Strawberry guava (waiawī, Psidium cattleyanum O. Deg., Myrtaceae) is a small tree invasive on oceanic islands where it may alter forest ecosystem processes and community structure. To better understand the dynamics of its invasion in Hawaiian rainforests in anticipation of the release of a biocontrol agent, we measured growth and abundance of vertical stems >= 0.5 cm DBH for 16 years (2005-2020) in an intact Metrosideros-Cibotium rainforest on windward Hawai'i Island. Specifically, we compared the growth and abundance of both shoots (originating from seed or from the root mat) and sprouts (originating above ground from established stems) in four replicate study sites. Mean stem density increased from 9562 stems/ha in 2005 to 26,595 stems/ha in 2020, the majority of which were stems < 2 cm DBH. Mean annual rates of population growth (lambda) varied between 1.03 and 1.17. Early in the invasion, both density and per capita recruitment of shoots was greater than that of sprouts, but a..., Sites: We measured guava stem diameters annually between 2005 and 2020 at each of four replicate study plots selected to represent early stages of strawberry guava invasions in intact Metrosideros-Cibotium rainforest on windward Hawai'i Island (Juvik and Juvik 1998). Wet forests in Hawai'i are high priority conservation areas because of the biological diversity they harbor and their importance in the water economy of the islands (Jacobi and Warshauer 1992, Tunison 1992). Our study plots were established in the following conservation areas: Kahauale'a Natural Area Reserve (KAH, 19o10'N, 155o10'W), Pu'u Maka'ala Natural Area Reserve (MAK, 19o34'N, 155o11'W), Ola'a Forest Reserve (OLA, 19o27'N, 155o11'W), and Upper Waiakea Forest Reserve (WAI, 19o35'N, 155o12'W). All sites are at approximately 900 m elevation and distances between sites are 2 to 17 km. Estimated annual rainfall is 3000-4000 mm at OLA and KAH and 4000-5000 mm at WAI and MAK (Giambelluca et al. 1996). Projected mean annual ..., , # Strawberry guava invasion of a Hawaiian rainforest: Changing population pattern

https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.dr7sqvb42 This file provides information on the contents of the file “Psicat Demog 2005-2020 values 20231203.csv†. It is intended to accompany the manuscript titled “Strawberry guava invasion of a Hawaiian rainforest: Changing population pattern†authored by J. S. Denslow, M. T. Johnson, N. L. Chaney, E. C. Farrer. C. C. Horvitz, E. R. Nussbaum, and A. L. Uowolo which appears In the journal Biotropica. Please see the “Methods†section of that paper for more detail.

The file provides diameter at breast height (DBH, 1.37 m) of vertical strawberry guava (Psidium cattleyanum O. Deg. f. lucidum) stems measured annually (2005-2020) at 4 study sites in rainforest on windward Hawai'i Island.

KAH: Kahauale'a Natural Area Reserve

MAK: Puu Maka'ala Natural Area Reserve

OLA: Ola'a Forest Reserve

WAI: Upper Waiakea Forest Reserve

The ...

Early pioneer species share life histories enabling them to colonize disturbed sites, but how much they differ demographically and how such differentiation determines pioneer species turnover during succession are still open questions. Here, we approached these issues by comparing the demography of dominant pioneer tree species during the old-field succession of tropical rainforest in Southeast Mexico.

We assessed changes in population density, population structure, vital rates, and intrinsic population growth rate (r) of the pioneer species Trema micrantha, Cecropia peltata, and Trichospermum mexicanum during the first 35 years of succession. For this, we combined chronosequence and long-term (from 2000 to 2018) data from 14 old-fields with 0.5-35 years fallow age.

Trema colonized and disappeared first during succession (< 15 years), followed by Cecropia (< 28) and Trichospermum (> 31). All species exhibited hump-shaped successional trajectories of population density and...

