In 1998 we established 258 permanent 2m x 2m plots, randomly located in untilled and ungrazed grassland habitats of Sedgwick. Sampling took place in 1999 until 2008 (excluding the years 2002 and 2004), for percent cover by species, total biomass, maximum plant height, light penetration, slope, aspect, and soil nutrients. For more details, see: Harpole, W. S., and D. Tilman. 2007. Grassland species loss due to reduced niche dimension. Nature 446:791-793.
Professor of landscape ecology and conservation planning, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, UC Santa Barbara