LUQ LTER DATA SETS DOCUMENTATION FORM

ON-LINE VERSION

A DATA SET is a series of observations collected by the same methodology. Each data set should have documentation sufficient for someone unfamiliar with the research to replicate the study. Data sets may be broken into subsets (data files) that are discrete in space and time, in that order. The documentation for a data set should include all spatial and temporal subdivisions of the data.

(Data, Abstract, Methods, Variables)

NOTES:

PERSON(S) COMPLETING THIS FORM: E-MAIL ADDRESS:

Randall W. Myster

RMyster@ucok.edu

Eda C. Melendez-Colom

emelendez@lternet.edu


DATA SET IDENTIFIER: Ecuador old fields permanent plot vegetation sampling

PROJECT TITLE: Land Use (LTER permanent plot vegetation sampling)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Permanent plot data is expected to show (1) rapid increases in percent cover and tree stem density, and (2) rapid turnover from early to late successional plant species. Plant-plant competition indices should show quick increases in intensity with exotics as top competitors which may lead to exclusion of some trees common after landslide and pasture disturbance. Spatial patterns of invading trees should include edge effects due to dispersal limitation with clumping of bird-dispersed species before the first five years. Because of increased nitrogen levels due to plantings of Inga Sp. with coffee, trees should grow, as measured by biomass (productivity), height and basal diameter increases, significantly faster compared to landslide.

Natural pasture that had cows and horses grazing until early 1996. No planted grasses, although some grasses seeded naturally because of the effect of the couse and horses. Those grasses are in the percent cover data set.

LTER CORE AREAS: (Annotate all that apply)

Disturbance Patterns

LEF LTER 1 RESEARCH TOPIC: (Annotate all that apply)

Disturbance Regime


We define a data file as a component of a data set. A data set can have only one data file or more. Basically, different data files have different data structures or format.
DATA SET FILES (SUBSETS): 1) Ecuador old fields percent cover file and 2) Ecuador old fields tree stem file

Data File No.

Data File Identifier

On-Line Filename

Starting Date

Periodicity of sample

End Period

1 Ecuador old fields percent cover file: sugar cane right field sugar-right-cover.txt May 1998 yearly May 2007
2 Ecuador old fields percent cover file: sugar cane left field sugar-left-cover.txt May 1998 yearly May 2007
3 Ecuador old fields percent cover file: banana right field bana-right-cover.txt May 1998 yearly May 2007
4 Ecuador old fields percent cover file: banana left field bana-left-cover.txt May 1998 yearly May 2007
5 Ecuador old fields percent cover file: pasture right field pasture-right-cover.txt May 1998 yearly May 2007
6 Ecuador old fields percent cover file: pasture left field pasture-left-cover.txt May 1998 yearly May 2007
7 Ecuador old fields percent tree stem file: sugar cane right field sugar-right-tree.txt May 1998 yearly May 2007
8 Ecuador old fields percent tree stem file: sugar cane left field sugar-left-tree.txt May 1998 yearly May 2007
9 Ecuador old fields percent tree stem file: banana right field bana-right-tree.txt May 1998 yearly May 2007
10 Ecuador old fields percent tree stem file: banana left field bana-left-tree.txt May 1998 yearly May 2007
11 Ecuador old fields percent tree stem file: pasture right field pasture-right-tree.txt May 1998 yearly May 2007
12 Ecuador old fields percent tree stem file: pasture left field pasture-left-tree.txt May 1998 yearly May 2007


RESEARCH LOCATION: Pasture, Sugar cane and Banana fields located in the Maquipircura Reserve Ecuador.


INVESTIGATORS:

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS E-MAIL address

Randall W. Myster

RMyster@LTERnet.edu

OTHER RESEARCHERS E-MAIL address

CONTACT PERSONS E-MAIL address Phone Number (Include area code)

Randall W. Myster

RMyster@LTERnet.edu


SOURCE OF FUNDING (SPONSOR):  NSF

DATA SET ABSTRACT: Permanent plot data is expected to show these temporal patterns: (1) rapid increases in percent cover and tree stem density, and (2) rapid turnover from early to late successional plant species. Plant-plant competition should show quick increases in intensity with native grass species and exotics as top competitors. These may lead to exclusion of some trees common after landslide disturbance. Spatial patterns of invading trees should include edge effects due to dispersal limitation with clumping of bird-dispersed species before the first five years after cow exclusion. Because of intact soil and low vegetation  trees should grow, as measured by biomass(productivity), height, and basal diameter increases, significantly faster compared to colonization of landslides.

DATA SET METHODS:Twenty five (2 m X 5 m) plots have been set in each field next to the forest. These are organized in five rows with five plots each set up with the 5 m side along the forest edge. The percentage of the area of each plot covered by each species is visually estimated (files 1-6). For each tree stem in each plot greater than 1 m in height, we measure the basal diameter and height, and identify the species. (Files 7-12). There are six fields (Pasture left, pasture right, Sugar cane left, Sugar cane right, banana left, banana right) for which two kinds of measurements are performed making a total of 12 files in this database..

