Data Package Metadata View Summary

Canopy Trimming Experiment Litterfall Nutrients Data

General Information

Data Package:
Local Identifier:	knb-lter-luq.178.32
Title:	Canopy Trimming Experiment Litterfall Nutrients Data
Alternate Identifier:	DOI PLACE HOLDER
Abstract:	Humid tropical forests have the highest rates of litterfall production globally, which fuels rapid nutrient recycling and high net ecosystem production. Severe storm events significantly alter patterns in litterfall mass and nutrient dynamics through a combination of canopy disturbance and litter deposition. In this study, we used a large-scale long-term manipulation experiment to explore the separate and combined effects of canopy trimming and litter deposition on litterfall rates and litter nutrient concentrations and content. The deposition of fine litter associated with the treatments was equivalent to more than two times the annual fine litterfall mass and nutrient content in control plots. Results showed that canopy trimming was the primary driver of changes in litterfall and associated nutrient cycling. Canopy trimming reduced litterfall mass by 14 Mg ha-1 over the 2.5 year post-trim period. Nutrient concentrations increased in some litter fractions following trimming, likely due to a combination of changes in the species and fractional composition of litterfall, and increased nutrient uptake from reduced competition for nutrients. Declines in litterfall mass, however, led to large reductions in litterfall nutrient content with a loss of 143 ± 22 kg N ha-1 and 7 ± 0.2 kg P ha-1 over the 2.5 year post-trim period. There were no significant effects of litter deposition on litterfall rates or nutrient content, contrary to results from some fertilizer experiments. Our results suggest that large pulsed inputs of nutrients associated with tropical storms are unlikely to increase litterfall production, and that canopy disturbance has large and lasting effects on carbon and nutrient cycling.
Publication Date:	2018-04-20
Language:	English

Time Period

Begin:

2002-05-01

End:

2007-11-20

People and Organizations
Contact:	Silver, Whendee [ email ]
Creator:	Silver, Whendee

Data Entities
Data Table Name:	Canopy Trimming Experiment Litterfall Chemistry Data
Description:	Chemistry of the litterfall in the CTE Plots

Detailed Metadata

Data Entities

Data Table

Data:

https://pasta-s.lternet.edu/package/data/eml/knb-lter-luq/178/32/03b3656f0ba7b78a7eba80112d67d459

Name:

Canopy Trimming Experiment Litterfall Chemistry Data

Description:

Chemistry of the litterfall in the CTE Plots

Number of Records:

1108

Number of Columns:

Time Period

Begin:

2002-05-01

End:

2007-11-30

Table Structure

Object Name:

CTENutrients2002-2007rawdata.csv

Size:

117852

Text Format:

Number of Header Lines:

Number of Foot Lines:

Record Delimiter:

\r\n

Orientation:

column

Simple Delimited:

Field Delimiter:

Table Column Descriptions

Lab

Code

Component

StartCollectingDate

EndCollectingDate

CollectingDateRange

Period

Year

Al(mg/g)

Ca(mg/g)

Fe(mg/g)

K(mg/g)

Mg(mg/g)

Mn(mg/g)

P(mg/g)

%Ash

Column Name:

Lab Number

Block-Plot Number

Litterfall Component

Start Collecting Date

End Collecting Date

Collecting Date Range

Period of litterfall collection

Year code of collection

Aluminium concentration

Calcium concentration

Iron concentration

Potassium concentration

Magnesium concentration

Manganese concentration

Phosphorus concentration

Ash percent

Definition:

Lab Number assigned to litterbag

The Block-Plot Number where the litterfall basket is located

Description of separated material extracted from the litterfall in the basket

The approximate date when new litterfall started accumulating in the basket

The approximate date when the basket was cleared of its content and the accumulated litterfall was transferred to a litterbag for analysis

Contains the range of months when accumulation of litterfall took place

An integer from 1 to 4 representing the period of the year when the litterfall was collected from baskets in a specific year