Abstract: This rainforest tree demographic data package comprises recruitment, growth and mortality census data for rainforest trees Davies Creek Plot in Dinden National Park, (25 km south west of Cairns), Queensland for 1963-2013. This plot consists of one 1.7 hectare plot in tropical rainforest, established in 1963. Rainforest tree attributes recorded comprise the size (height or girth) of tagged and mapped, free-standing stems of shrub and tree species. Sampling has been undertaken at intervals of 1-6 years. The Davies Creek Plot was incorporated over an existing 0.4 ha plot established by the Queensland Department of Forestry in 1951 (Nicholson et al. 1988), so the central part of the Davies Creek Plot has records extending back more than a decade prior to 1963.

This data package forms part of the collection of vegetation data undertaken at plots situated in both Lamington National Park and Davies Creek initiated by Professor Joseph H. Connell (University of California, Santa Barbara) in 1963.

A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Connell Rainforest Plot Network’s full program is provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c13444388e1b

Sampling method: The Dinden National Park Plot is a 1.7 hectare plot. The plot was selected by Prof. Joseph H. Connell in 1963 on the advice of his CSIRO collaborators Dr Len Webb and Mr Geoff Tracey, and was chosen for three reasons; it was accessible, it was unlogged, and a smaller 0.4 ha plot belonging to the Queensland Department of Forestry had already been established there in 1951.

This plot is one of two plots established by Connell in 1963 – the other is in subtropical rainforest near O’Reilly’s Guesthouse in Lamington National Park, 65 km south of Brisbane. The same sampling methods are employed at both plots, at intervals of 1-6 years.

Project funding: The National Science Foundation was the sole funder of this research between 1963 and 2003.

Between 2012 and 2018 this project was part of, and funded through the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN) a facility within the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) and supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.

Hainan Island in China is a special economic and pilot free-trade zone located on the northern edge of the Indo Malay Rainforest (18° 09’–20° 11’ N, 108° 36’–111° 04’ E). Hainan Island is composed of 18 cities and counties. The Hainan Island covers an area of 34,000 km2 and has a forest coverage of 57.36%. It is the largest contiguous tropical rainforest in China. Using ArcGIS 10.8 software, the database was established as follows: (1) Based on the daily observation data of 553 meteorological stations in Hainan Island from 2003 to 2018, a climate database (1 km resolution) consisting of annual average maximum temperature, annual average minimum temperature, and annual average rainfall was constructed by spatial interpolation. By providing a prototype of the dynamic climate data, a website can maintain local climate data in the local system, while another centralized website continuously updates the data through a public database and provides access to all website data. (2) The Chinese soil science database was utilized (the reference before 1 January 2021). In this study, spatial interpolation was used to generate the soil types: pH-H2O, pH-KCl, total nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus contents, and other soil databases (2 km resolution). (3) Based on SRTM data and Hainan administrative boundary, a DEM terrain database (90 m resolution) was generated. (4) Combining the population statistics data of Hainan Island for 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018 with land-use types, night light brightness, and residential density, the population data were distributed to 3.06 million grids according to the multiple-factor weight distribution method, and a human-disturbance database (1 km resolution) of population dynamic evolution was generated by spatial interpolation. In this way, the population of a specific area could be estimated by adding the population involved in each grid area. (5) Based on China’s National Forest Continuous Inventory data of Hainan for 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018 and Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 remote sensing image interpretation data in Hainan Island, a woodland range database (1 km resolution) consisting of woodland, shrubbery, economic forest, bamboo forest, and other woodlands was generated. (6) Based on China’s National Forest Continuous Inventory data of Hainan for 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018, 133 permanent sample plots were screened out, and the 133 permanent sample plots contained 16,280 sample trees. The forest biomass data of 70 main tropical rainforest tree species (280 trees) were collected using the standard tree full digging method. A tropical rainforest biomass database of permanent sample plots was generated using the W=a×(D2H)b model; where W denotes tropical rainforest biomass, D is DBH, H is tree height, and a, b are parameters. According to this model, we measured the forest biomass of 133 permanent plots in 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2018. Therefore, a forest biomass sample plot database for Hainan Island was established. (7) Based on the forest age from China’s National Forest Continuous Inventory data in Hainan (in 2018), the scope of the natural forest resource protection project in Hainan, manual visual interpretation data of Landsat historical remote sensing images, and a forest age database (1 km resolution) were generated by spatial interpolation.