REFERENCES:
Same plot size as in:

Myster R.W. and L.R. Walker. 1997. Plant succesional pathways on Puerto Rican landslides. Journal of Tropical Ecology (1997) 13:165-173. Grid arrangement like: Zimmerman J, et al. 1994. Responses of tree species to hurricane winds in subtropical wet forest in Puerto Rico: implications of tropical tree life histories. Journal of Ecology 82:911-922.

CROSS-REFERENCES (other data sets related to this one): LTERDBAS 97 : Sabana pasture permanent plot vegetation sampling; LTERDBAS 100. El Verde Coffee Plantation permanent plot vegetation sampling .Ecuador old fields permanent plot vegetation sampling

SAMPLE LOCATION: N/A

STORAGE SITES: ITES' Data Management files DM-002, Drawer #3

INVESTIGATOR'S ASSIGNED KEYWORDS: long-term, permanent plots, tree invasion, establishments, percent cover, Ecuador, LEF

LEF LTER OFFICIAL KEYWORDS (See table): EL VERDE, SABANA, OTHER PLOT, COFFEE, PASTURES, HUMAN, HERBS, SHRUBS, TREES, PEER REVIEWED JOURNAL

PUBLICATIONS:

Myster, R.W. 2004. Regeneration filters in post-agricultural fields of Puerto Rico and Ecuador. Plant Ecology 172: 199-209.

Myster, R. W. 2007. Early successional pattern and process after sugarcane, banana, and pasture cultivation in Ecuador. New Zealand Journal of Botany 45:35-44

DISSEMINATION: UNRESTRICTED

REASONS TO RESTRICT DATA IN THIS DATA SET BEYOND ITS TWO YEAR POLICY PERIOD*:

*WILL HAVE TO BE APPROVED BY LTER PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS: N. BROKAW, A. LUGO

SITES DESCRIPTIONS: Old fields just abandoned. Pasture planted in Setaria Spp. Reserve location is (0 05'N, 78 37'W)

Geographical positional system (GPS) Coordinates for each location:

location

latitude

longitude

Reserve location

0° 05' N

78° 37' W

VARIABLES (ATTRIBUTES):

FILE NAME OR #ABOVE (all in which the variable appears)

1-12 1-12 1-12 1-6

ABBREVIATION (as it appears on the data file)

Date PlotNum Species CoverPercent

NAME OF VARIABLE

Sampling date Plot Number Species name Percent cover

DEFINITION OF VARIABLE

 Year (in YYYY) in which the sampling took place. Name assigned to the plot on which the observation is done. An integer {1, ..., 25} that designates the plot# within a 25m X 10m area. Each plot measures 5m X 2m. A six or more letter code, common name, genus or species denoting the plant's species Percent of total area of the 5m X 2m plot covered by the species. Because of stratification
it could exceed 100%.

UNIT

       

PRECISION

      ±1

RANGE OR LIST OF VALUES

      {1,...}

DATA TYPE

datetime integer alphabetic

integer

MISSING DATA CODES

 none none none

none

VARIABLES (ATTRIBUTES):

FILE NAME OR #ABOVE (all in which the variable appears)

1-12 7-12 7-12 7-12

ABBREVIATION (as it appears on the data file)

Comments TagNum Height BasalDiam

NAME OF VARIABLE

Field observations Tag Number Height Basal Diameter

DEFINITION OF VARIABLE

 Observation made at the field about the living condition of the tree. When the tree is found dead for the first time or when it sprouts an observation is entered in this field. Numerical stem identifier height of tree stems greater than 50 cm tall diameter of the stem in cm at ground level

UNIT

    centimeter centimeter

PRECISION

    ±1 ±.01

RANGE OR LIST OF VALUES

dead, muerto=dead, new, nuevo=new {1,...} {50,...} {0,...}

DATA TYPE

alphabetic integer integer decimal

MISSING DATA CODES

 none none none none


COMPUTATIONAL METHODS:
Variable Name Formula

none

 

FOR DATA MANAGER USE ONLY


DATE OF LAST REVIEW: April 7, 2009
DATE OF LAST ENTRY: 2003
STAGE OF DATA SET MANAGEMENT (dates):
RECEIVED: February 27, 1997
ENTERED: FILED ON-LINE Mar 1, 2001
REVIEWED BY RESEARCHER
FILING MEDIA:
NAME OF DOCUMENTATION FILE: lterd101.htm
NAME OF DATA FILES: 1) Percent cover file (___-cover.db paradox file) and 2) Tree stem file (___Tree.db paradox file) {___= sugarcane-left, sugarcane-R, banana-left, banana-right, pasture-left, pasture-right}
NAME OF ON - LINE CATALOG: LTERDBAS RECORD # : 101
DOCUMENT TYPE: paper copy and magnetic media
PRIORITY TO BE ENTERED: second

Rev. date of this form: 19 March 2002