A number representing the years of litterfall collection

Aluminium concentration in litterfall

Calcium concentration in litterfall

Iron concentration in litterfall

Potassium concentration in litterfall

Magnesium concentration in litterfall

Manganese concentration in litterfall

Phosphorus concentration in litterfall

Ash percent in litterfall

Storage Type:

string

date

string

Measurement Type:

nominal

dateTime

nominal

ratio

nominal

ratio

Measurement Values Domain:

Definition

Lab Number assigned to litterbag

Allowed Values and Definitions

Enumerated Domain

Code Definition

Code	A-1
Definition	Plot 1 located 30+ m West of western edge of Big Grid (LFDP), on North and South side of Prieta stream, near Vogt old plots
Source

Code Definition

Code	A-2
Definition	Plot 2 located 30+ m West of western edge of Big Grid (LFDP), on North and South side of Prieta stream, near Vogt old plots
Source

Code Definition

Code	A-3
Definition	Plot 3 located 30+ m West of western edge of Big Grid (LFDP), on North and South side of Prieta stream, near Vogt old plots
Source

Code Definition

Code	A-4
Definition	Plot 4 located 30+ m West of western edge of Big Grid (LFDP), on North and South side of Prieta stream, near Vogt old plots
Source

Code Definition

Code	B-1
Definition	Plot 1 located 30+ m South of Big Grid, all plots along Oxcart Trail
Source

Code Definition

Code	B-2
Definition	Plot 2 located 30+ m South of Big Grid, all plots along Oxcart Trail
Source

Code Definition

Code	B-3
Definition	Plot 3 located 30+ m South of Big Grid, all plots along Oxcart Trail
Source

Code Definition

Code	B-4
Definition	Plot 4 located 30+ m South of Big Grid, all plots along Oxcart Trail
Source

Code Definition

Code	C-1
Definition	Plot 1 located 30+ m West of SE corner of Big Grid (LFDP)
Source

Code Definition

Code	C-2
Definition	Plot 2 located 30+ m West of SE corner of Big Grid (LFDP)
Source

Code Definition

Code	C-3
Definition	Plot 3 located 30+ m West of SE corner of Big Grid (LFDP)
Source

Code Definition

Code	C-4
Definition	Plot 4 located 30+ m West of SE corner of Big Grid (LFDP)
Source

Allowed Values and Definitions

Enumerated Domain

Code Definition

Code	Leaves
Definition	leaves extracted from the litter bag
Source

Code Definition

Code	Wood
Definition	wood material extracted from the litter bag
Source

Code Definition

Code	F/F
Definition	fruits and flowers extracted from the litter bag
Source

Code Definition

Code	Misc.
Definition	other materials (non-leaves, non-wood and non-fruits/flowers) extracted from the litter bag
Source

Format	mm/dd/yyyy
Precision

Format	mm/dd/yyyy
Precision

Definition

Contains the range of months when accumulation of litterfall took place

Unit	number
Type	real

Allowed Values and Definitions

Enumerated Domain

Code Definition

Code	1
Definition	2003
Source

Code Definition

Code	2
Definition	2004
Source

Code Definition

Code	3
Definition	2005
Source

Code Definition

Code	4
Definition	2006
Source

Code Definition

Code	5
Definition	2007
Source

Code Definition

Code	6
Definition	2007
Source

Unit	milligramsPerGrams
Type	real

Unit	milligramsPerGrams
Type	real

Unit	milligramsPerGrams
Type	real

Unit	milligramsPerGrams
Type	real

Unit	milligramsPerGrams
Type	real

Unit	milligramsPerGrams
Type	real

Unit	milligramsPerGrams
Type	real

Unit	number
Type	real

Missing Value Code:

Accuracy Report:

Accuracy Assessment:

Coverage:

Methods:

Data Package Usage Rights

Data Policies

LTER Network Data Access Policy, Data Access Requirements, and General Data Use Agreement
approved by the LTER Coordinating Committee April 6, 2005

Long Term Ecological Research Network Data Access Policy

The LTER data policy includes three specific sections designed to express shared network policies regarding the release of LTER data products, user registration for accessing data, and the licensing agreements specifying the conditions for data use.