Abstract: This rainforest tree data package comprises stand structure data for rainforest trees at the Davies Creek Plot in Dinden National Park, (25 km south west of Cairns), Queensland for 2015. This plot consists of one 1.7 hectare plot in tropical rainforest, established in 1963. Rainforest tree attributes recorded comprise the size (height or girth) of tagged and mapped, free-standing stems of shrub and tree species. Sampling has been undertaken at intervals of 1-6 years since 1963; this data package contains seedling recruitment census data of the plot. This data package forms part of the collection of vegetation data undertaken at plots situated in both Lamington National Park and Davies Creek initiated by Professor Joseph H. Connell (University of California, Santa Barbara) in 1963. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Connell Rainforest Plot Network’s full program is provided at http://hdl.handle.net/1885/151946https://doi.org/10.25911/5c13444388e1b

Sampling method: The Dinden National Park Plot is a 1.7 hectare plot.The plot was selected by Prof. Joseph H. Connell in 1963 on the advice of his CSIRO collaborators Dr Len Webb and Mr Geoff Tracey, and was chosen for three reasons; it was accessible, it was unlogged, and a smaller 0.4 ha plot belonging to the Queensland Department of Forestry had already been established there in 1951. This plot is one of two plots established by Connell in 1963 – the other is in subtropical rainforest near O’Reilly’s Guesthouse in Lamington National Park, 65 km south of Brisbane. The same sampling methods are employed at both plots, at intervals of 1-6 years. See Connell Rainforest Plot Network’s full program provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c13444388e1b for further details.

Study extent: None

Project funding: The National Science Foundation was the sole funder of this research between 1963 and 2003. Between 2012 and 2018 this project was solely funded through the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN) a facility within the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) and supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.

Droughts are expected to increase in frequency and severity with climate change. Population impacts of such harsh environmental events are theorized to vary with life history strategies among species. However, existing demographic models generally do not consider behavioral plasticity that may modify the impact of harsh events. Here we show that tropical songbirds in the New and Old World reduced reproduction during drought, with greater reductions in species with higher average long-term survival. Large reductions in reproduction by longer-lived species were associated with higher survival during drought than pre-drought years in Malaysia, whereas shorter-lived species maintained reproduction and survival decreased. Behavioral strategies of longer-lived, but not shorter-lived, species mitigated the effect of increasing drought frequency on long-term population growth. Behavioral plasticity can buffer the impact of climate change on populations of some species, and differences in plasti...

1. Most tropical forests are now severely degraded and their ability to recover is highly dependent on frugivores which ensure seed dispersal for most woody plants. The global collapse of large vertebrates therefore raises major concerns about tropical forest succession, but few field studies have been conducted to disentangle recruitment limitations during disrupted succession.
2. This study took place on Réunion (Mascarenes) where all large native frugivores have been extinct since human colonisation in 1665 and where multiple invasions threaten native ecosystems. We set up 20 experimental blocks on a lava flow dated back to 1800, in plant-impoverished post-defaunation vegetation bordered by old-growth forests. We assessed fecundity, seed dispersal and seedling recruitment of the complete fleshy-fruited plant community and used Bayesian analyses to disentangle the impact of multiple factors on these key processes. In the same blocks, we sowed four native trees assumed to be disperserless to test their capacity to establish, controlling for two additional post-dispersal limitations (seed predation and competition with invasive plants).
3. On the flow, small-seeded native plants were fairly dispersed but did not recruit, probably due to strong competition with invasive plants; the few native species that recruited somehow were mostly medium-seeded plants that were still dispersed; large-seeded plants were absent from seed rain (which shows that invasive frugivores did not replace extinct ones) and subsequently from spontaneous recruitment. Instead, some alien plants, notably the tiny-seeded highly-dispersed Clidemia hirta and the medium-seeded Psidium cattleianum largely dominated seedling recruitment. Native plants recruited better at the forest margin, including some large-seeded species nearby mother trees.
4. Sown large-seeded species were able to emerge and survive in all plots whatever the treatment, which demonstrates that dispersal loss was the primary cause of regeneration failure on the flow.
5. Synthesis. The strong modulation of the establishment capacity of native plants by seed mass shows that invasive plants win by forfeit of large-seeded plants after native frugivores loss. Our study emphasises the fundamental role of dispersal loss and competition with invasive plants in the disruption of ecological succession, as well as the urgency of restoring seed dispersal and strengthening biosecurity regulations.

