Comparing the Influence of Precipitation, Fire, and Topography on Plant Productivity in the Tallgrass Prairie

This Data Set allows students to use long-term data from Konza to explore the relationships between multiple characteristics of a tallgrass prairie ecosystem and the productivity of prairie plants. Specifically, students compare the interactive effects of fire frequency, topography, and inter-annual variation in precipitation on the productivity of two major plant groups (grasses and forbs). To examine these relationships, students create figures using data collected between 1984 and 1999. The plant productivity data are divided into two vegetation types, grasses and forbs (forbs are any non-woody, non-grass vascular plant); two topographical positions, uplands and lowlands; and three fire frequencies, annual, 4-year, and 20-year burns. As the students explore the relationships between the different characteristics, they will develop an understanding of how fire, topography, and precipitation influence tallgrass prairie productivity and how these factors vary over time.