LTER Network Data Release Policy

Data and information derived from publicly funded research in the U.S. LTER Network, totally or partially from LTER funds from NSF, Institutional Cost-Share, or Partner Agency or Institution where a formal memorandum of understanding with LTER has been established, are made available online with as few restrictions as possible, on a nondiscriminatory basis. LTER Network scientists should make every effort to release data in a timely fashion and with attention to accurate and complete metadata.

Data[current-user:created]

There are two data types:

Type I – data are to be released to the general public according to the terms of the general data use agreement (see Section 3 below) within 2 years from collection and no later than the publication of the main findings from the dataset and,

Type II - data are to be released to restricted audiences according to terms specified by the owners of the data. Type II data are considered to be exceptional and should be rare in occurrence. The justification for exceptions must be well documented and approved by the lead PI and Site Data Manager. Some examples of Type II data restrictions may include: locations of rare or endangered species, data that are covered under prior licensing or copyright (e.g., SPOT satellite data), or covered by the Human Subjects Act. Researchers that make use of Type II Data may be subject to additional restrictions to protect any applicable commercial or confidentiality interests.

While the spirit of this document is to promote maximum availability for ecological data in either Type I or II status, there are criteria by which priority for data release may be determined. Primary observations collected for core research activities directly supported by LTER research must receive the highest priority for data release. Data collected by other sources to which LTER supported research has added value is also a high priority Other types of data including non-LTER data that was acquired for LTER research, student thesis data, schoolyard LTER data, or legacy data that already suffer from inadequate documentation or format obsolescence may be ranked a lower priority by a site with justifications provided in their data management policy. Finally, some data may be determined of lowest priority for archiving on the grounds that they are interim data that led to final products that carry the scientific value. These might include data files created during stages within an analytic workflow, raw or replicate data values that were subsequently aggregated or processed for release, or individual outputs from stochastic models.

Metadata

Metadata documenting archived/online data sets of all types listed above will be made available when, or before, the dataset itself is released according to the terms above.
All metadata will be publicly available regardless of any restrictions on access to the data.
All metadata will follow LTER recommended standards and will minimally contain adequate information on proper citation, access, contact information, and discovery. Complete information including methods, structure, semantics, and quality control/assurance is expected for most datasets and is strongly encouraged.
LTER Network Data Access Requirements

The access to all LTER data is subject to requirements set forth by this policy document to enable data providers to track usage, evaluate its impact in the community, and confirm users' acceptance of the terms of acceptable use. These requirements are standardized across the LTER Network to provide contractual exchange of data between Site Data Providers, Network Data Providers, and Data Users that can be encoded into electronic form and exchanged between computers. This will allow direct access to data via a common portal once these requirements have been fulfilled. The following information may be required directly or by proxy prior to the transference of any data object:

Registration

1. Name

2. Affiliation

3. Email Address

4. Full Contact Information

Acceptance of the General Public Use Agreement or Restricted Data Use Agreement, as applicable.
A Statement of Intended Use that is compliant with the above agreements. Such statements may be made submitted explicitly or made implicitly via the data access portal interface.

General Data Use Agreement

LUQ data and metadata is released under public domain: CC BY – Attribution.

Conditions of Use

The consumer of these data (“Data User” herein) has an ethical obligation to cite it appropriately in any publication that results from its use. The Data User should realize that these data may be actively used by others for ongoing research and that coordination may be necessary to prevent duplicate publication. The Data User is urged to contact the authors of these data if any questions about methodology or results occur. Where appropriate, the Data User is encouraged to consider collaboration or coauthorship with the authors. The Data User should realize that misinterpretation of data may occur if used out of context of the original study. While substantial efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of data and associated documentation, complete accuracy of data sets cannot be guaranteed. All data are made available “as is.” The Data User should be aware, however, that data are updated periodically and it is the responsibility of the Data User to check for new versions of the data. The data authors and the repository where these data were obtained shall not be liable for damages resulting from any use or misinterpretation of the data. Thank you.
Disclaimer