Abstract: his rainforest tree data package comprises stand structure data for rainforest trees at the O'Reilly's Connell Rainforest Plot, Lamington National Park (84 km south of Brisbane), Queensland for 2015. The O'Reilly's Plot consists of two 1.0 hectare plots spaced 600 m apart in sub-tropical rainforest, established in 1963. They have always been treated as a single unit for the purpose of analysis. Rainforest tree attributes recorded comprise the size (height or girth) of tagged and mapped, free-standing stems of shrub and tree species. Sampling has been undertaken at intervals of 1-6 years since 1963. It essentially provides a snapshot of stand structure on the site. This data package forms part of the collection of vegetation data undertaken at plots situated in both Lamington National Park and Davies Creek initiated by Professor Joseph H. Connell (University of California, Santa Barbara) in 1963.

A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Connell Rainforest Plot Network's full program is provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c13444388e1b.

Sampling method: The O'Reilly's Plot consists of two 1.0 hectare plots spaced 600 m apart, which have always been treated as a single unit for the purpose of analysis. This data package forms part of the collection of vegetation data undertaken at plots in Lamington National Park which were initiated by Professor Joseph H. Connell (University of California, Santa Barbara) in 1963. The same sampling methods are employed in a related data package focussing on tropical rainforest plots at Davies Creek, Dinden National Park (1.7 ha, 25 km south-west of Cairns). Sampling has been undertaken at intervals of 1-6 years.

Project abstract: This group conducts research in the rainforest investigating tree demographics.

Project funding: The National Science Foundation was the sole funder of this research between 1963 and 2003.

Between 2012 and 2018 this project was part of, and funded through the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN) a facility within the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) and supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.

Aim

The exceptionally rich biodiversity found in tropical rainforest is under threat from anthropogenic climate change. We recognize the threat, yet we have little knowledge of the capacity of tropical species to adjust their climate sensitivity in response to it. One indicator of a species’ capacity to adjust to different climates is the amount of intraspecific variation observed in its climate-relevant traits; if a climate-relevant trait varies, and this variation is correlated with local climates, it suggests the species can adjust the trait to different conditions through either phenotypic plasticity or evolutionary adaptation. Here, we test for intraspecific variation in climate-relevant traits in a rainforest specialist to shed light on the capacity of such species to adjust to different climates. Location

The Wet Tropics Bioregion, Australia. Methods

We studied 12 populations of a lizard that is a tropical rainforest specialist, the rainforest sunskink (Lampropholis coggeri), ...

Background: Selective logging alters tree growth, mortality and recruitment, and the subsequent population dynamics of trees. However, little information is available on how tree populations reduce local extinction in logged forests. Aims: We evaluated the effects of selective logging on tree performance and population dynamics of five dominant dipterocarp species in the Pasoh Forest Reserve, Malaysia. Methods: We used demographic data derived from a forest that was selectively logged in 1958 as well as those from an unlogged primary forest and constructed population transition matrix models to project the population dynamics. Results: The dipterocarp species studied showed minor differences in mortality and diameter growth, but there was a large difference in recruitment between logged and unlogged forest; populations in the logged forest had 10 times slower recruitment rates into the smallest size class than those in the primary forest. Population size structures differed between the two forest types but, despite a large difference in the recruitment rates, there were only minor differences in both asymptotic- and matrix-projected population growth rates. Conclusions: A single selective logging event had only minor impacts on the growth rates of dipterocarp trees in the Pasoh forest. But at the same time it had a large impact on the size structure of the dipterocarp populations through a reduction in recruitment showing that the impacts of selective logging are still seen on dipterocarp population after 50 years.

