The objective of this ongoing study is to investigate how pulses of precipitation translate into pulses of plant aboveground net primary productivity (NPP) across grassland to shrubland ecotones in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. This dataset consists of annual aboveground net primary productivity estimates in three habitat vegetation zones (grassland, ecotone, and shrubland) at three grassland-to-shrubland ecotone sites in the Jornada Basin, Dona Ana County, New Mexico, USA. The annual ANPP estimates are derived from plant cover measurements (see methods). Due to its growth form, Yucca elata (YUEL) has been found to produce large errors in interyear biomass estimates. This data package contains annual ANPP estimates both with and without YUEL, but the authors strongly recommend using the non-YUEL estimates for most purposes. Data collection is ongoing with new observations in spring and fall of each year; data from both annual sampling times are required to estimate annual ANPP.