While substantial efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of data and documentation contained in this Data Set, complete accuracy of data and metadata cannot be guaranteed. All data and metadata are made available "as is". The Data User holds all parties involved in the production or distribution of the Data Set harmless for damages resulting from its use or interpretation.[current-user:name]

Keywords

By Thesaurus:
Core Areas	organic matter, primary production
LTER Controlled Vocabulary	biogeochemistry, hurricanes, permanent plots, leaf litter, habitats, litter

Methods and Protocols

These methods, instrumentation and/or protocols apply to all data in this dataset:

Methods and protocols used in the collection of this data package

Description:

We used a complete randomized block design with three replicate blocks each containing four 30 x 30 m treatment plots separated by approximately 20 m buffers. Within each plot, a 20 x 20 m sampling area was defined and furthered divided into 16 subplots to minimize the effects of destructive sampling on long-term measurements. Treatments consisted of: (1) canopy trimming and litter deposition (trim + debris), (2) canopy trimming with the litter removed (trim + no debris), (3) intact canopy with litter added from the removal treatment (no trim + debris) and (4) no manipulation (no trim + no debris). Pre-treatment litterfall measurements began in November 2002. The manipulations spanned from late October 2004 to June 2005. Each treatment was completed within a given plot and block before the subsequent block was treated. Details of the treatments, plots, and timing are given in Shiels et al. (2010) and Richardson et al. (2010). Trimmed material was weighed using tarps and spring balances. Canopy trimming generated approximately 72 ± 2 Mg ha-1 of necromass. The necromass was not immediately distributed on the plots resulting in some loss of mass (Richardson et al., 2010; Shiels et al., 2010), and associated nutrient changes (Shiels and González, 2014). To determine the nutrient deposition from fine litter generated from trimming, we multiplied the dry mass (1.6 Mg plot-1) of leaves (which were pooled with fine twigs) by the mean annual nutrient concentrations in leaf litterfall in the same forest, using data generated from the unmanipulated plots (no trim + no debris) (Table 1). We used litterfall concentrations as opposed to values for fresh plant fractions because of potential nutrient loss prior to placement on the experimental plots (Shiels and González, 2014). This resulted in an estimated minimum nutrient deposition rate of 164 kg N ha-1, 5 kg P ha-1, 34 kg K ha-1, 157 kg Ca ha-1, and 40 kg Mg ha-1. These are minimum values because additional nutrients were added in other litter fractions (fine and coarse wood, fruits and flowers, and miscellaneous material) that were not quantified during the trimming events but were deposited on the plots. Litterfall was collected every 14 days from 10 baskets (dimensions 43 x 43 cm) distributed in a stratified random fashion (to ensure plot coverage) inside each 20 x 20 m core area of each treatment plot. Baskets were leveled and fastened to poles at 1 m height. Baskets were removed during the trimming of respective treatment plots in order to prevent the baskets from getting broken by dropped branches, and replaced as soon as the canopy trimming was completed. We separately report the pretreatment (November 2002–October 2004) and post-treatment (July 2005–December 2007) data, recognizing that this excludes a small amount of data during the establishment of the experiment. Litterfall mass associated with the trimming events was estimated by weighing the litter generated during the canopy manipulation using tarps and spring balances. Following each litter collection, litter was dried at 40 oC for at least one week, and kept in a heated room until samples could be sorted into the following categories: leaves, wood, fruits and flowers (including seeds), miscellaneous (unidentifiable material &gt;2 mm). We re-dried subsamples of litterfall at 65 oC and weighed them to establish a conversion to oven dry weight. Litterfall was pooled by fraction within each plot quarterly for chemical analyses. In this paper we report quarterly mass to compare with nutrient concentrations and nutrient content. Litterfall samples were ground to pass through an 18 mesh sieve. Total C and N were determined using the macro dry combustion method on a LECO TruSpec CN Analyzer or LECO CNS-2000 Analyzer. The LECO CNS-2000 Analyzer was used to determine total C and N of litterfall in 2002–2004. The remaining total C and N analyses were determined utilizing the LECO TruSpec CN Analyzer. Blanks and reference materials were analyzed with each run at a rate of 1 per 10–20 samples to insure that the samples were directly comparable. The ground litterfall samples were digested using a modification of the method recommended by Chao-Yong and Schulte (1985). This wet oxidation uses concentrated HNO3, 30% H2O2 and concentrated HCl and was achieved using a digestion block with automatic temperature control. The digests from 2002 to 2005 were analyzed on a Spectro Ciros ICP Emission Spectrometer, and those from 2006 to 2008 were analyzed in a Spectro Spectro-Blue ICP Emisson Spectrometer, all for Ca, K, P, Mg, Fe, Al, and Mn. The results are reported as mg g_1 on a dry basis at 105 _C. Blanks and National Institute of Standards certified reference material was analyzed with every run for quality assurance and quality control. The moisture factor correction at 105 _C was determined by the LECO Thermogravimetric Analyzer, model TGA 701 and applied
to all reported values. All laboratory procedures were conducted at the International Institute of Tropical Forestry in Puerto Rico. Carbon:N and N:P ratios were calculated using mass weighted values.