Abstract: This rainforest tree demographic data package comprises recruitment, growth and mortality census data for rainforest trees at the O'Reilly's Plot, Lamington National Park (84 km south of Brisbane), Queensland for 2017. The O’Reilly’s Plot consists of two 1.0 hectare plots spaced 600 m apart in sub-tropical rainforest, which have always been treated as a single unit for the purpose of analysis. Rainforest tree attributes recorded comprise the size (height or girth) of tagged and mapped, free-standing stems of shrub and tree species. Sampling has been undertaken at intervals of 1-6 years. This data package forms part of the collection of vegetation data undertaken at plots situated in both Lamington National Park and Davies Creek initiated by Professor Joseph H. Connell (University of California, Santa Barbara) in 1963.

A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Connell Rainforest Plot Network’s full program is provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c13444388e1b.

Sampling method: The O'Reilly's Plot consists of two 1.0 hectare plots spaced 600 m apart, which have always been treated as a single unit for the purpose of analysis. This data package forms part of the collection of vegetation data undertaken at plots in Lamington National Park which were initiated by Professor Joseph H. Connell (University of California, Santa Barbara) in 1963. The same sampling methods are employed in a related data package focussing on tropical rainforest plots at Davies Creek, Dinden National Park (1.7 ha, 25 km south-west of Cairns). Sampling has been undertaken at intervals of 1-6 years.

Project funding: The National Science Foundation was the sole funder of this research between 1963 and 2003.

\Between 2012 and 2018 this project was soley funded through the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN) a facility within the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) and supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.

Analysis of the effect of habitat dependency on the results.

Understanding temporal change and long-term persistence of species and communities is vital if we are to accurately assess the relative values of human-modified habitats for biodiversity. Despite a large literature and emerging consensus demonstrating a high conservation value of selectively logged tropical rainforests, few studies have taken a long-term perspective. We resampled small mammals (≤1kg) in a heavily logged landscape in Sabah, Borneo between 2011 and 2016 to investigate temporal patterns of species-level changes in population density. We found that small mammal population density in heavily logged forest was highly variable among years, consistent with patterns previously observed in unlogged forest, and uncovered evidence suggesting that one species is potentially declining towards local extinction. Across nine species, population densities varied almost sevenfold during our six-year study period, highlighting the extremely dynamic nature of small mammal communities in thi...

This rainforest tree data package comprises stand structure data for rainforest trees at the O'Reilly's Connell Rainforest Plot, Lamington National Park (84 km south of Brisbane), Queensland for 2015. The O'Reilly's Plot consists of two 1.0 hectare plots spaced 600 m apart in sub-tropical rainforest, established in 1963. They have always been treated as a single unit for the purpose of analysis. Rainforest tree attributes recorded comprise the size (height or girth) of tagged and mapped, free-standing stems of shrub and tree species. Sampling has been undertaken at intervals of 1-6 years since 1963. It essentially provides a snapshot of stand structure on the site. This data package forms part of the collection of vegetation data undertaken at plots situated in both Lamington National Park and Davies Creek initiated by Professor Joseph H. Connell (University of California, Santa Barbara) in 1963. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Connell Rainforest Plot Network's full program is provided at http://www.ltern.org.au/index.php/ltern-plot-networks/connell-rainforest.

