Mowing Experiment Biophys. Data (FIFE): Grassland Productivity Under Grazing

Data from 1987 quantifies the effects of simulated grazing (via mowing) and nitrogen fertilization on grassland primary productivity and plant chemistry. Mean values and variances are reported for plant net primary productivity (NPP), nutrient content, and biomass, revealing compensatory growth mechanisms. The dataset manipulates grazing intensity through mowing height and frequency to study plant responses to foliage removal.

Use Cases

• Modeling plant compensatory growth based on reported standing crop and productivity levels.
• Analyzing the relationship between grazing intensity (manipulated mowing height) and plant nutrient content.
• Studying the effects of nitrogen fertilization on primary productivity in grassland systems.
• Investigating how grazing frequency (mowing history and current frequency) impacts biomass and plant chemistry.

Strengths

• Cross-platform presence on datagov and nasa_earthdata indicates established use and importance.
• Dataset includes mean values and their variances, providing measures of central tendency and dispersion.
• Originates from a controlled experiment manipulating specific variables (mowing height, frequency, nitrogen).

Limitations

• Critical metadata conflicts: last updated date is reported as 2026-04-09 on datagov but 1987-10-28 on nasa_earthdata.
• Column names and specific row/record counts are unknown, limiting detailed understanding of data structure.
• Documentation is sparse; specific measurement protocols and geographic location of the experiment are not provided.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), FIFE project.

Collection Method

Collected from a controlled field experiment simulating grazing via mowing at different heights and frequencies, with nitrogen fertilization treatments.

Time Range

1987

Freshness

Last updated dates conflict: 2026-04-09 (datagov) vs 1987-10-28 (nasa_earthdata).