People and Organizations

Creators:

Individual:

Whendee Silver

Address:

University of California, Ecosystem Sciences Division Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy & Management Mulford Hall #3114,

Berkeley, CA 94720 US

Phone:

(510) 643-3074 (voice)

Phone:

(510) 643-5098 (facsimile)

Email Address:

wsilver@berkeley.edu

Contacts:

Individual:

Whendee Silver

Address:

University of California, Ecosystem Sciences Division Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy & Management Mulford Hall #3114,

Berkeley, CA 94720 US

Phone:

(510) 643-3074 (voice)

Phone:

(510) 643-5098 (facsimile)

Email Address:

wsilver@berkeley.edu

Metadata Providers:

Individual:

Whendee Silver

Address:

University of California, Ecosystem Sciences Division Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy & Management Mulford Hall #3114,

Berkeley, CA 94720 US

Phone:

(510) 643-3074 (voice)

Phone:

(510) 643-5098 (facsimile)

Email Address:

wsilver@berkeley.edu

Temporal, Geographic and Taxonomic Coverage

Temporal, Geographic and/or Taxonomic information that applies to all data in this dataset:

Time Period

Begin:

2002-05-01

End:

2007-11-20

Sampling Site:

Description:

Puerto Rico 186 Bosque Nacional El Yunque, Rio Grande, Rio Grande 00745, Puerto Rico ‎ 467 m NO

Site Coordinates:

Longitude (degree):	-65.8183	Latitude (degree):	18.3239
Altitude (meter):	343

Sampling Site:

Description:

CTE Block A Plot 2 in the Quebrada Prieta Research Area

Site Coordinates:

Longitude (degree):	-65.8177	Latitude (degree):	18.324
Altitude (meter):	358

Sampling Site:

Description:

CTE Block A Plot 3 in the Quebrada Prieta Research Area

Site Coordinates:

Longitude (degree):	-65.8179	Latitude (degree):	18.3248
Altitude (meter):	356

Sampling Site:

Description:

CTE Block A Plot 4 in the Quebrada Prieta Research Area

Site Coordinates:

Longitude (degree):	-65.8175	Latitude (degree):	18.3245
Altitude (meter):	358

Sampling Site:

Description:

CTE Block B Plot 1 in the Quebrada Prieta Research Area

Site Coordinates:

Longitude (degree):	-65.8141	Latitude (degree):	18.3215
Altitude (meter):	443

Sampling Site:

Description:

CTE Block B Plot 2 in the Quebrada Prieta Research Area

Site Coordinates:

Longitude (degree):	-65.8136	Latitude (degree):	18.3214
Altitude (meter):	456

Sampling Site:

Description:

CTE Block B Plot 3 in the Quebrada Prieta Research Area

Site Coordinates:

Longitude (degree):	-65.8132	Latitude (degree):	18.3208
Altitude (meter):	470

Sampling Site:

