services at local scales. • The National Ecological Dynamics Database (NEDD) is a complementary information system, providing similar utility at the scale of NRCS Major Land Resource Areas (MLRAs). • The NEDD is a work in progress and will be made available on the Jornada website in late 2012.

Generalized state and transition models (STMs) describe recurring natural resource concerns (e.g., shrub expansion, exotic species proliferation) at the regional level using the language of a traditional STM. As with models created for individual ecological sites, each generalized STM is a working hypothesis about the causes, consequences, characteristics and likelihood of ecological change, with emphasis placed on those changes having potentially long-term impacts on ecosystem services. Generalized STMs can be used to understand ecological dynamics at a national level.

Like key words used to catalogue items in a bibliography or other information system, key phrases provide the primary mechanism for efficiently querying data from the NEDD. Their standardized nature helps users to summarize, map and compare the ecological dynamics of multiple MLRAs.

3 Relational geodatabase and web interface

How can agencies, funders, researchers and the public obtain a rapidly accessible, geographic view of ecosystem dynamics and restoration opportunities at regional to national scales?

Generalized STMs

• States • Transitions

Relational database tables • Narratives • Key phrases

Database queries

GIS or

web interface

Other geospatial data

Jeb Williamson*, Brandon Bestelmeyer, New Mexico State University, USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, *jcwill@nmsu.edu

1. Grassland

2. Altered grassland

3. Shrub-invaded grassland

4. Shrub-dominated

5. Shrubland

T4a

T6 T3b

T1b

T3a T5

T2b

T2a

T4b

T1a

MLRA 42 - Southern Desertic Basins, Plains, and Mountains

MLRA 11B – Eastern Snake River Plain

1. Native shrubs and perennial grasses (ratio dependent on disturbance history)

2. Early seral native perennial grasses, cheatgrass, and other annuals

3. Seeded with non-native grasses

T2

T1b

T3a

T1a

T3b