Vegetation Response to Nitrogen and Soil Disturbance at Cedar Creek

An ecological experiment investigates the effects of four nitrogen levels and four soil disturbance levels on plant communities. The study includes 104 experimental plots, each 5m x 5m, with treatments applied in a completely randomized design. It is part of the NSF-funded Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program at the University of Minnesota's Cedar Creek Natural History Area.

Use Cases

• Model species abundance as a function of nitrogen treatment level and soil disturbance level.
• Analyze community biomass allocation (leaves, roots, stems, flowers) across 16 different treatment combinations.
• Estimate aboveground and belowground net primary productivity (NPP) from treatment and replicate data.
• Correlate rates of nitrogen mineralization with specific nitrogen fertilization and soil disturbance treatments.
• Compare plant community outcomes between the four extreme treatment combinations, which have extra replication.

Strengths

• Balanced experimental design with 104 total plots providing replication.
• Four replicates for each of the 16 core treatment combinations, plus 10 extra replicates for four extreme conditions.
• Measures multiple response variables: species abundance, biomass allocation, NPP, and nitrogen mineralization.

Limitations

• Specific sample sizes for individual measurements (e.g., number of species records) are not provided.
• Data is geographically limited to a single 2200-hectare reserve in Minnesota, USA.
• Investigators retain a five-year priority period, which may delay full public data availability.

Provenance

Source

Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program, Cedar Creek Natural History Area (CDR), operated by the University of Minnesota.

Collection Method

Field experiment with manually applied nitrogen fertilization and mechanical soil disturbance (rototilling), followed by ecological measurements.

Time Range

Experiment established as part of LTER site funding in 1982; specific measurement years are not provided.

Freshness

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Geography

Cedar Creek Natural History Area, Anoka and Isanti Counties, Minnesota, USA.