Description:

CTE Block B Plot 4 in the Quebrada Prieta Research Area

Site Coordinates:

Longitude (degree):	-65.8127	Latitude (degree):	18.3202
Altitude (meter):	490

Sampling Site:

Description:

CTE Block C Plot 1 in the Quebrada Prieta Research Area

Site Coordinates:

Longitude (degree):	-65.8136	Latitude (degree):	18.3226
Altitude (meter):	443

Sampling Site:

Description:

CTE Block C Plot 2 in the Quebrada Prieta Research Area

Site Coordinates:

Longitude (degree):	-65.813	Latitude (degree):	18.3226
Altitude (meter):	443

Sampling Site:

Description:

CTE Block C Plot 3 in the Quebrada Prieta Research Area

Site Coordinates:

Longitude (degree):	-65.8124	Latitude (degree):	18.3226
Altitude (meter):	464

Sampling Site:

Description:

CTE Block C Plot 4 in the Quebrada Prieta Research Area

Site Coordinates:

Longitude (degree):	-65.8115	Latitude (degree):	18.3232
Altitude (meter):	476

Temporal, Geographic and/or Taxonomic information that applies to Data Table: Canopy Trimming Experiment Litterfall Chemistry Data

Time Period

Begin:

2002-05-01

End:

2007-11-30

Project

Other Metadata

Additional Metadata

additionalMetadata
        |___text '\n    '
        |___element 'metadata'
        |     |___text '\n      '
        |     |___element 'unitList' in ns 'http://www.xml-cml.org/schema/stmml-1.1' ('stmml:unitList')
        |     |     |  \___attribute 'schemaLocation' in ns 'http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance' ('xsi:schemaLocation') = 'http://www.xml-cml.org/schema/stmml-1.1 http://nis.lternet.edu/schemas/EML/eml-2.1.0/stmml.xsd'
        |     |     |___text '\n        '
        |     |     |___element 'unit' in ns 'http://www.xml-cml.org/schema/stmml-1.1' ('stmml:unit')
        |     |     |     |  \___attribute 'id' = 'milligramsPerGrams'
        |     |     |     |___text '\n          '
        |     |     |     |___element 'description' in ns 'http://www.xml-cml.org/schema/stmml-1.1' ('stmml:description')
        |     |     |     |___text '\n        '
        |     |     |___text '\n      '
        |     |___text '\n    '
        |___text '\n  '

Copyright 2024 Environmental Data Initiative. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grants #2223103 and #2223104. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Please contact us with questions, comments, or for technical assistance regarding this web site or the Environmental Data Initiative. Please read our privacy policy to know what information we collect about you and to understand your privacy rights.

EDI is a collaboration between the University of New Mexico and the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Center for Limnology:

Data Package Metadata View Summary

Canopy Trimming Experiment Litterfall Nutrients Data

Data Entities

Data Table

Data Package Usage Rights

Data Policies

Keywords

Methods and Protocols

These methods, instrumentation and/or protocols apply to all data in this dataset:

People and Organizations

Temporal, Geographic and Taxonomic Coverage

Temporal, Geographic and/or Taxonomic information that applies to Data Table: Canopy Trimming Experiment Litterfall Chemistry Data

Project

Additional Metadata

Recently Added

Recently Updated

Data Package Metadata View Summary

Canopy Trimming Experiment Litterfall Nutrients Data

+/- Data Entities

Data Table

+/- Data Package Usage Rights

Data Policies

+/- Keywords

+/- Methods and Protocols

These methods, instrumentation and/or protocols apply to all data in this dataset:

+/- People and Organizations

+/- Temporal, Geographic and Taxonomic Coverage

Temporal, Geographic and/or Taxonomic information that applies to Data Table: Canopy Trimming Experiment Litterfall Chemistry Data

+/- Project

+/- Additional Metadata

Data Entities

Data Package Usage Rights

Keywords

Methods and Protocols

People and Organizations

Temporal, Geographic and Taxonomic Coverage

Project

Additional Metadata