DOI: 10.5061/dryad.37n69
title: Data from: The effects of timing of grazing on plant and arthropod communities in high-elevation grasslands

description: Livestock grazing can be used as a key management tool for maintaining
 healthy ecosystems. However, the effectiveness of using grazing to modify
 habitat for species of conservation concern depends on how the grazing
 regime is implemented. Timing of grazing is one grazing regime component
 that is less understood than grazing intensity and grazer identity, but is
 predicted to have important implications for plant and higher trophic
 level responses. We experimentally assessed how timing of cattle grazing
 affected plant and arthropod communities in high-elevation grasslands of
 southwest Montana to better evaluate its use as a tool for multi-trophic
 level management. We manipulated timing of grazing, with one grazing
 treatment beginning in mid-June and the other in mid-July, in two
 experiments conducted in different grassland habitat types (i.e., wet
 meadow and upland) in 2011 and 2012. In the upland grassland experiment,
 we found that both early and late grazing treatments reduced forb biomass,
 whereas graminoid biomass was only reduced with late grazing. Grazing
 earlier in the growing season versus later did not result in greater
 recovery of graminoid or forb biomass as expected. In addition, the
 density of the most ubiquitous grassland arthropod order (Hemiptera) was
 reduced by both grazing treatments in upland grasslands. A comparison of
 end-of-season plant responses to grazing in upland versus wet meadow
 grasslands revealed that grazing reduced graminoid biomass in the wet
 meadow and forb biomass in the upland, irrespective of timing of grazing.
 Both grazing treatments also reduced end-of-season total arthropod and
 Hemiptera densities and Hemiptera biomass in both grassland habitat types.
 Our results indicate that both early and late season herbivory affect many
 plant and arthropod characteristics in a similar manner, but grazing
 earlier may negatively impact species of conservation concern requiring
 forage earlier in the growing season.
description: 2011 Soil moisture and
 temperatureSoil moisture and
 temperature for wet meadow grassland sampling points in 2011. Cumulative
 soil moisture adds together data from sampling events 3 and 4. Data was
 collected in the field.Soil data 2011 for R_with
 points not sampled deleted AND cumulative
 moist.csvPlant data
 2011Aboveground plant
 biomass data for wet meadows in 2011 that has been scaled up to g/m2.
 Separated by grass, forbs, rush, iris, and woody vegetation. Graminoid
 scaled up is rush and grass data added together. Data was collected in the
 field.Plant Biomass
 2012Aboveground plant
 biomass for upland grasslands in 2012 that shows original data and data
 that has been scaled up to g/m2. Separated by grass, forbs, rush, sedge,
 iris, and woody vegetation. Graminoid scaled up is rush, sedge, and grass
 data added together. Grass columns include both live and dead vegetation,
 while alive grass columns include only live vegetation that was determined
 via visual estimates when spread out over white paper. Data was collected
 in the field.2012 arthropod
 biomass2012 individual and
 total arthropod biomass (mg) for top 6 abundant orders WITHOUT ZEROS.
 Length and counts for arthropods were done in the lab and then
 standardized equations were applied to obtain weights.2012 Arthropod new TOTAL
 arthropod biomass top 6 orders WITHOUT
 ZEROS.csv2011 and 2012
 precipitation and temperature2011 and 2012
 precipitation and temperature data from both years. Also a column for 30
 year normal accumulated precipitation in mm. Data was obtained from
 PRISM.Precipitation and temp both
 years PRISM.xlsx2012 Plant
 heightPlant height 2012 in
 upland grasslands. Measured at 4 points at each sampling point and then an
 average was calculated. Data in cm and data collected in the
 field.Plant
 height 2012 for R.csv2012 Arthropod
 Abundance2012 Arthropod Abundance
 data for each sampling point and sampling event. There are separate
 columns for each arthropod order. Numbers are counts. coleo=Coleoptera,
 colle=Collembola, de=Dermaptera, di=Diptera, ep= Ephemeroptera,
 he=Hemiptera, hy=Hymenoptera, le=Lepidoptera, or=Orthoptera, ps= Psocodea,
 s= spiders (Araneae), th=Thysanoptera. Data collected in the field and
 analyzed in the lab.2011 Arthropod
 abundance2011 Arthropod abundance
 for each sampling point and sampling event. There are separate columns for
 each arthropod order. Numbers are counts. coleo=Coleoptera,
 colle=Collembola, de=Dermaptera, di=Diptera, ep= Ephemeroptera,
 he=Hemiptera, hy=Hymenoptera, le=Lepidoptera, or=Orthoptera, ps= Psocodea,
 s= spiders (Araneae), th=Thysanoptera. Data collected in the field and
 analyzed in the lab.2011 Arthropod
 biomass2011 Arthropod biomass
 in wet meadow grasslands for each sampling point and sampling event. There
 are separate columns for each arthropod order. Numbers are biomass weights
 in mg. coleo=Coleoptera, colle=Collembola, de=Dermaptera, di=Diptera, ep=
 Ephemeroptera, he=Hemiptera, hy=Hymenoptera, le=Lepidoptera,
 or=Orthoptera, ps= Psocodea, s= spiders (Araneae), th=Thysanoptera.
 Arthropod orders are split up into size classes specific to each arthropod
 order. Data collected in the field and analyzed in the
 lab.2012 Soil moisture and
 temperatureSoil moisture and
 temperature for all sampling points in 2012 for upland grasslands. Data
 was collected in the field.Soil data 2012 for
 R.csv