Southeast Asian rainforests at upper hill elevations are increasingly vulnerable to degradation because most lowland forest areas have been converted to different land uses. As such, understanding the genetics of upper hill species is becoming more crucial for their future management and conservation. Shorea platyclados is an important, widespread upper hill dipterocarp in Malaysia. To elucidate the genetic structure of S. platyclados and ultimately provide guidelines for a conservation strategy for this species, we carried out a comprehensive study of the genetic diversity and demographic history of S. platyclados. Twenty-seven populations of S. platyclados across its range in Malaysia were genotyped at 15 polymorphic microsatellite loci and sequenced at seven noncoding chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) regions. A total of 303 alleles were derived from the microsatellite loci, and 29 haplotypes were identified based on 2892 bp of concatenated cpDNA sequences. The populations showed moderately high genetic diversity (mean HE = 0.680 for microsatellite gene diversity and HT = 0.650 for total haplotype diversity) and low genetic differentiation (FST = 0.060). Bayesian clustering divided the studied populations into two groups corresponding to western and eastern Malaysia. Bottleneck analysis did not detect any recent bottleneck events. Extended Bayesian skyline analyses showed a model of constant size for the past population history of this species. Based on our findings, priority areas for in situ and ex situ conservation and a minimum population size are recommended for the sustainable utilization of S. platyclados.

Intra-specific negative density dependence promotes species coexistence by regulating population sizes. Patterns consistent with such density dependence are frequently reported in diverse tropical tree communities. Empirical evidence demonstrating whether intra-specific variation is related to these patterns, however, is lacking. The present study addresses this important knowledge gap by genotyping all individuals of a tropical tree in a long-term forest dynamics plot in tropical China. We show that related individuals are often spatially clustered, but having closely related neighbors reduces the growth performance of focal trees. We infer from the evidence, that dispersal limitation and negative density dependence are operating simultaneously to impact the spatial distributions of genotypes in a natural population. Furthermore, dispersal limitation decreases local intra-specific genetic diversity and increases negative density dependence thereby promoting niche differences and specie...

Topography is associated with variation in soil water, biogeochemical properties and climate, which drive diversity by filtering species and promoting niche differences. However, the potential for topography to promote fitness differences and diversity among tree species and populations remains poorly tested in tropical rainforests, especially at small spatial scales in everwet climates.

We reciprocally transplanted tree seedlings between ridge and riparian sites and manipulated neighbour abundance and water availability to assess growth and survival differences both among species and between populations within species in response to changes in biotic interactions and soil water gradients associated with topographic heterogeneity.

Seedling growth rates were higher on the ridge, but probability of survival was lower on the ridge than the riparian site. Topography also altered growth and survival responses to water availability such that seedlings in the inundated soils in the riparian site had the lowest growth and survival but increased rapidly with moderate soil drying. By contrast, growth and survival on the ridge were generally unresponsive to drying, although severe drought on the ridge reinforced differences among species in growth rates and probability of survival.

The patterns of growth and survival within species did not provide evidence of local adaptation between seedlings from lowland and upslope origins. However, within species, topographic seed-origin determined the response of seedling growth and survival to increasing neighbour abundance, indicative of divergent selective pressures between individuals growing in different topographic environments.

Combined, these results suggest that topographic heterogeneity promotes tropical forest diversity both at the species level via environmental filtering due to water availability and at the population level via functional responses to the density of neighbouring vegetation.

Methods Seedling growth and survival data collected on a reciprocal transplant study over 6 years.

List of the species included in the study.

Abstract: This rainforest tree data package comprises stand structure data for rainforest trees at the O'Reilly's Connell Rainforest Plot, Lamington National Park (84 km south of Brisbane), Queensland for 2013. The O'Reilly's Plot consists of two 1.0 hectare plots spaced 600 m apart in sub-tropical rainforest, established in 1963. They have always been treated as a single unit for the purpose of analysis. Rainforest tree attributes recorded comprise the size (height or girth) of tagged and mapped, free-standing stems of shrub and tree species. Sampling has been undertaken at intervals of 1-6 years since 1963, and this data package is from the most recent recensus of the plot in July 2013. It essentially provides a snapshot of stand structure on the site. This data package forms part of the collection of vegetation data undertaken at plots situated in both Lamington National Park and Davies Creek initiated by Professor Joseph H. Connell (University of California, Santa Barbara) in 1963.

A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Connell Rainforest Plot Network's full program is provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c13444388e1b.

