DOI: 10.5061/dryad.fqz612k0d
title: Data from: Heterogeneity promotes resilience in restored prairie: implications for the ‘environmental heterogeneity hypothesis’

description: Enhancing resilience in formerly degraded ecosystems is an important goal
 of restoration ecology. However, evidence for the recovery of resilience
 and its underlying mechanisms requires long-term experiments and
 comparison to reference ecosystems. We used data from an experimental
 prairie restoration that featured long-term soil heterogeneity
 manipulations and data from comparable remnant (reference) prairie to (1)
 quantify the recovery of ecosystem functioning (i.e., productivity)
 relative to remnant prairie, (2) compare resilience of restored and
 remnant prairies to a natural drought, and (3) test whether soil
 heterogeneity enhances resilience of restored prairie. We compared
 sensitivity and legacy effects between prairie types (remnant and
 restored) and among four prairie sites that included two remnant prairie
 sites and prairie restored under homogeneous and heterogeneous soil
 conditions. We measured sensitivity and resilience as the proportional
 change in aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) during and following
 drought (sensitivity and legacy effects, respectively) relative to average
 ANPP based on four pre-drought years (2014-2017). In non-drought years,
 total ANPP was similar between remnant and restored prairie, but remnant
 prairie had higher grass productivity and lower forb productivity compared
 to restored prairie. These ANPP patterns generally persisted during
 drought. Sensitivity of total ANPP to drought was similar between restored
 and remnant prairie, but grasses in restored prairie were more sensitive
 to drought. Post-drought legacy effects were more positive in restored
 prairie, and we attributed this to the more positive and less variable
 legacy response of forb ANPP in restored prairie, especially in the
 heterogeneous soil treatment. Our results suggest that productivity
 recovers in restored prairie and exhibits similar sensitivity to drought
 as remnant prairie. Furthermore, imparting heterogeneity promotes forb
 productivity and enhances prairie resilience to drought.
description: These data pertain to Figure 1 in Wojciechowski et
 al. (Ecological Applications). 
 Grass, forb, and total aboveground net primary productivity
 (ANPP) were determined for the same time period (2014-2019) using the same
 methods in remnant and restored prairie experiments. In all experiments,
 plant material was harvested from 0.1 m2 quadrats at peak biomass. Biomass
 was sorted into grasses, forbs, and litter produced in the sampling year.
 All biomass was dried at 60oC and weighed to estimate ANPP (Briggs and
 Knapp 1991). In the restoration experiment, we harvested biomass from
 twelve quadrats in each plot (n = 4 per heterogeneity treatment). In
 REM<sub>IRT</sub>, ANPP was estimated from six quadrats in
 each of 6 control plots. In REM<sub>BGP</sub>, ANPP was
 estimated from two quadrats in each of 4 control plots. Biomass in each
 sample was multiplied by 10 to report ANPP values as g/m2/yr. 
description: # Remnant and Restored Prairie ANPP 2014-2019
 Remnant and Restored
 Prairie ANPP 2014-2019 Heterogeneity promotes resilience in restored
 prairie: implications for the ‘environmental heterogeneity hypothesis’
 Ashley A. Wojciechowski, John M. Blair, Scott L. Collins, and Sara G. Baer
 Ecological Applications DATA: Data are provided in one file (Remnant and
 Restored Prairie ANPP 2014-2019.csv) corresponding to annual aboveground
 net primary productivity (ANPP) data of two remnant prairie experiments
 and one restored prairie experiment located at the Konza Prairie Long Term
 Ecological Research site in Manhattan, KS. Datafile includes grass (=
 GRASS in file name), forb (= FORB in file name) and total (=TOTAL in file
 name) ANPP from 2013 to 2019. We used a subset of whole plots in the
 restoration prairie experiment representing the most homogeneous (RESHOM)
 and most heterogeneous (RESHET) soil treatments for this study. Each
 whole-plot heterogeneity treatment was assigned to a 6 m x 8 m plot in
 each of four blocks according to a randomized complete block design (Baer
 et al. 1999). The RESHET plots contained a 2 x 3 factorial combination of
 soil depth and nutrient availability assigned to vertical and horizontal
 strips according to a split block design. Soil depth (two levels: shallow
 or deep) was assigned to two of four alternating 2 mx 6 m strips (Fig. 1).
 Prior to the initial planting, shallow soil depth was achieved by
 excavating the soil to a depth of 20-25 cm, burying pieces of rough-cut
 limestone slabs in the maximum heterogeneity treatments to mimic the
 uplands of the Flint Hills, and returning the topsoil to the plots. All
 plots were excavated to control for disturbance prior to burying the
 limestone slabs (Baer et al. 1999). Soil nutrient availability (three
 levels: reduced-N, ambient-N, and enriched-N) was assigned to one of three
 2 m x 8 m strips (perpendicular to depth treatments). Reduced-N strips
 were created by incorporating 5.5 kg dry sawdust/m2 prior to planting in
 1998 and have received 84.2 g C/m2 (~200 g sucrose/m2) three times during
 the growing season since 2003 to maintain microbial demand and
 immobilization of N (Baer et al.2003). Enriched-N treatments have received
 5 g N/m2 in June of every year since 1998 by hand broadcasting
 ammonium-nitrate pellets(Baer et al. 2003). The deep ambient-N strips
 never received experimental manipulations (Fig. 1). RESHOM plots receive
 no soil manipulations. The remnant prairie experiments used in this study
 have historically been referred to as the “irrigation transect” and the
 “belowground plot” experiments at KPBS, referred to here as REMIRT and
 REMBGP, respectively. The irrigation transect experiment has manipulated
 water availability by irrigation since 1991 (described in detail by Knapp
 et al. [2001]). We used ANPP data from six non-irrigated control plots(10
 m2)for comparison with the restoration experiment (Fig. 1). REMBGP has
 manipulated fire frequency, mowing, and nutrient availability since 1986
 (described in detail by Carson and Zeglin [2018]). We used ANPP data from
 four annually burned, unmowed, and unfertilized control plots (12.5 m2)
 for additional comparison with the restoration experiment. TAB: DATA
 DETAILS: These data pertain to Figure 1 in Wojciechowski et al. 2024
 (Ecological Applications) Grass, forb, and total aboveground net primary
 productivity (ANPP) were determined at the same time period (2014-2019)
 using the same methods in remnant and restored prairie experiments. In all
 experiments, plant material was harvested from 0.1 m2 quadrats at peak
 biomass. Biomass was sorted into grasses, forbs, and litter produced in
 the sampling year. All biomass was dried at 60oC and weighed to estimate
 ANPP (Briggs and Knapp 1991). In the restoration experiment, we harvested
 biomass from twelve quadrats in each plot (n = 4 per heterogeneity
 treatment). In REMIRT, ANPP was estimated from six quadrats in each of 6
 control plots. In REMBGP, ANPP was estimated from two quadrats in each of
 4 control plots. Biomass in each sample was multiplied by 10 to report
 ANPP values as g/m2/yr. COLUMN DESCRIPTIONS COL. LABEL DESCRIPTION UNIT A
 PRAIRIE TYPE Remnant or Restored N/A B LOCATION REMIRT, REMBGP, RESHOM,
 RESHET N/A C PLOT Plot number N/A D SUBPLOT Subplot number or letter N/A E
 YEAR Year of collection N/A F GRASS Grass ANPP (g/m2/yr) G FORB Forb ANPP
 (g/m2/yr) H TOTAL Total ANPP (g/m2/yr) I COMMENTS