Sampling method: The O'Reilly's Plot consists of two 1.0 hectare plots spaced 600 m apart, which have always been treated as a single unit for the purpose of analysis. This data package forms part of the collection of vegetation data undertaken at plots in Lamington National Park which were initiated by Professor Joseph H. Connell (University of California, Santa Barbara) in 1963. The same sampling methods are employed in a related data package focussing on tropical rainforest plots at Davies Creek, Dinden National Park (1.7 ha, 25 km south-west of Cairns). Sampling has been undertaken at intervals of 1-6 years.

Project abstract: This group conducts research in the rainforest investigating tree demographics.

Project funding: The National Science Foundation was the sole funder of this research between 1963 and 2003.

Between 2012 and 2018 this project was solely funded through the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN) a facility within the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) and supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.

This dataset is based on the following manuscript/publication:
Page, N., S. Kasinathan, K. Bhat, G. Moorthi, T. Sundarraj, Divya Mudappa, and T. R. S. Raman (submitted MS). A new population record of Critically Endangered Dipterocarpus bourdillonii Brandis from the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu. Submitted manuscript.

Please refer to the README.txt file included with the dataset for complete details and usage notes.

Geographic Coverage:
Location/Study Area: Valparai Plateau, Tamil Nadu, India; Anamalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu, India
GPS coordinates: Valparai Plateau (0°15'- 10°22'N, 76°52'-76°59'E); Anamalai Tiger Reserve (10°12'-10°35'N, 76°49'-77°24'E)

Temporal Coverage:
Begins: 2020-10-01 (Year, Month, Day)
Ends: 2021-04-30 (Year, Month, Day)

Funding:
Fondation Franklinia
AMM Murugappa Chettiar Research Centre
Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies

Dataset:
The dataset includes 9 files: 1 text file (README.txt), 5 data files in comma-delimited format (CSV), and 3 KML files of survey routes. Details of content of each CSV data file are provided below. The following files are included:
README.txt: Usage notes and metadata related to the dataset
1_Surveys.csv: Details of trails covered where Dipterocarpus bourdillonii was recorded during the survey
2_Focal_tree_data.csv: Details of focal trees of Dipterocarpus bourdillonii
3_Tree_centred_PCQ.csv: Data from point-centred quarter (PCQ) plots sampled with focal trees at the centre
4_Plant_checklist.csv: Checklist of plants (mainly trees) recorded on survey trails
5_Seed-fruit.csv: Measurements of fruits and seeds of Dipterocarpus bourdillonii
2021-01-30_Manamboli_track.kml: Anali to Ayyankulam to Manamboli (Trail-2)
2021-03-26-Ayyankulam-track.kml: Ayyankulam survey (Trail-4)
2021-04-10-Ayyankulam Parai-trail2-track.kml: Anali Pudhukadu coffee boundary to Ayyankulam Parai (Trail-5)

Details and data available in the columns in each of the above CSV files are explained below.

1_Surveys.csv
Column: Description
Date: Date on which the survey was done
Place: Name of the place where the focal tree is located. e.g., Candura, Manamboli, Iyerpadi etc
Route_description:Description of place or route covered
Trail: Name of the tree survey trail
Trail_distance: Distance covered on the trail in kilometres (km)
Track_filename_kml: Name of the file with GPS track of survey trail/route, where available, in KML format
Sample_collected: Samples of unidentified species collected to confirm the species identity
Observers: Names of observers who took measurements and filled datasheet during survey
Remarks: Notes and additional information

2_Focal_tree_data.csv
Column: Description
FT_ID: Unique numeric linking ID of each focal tree
Species: Focal tree species
Date: Date on which the survey was done
Place: Name of the place where the focal tree is located. e.g., Candura, Manamboli, Iyerpadi etc
Waypoint: Unique location waypoint number for the focal tree and GPS instrument used
Time: Time when the focal tree's data was collected
Location: Landmark where the focal tree is located
Latitude: Latitude of the focal tree (decimal degrees N)
Longitude: Longitude of the focal tree (decimal degrees E)
Elevation: Elevation of the focal tree from sea-level in metres
Slope: Slope at focal tree location assessed with Clinometer, categorised as Flat, Gentle, Moderate, or Steep
ID_Notes: Any obvious signs with which to identify focal tree
Phenophase: Phenophase of the focal tree viz. leaf flush, buds/flowers, fruits
GBH: Girth of the focal tree in cm, at 1.3m from ground; measured from the higher side if tree is on slope.
Tree_ht: Focal tree's height in m (height of observer added if measured using rangefinder)
Canopy_ht: Height of canopy in m where the focal tree is located (height of observer added if measured using rangefinder)
Substrate: Substrate where focal tree is standing viz. Earth, Rock, Streamside, Other
Invasives: List of invasive plant species present within 5 m radius around the focal tree
Stature: Stature of the focal tree relative to its surroundings (NOT of the species in general) categorised as Understorey, Mid, Canopy, Emergent
Relatively: Relative height of focal tree in relation to other trees within 10 m radius categorised as Shorter than most, Taller than most, Same height as most
Deadwood: Estimated percentage of deadwood present on the tree in 4 classes of <25%, 26-50%, 51-75%, 76-100%
Damage: Observed damages such as Main trunk broken, Branches broken, Hollow at base, Gaping cavity, Infected, Dried leaves (as on a dead branch)
Shape: Canopy shape of the focal tree (not species in general) categorised as Spreading, Oval, Fan, Column, Cone
Closure: Canopy closure due to foliage visually estimated standing next to trunk of focal tree and looking up, categorised as 0% (only sky and leafless branches visible), 1-25%, 26-50%, 51-75%, 76-100%
Seedlings: Count of conspecific seedlings (stems of girth at breast height <10 cm) around the focal tree in a 5 m radius
Saplings: Count of conspecific saplings (stems of girth at breast height 10-30 cm) around the focal tree in a 5 m radius
Trees: Count of conspecific trees (stems of girth at breast height >30 cm) around the focal tree in a 5 m radius
Remarks: Notes and additional information

3_Tree_centred_PCQ.csv
Column: Description
FT_ID: Unique numeric linking ID of each focal tree
Focal_tree: Scientific name of focal tree species at the centre of the point-centred quarter (PCQ) plot
Species: Scientific name of tree species recorded in PCQ plot around focal tree
GBH (cm): Girth of PCQ tree in cm, at 1.3 m from ground; measured from the higher side if tree is on a slope. Main stem only.
Distance: Distance from focal tree, in m; measured from the approximate centre of bole to centre of bole and not bark to bark
Multistem: NA if single-stemmed; if multi-stemmed, then GBH of additional stems given as notes.

4_Plant_checklist.csv
Column: Description
Date: Date on which the survey was done
Place: Name of the place where the focal tree is located. e.g., Candura, Manamboli, Iyerpadi etc
Trail: Name of the tree survey trail
Checklist_species: Scientific name of tree species observed as present along trail and within 10 m on either side
Remarks: Notes and additional information

5_Seed_Fruit.csv
Column: Description
Sample: Serial number of sample of single winged fruit measured
Species: Scientific name of tree species
No_Seeds: Unit number of seed measured
Fresh_fruit_weight_g: Weight of each fruit measured on an Ohaus scale in grams
Nut_length_cm: Length of nut along the longitudinal axis in cm
Nut_width_1_cm: Width of nut in cm measured along axis perpendicular to nut length
Nut_width_2_cm: Width of nut in cm measured along axis perpendicular to nut length and nut width 1
Wing1_length_cm: Length of longer wing (sepal) in cm
Wing1_width_cm: Width of longer wing (sepal) in cm
Wing2_length_cm: Length of shorter wing (sepal) in cm
Wing2_width_cm: Width of shorter wing (sepal) in cm

7-9: KML files
The following KML GPS track files are also included
2021-01-30_Manamboli_track.kml: Anali to Ayyankulam to Manamboli (Trail-2)
2021-03-26-Ayyankulam-track.kml: Ayyankulam survey (Trail-4)
2021-04-10-Ayyankulam Parai-trail2-track.kml: Anali Pudhukadu coffee boundary to Ayyankulam Parai (Trail-5)