DATA SET IDENTIFIER: Species names and codes of the Luquillo Forest Dynamics Plot (LFDP), Puerto Rico

PROJECT TITLE: Luquillo Forest Dynamics Plot - Community Structure and Disturbance in a Tropical Forest.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The processes that determine the plant species diversity and structure of tropical forest are still uncertain despite many years of investigation. A tropical forest characteristically has few common species and many rare species, with conspecifics often widely distributed throughout the forest. The potential for inter and intra-specific interactions are numerous, and it is difficult to determine which factors maintain species diversity or how rare species survive in the population. Factors that we believe contribute to tropical forest structure and composition include the physical environment and past history of the forest, species-specific physiological requirements for light, nutrients and water necessary for growth, survival and reproduction, and pathogens and herbivores. Despite the substantial amount of information available about these factors, we are still unable to accurately model the current composition of tropical forest or to predict its future response to human and natural disturbances.

The Luquillo Forest Dynamics Plot (LFDP), previously known as the Hurricane Recovery Plot (Zimmerman et. al. 1994) and the Luquillo long-term ecological research grid (Soil Survey 1995), is a 16-ha forest plot (SW corner 18° 20’ N, 65° 49’ W) located near El Verde Field Station. The plot is 500 m N-S and 320 m E-W and is divided into 400 20 x 20 m quadrats, with each quadrat sub divided into 16 5 x 5 m sub-quadrats. The field station and LFDP are in the Luquillo Mountains of northeastern Puerto Rico, approximately 35 km southeast of San Juan. Information from the LFDP contributes to the efforts of the Center for Tropical Forest Science (CTFS, Smithsonian) network of large tropical forest plots in order to improve our understanding of tropical forest and to predict its future. Large plots (typically 50 ha) are required to cover local environmental variation, include sufficient numbers of individuals of both the common and rare species, and to determine plant spatial relationships. Population monitoring is required over many years to elucidate tree life histories, species interactions and population changes in order to determine the forest response to environmental changes and disturbance.

The LFDP is unique among the CTFS sites as it has a history of land use disturbance and also hurricane damage. These two disturbance types interact and influence the community dynamics and species composition in the LFDP. The Northern area (approximately two thirds of the plot) was disturbed by tree felling and farming until 1934 when the land was purchased by United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. The Southern third was not farmed and only suffered relatively light disturbance from selective logging. Aerial photographs taken in 1936 show differences in canopy cover caused by the patterns of land use history. Clear patterns in the distribution of some species reflect this land use history (Thompson et. al. in press). The distribution of species as a result of the land use history interacts with hurricane disturbance, as those species colonizing the northern part of the LFDP are more susceptible to hurricane damage (Zimmerman et. al. 1994). Major hurricanes struck the forest area of the LFDP in 1928 and 1932 and after a 66 year period with relatively little hurricane damage, the forest was struck by Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and Hurricane Georges in 1998, both hurricanes causing significant damage.

LFDP CENSUS HISTORY.

The LFDP was established in 1990 and the censuses are carried out in accordance with CTFS protocol (Condit 1998) with only minor variations. The first assessment of stems >= 10 cm D₁₃₀ (diameter at breast height [DBH] of 130 cm from the ground) consisting of stems damaged by Hurricane Hugo (September 1989) was carried out from August 1990 to September 1991 (Everham 1996). The first complete census of all stems >=1 cm D₁₃₀ lasted from August 1990 to September 1993. This first census was divided into three surveys with the first survey (August 1990 to February 1992) comprising all free standing (excluding lianas) woody stems >= 10 cm D₁₃₀. The second survey (overlapping the third survey) consisted of checks on a small number of quadrats in which a few large stems >= 10 cm D₁₃₀ were found that had been "missed" during the first survey. The third survey of woody stems >= 1 cm <10 cm D₁₃₀ was carried out between April 1992 and September 1993. During Census 1 surveys 2 and 3 stems were found that were >=10 cm D₁₃₀ and, therefore, were most likely to have been present in the forest at the time of Census 1 survey 1. In addition in Census 2 (November 1994 to October 1996), stems were found >=3 cm D₁₃₀ (>=5 cm D₁₃₀ for Cecropia schreberiana and Schefflera morototoni) which may have been missed in Census 1. In order to include these "missed" stems in the appropriate census and survey we calculated what diameter the stem would have been at the time the quadrat in which it was located was initially assessed. These "missed" stems were allocated to earlier censuses and census surveys based either upon the actual growth rate of that stem, if more than one measurement was available, or the median growthrate for that species. The median growthrate was calculated for two size classes of stems >=1, <10 cm, or >=10 to 30 cm D₁₃₀. Using the most appropriate growthrate the diameter of the "missed" stem was extrapolated back in time to estimate the stem diameter at the correct survey time in Census 1. If the calculated diameter matched the size class for an earlier survey the stem was allocated to it with its estimated diameter. Information for stems >=10 cm D₁₃₀ damaged during Hurricane Hugo was combined with data for stems >=10 cm D₁₃₀, in census 1 survey 1 together with "missed" stems recorded in later surveys to reconstruct the forest as it was at the time of Hurricane Hugo. The reconstruction to represent the forest at the time of Hurricane Hugo did not include diameter extrapolations back to September 1989, but to the time at which the appropriate size class of stems were measured between August 1990 and September 1993. The palm Prestoea acuminata was allocated to earlier census surveys based upon the height of the point of measurement and additional observations. Further details on the procedures for allocating these "missed" stems to the appropriate census surveys can be found in the descriptions in the relevant data files. The last corrections to the Census 1 this data were made in May 2001.

In all censuses individual stems of the specified size were tagged, identified and measured for D₁₃₀. On multiple stemmed plants, all stems were individually tagged and the group of stems representing an individual plant was recorded. In the first and second census stems >=10 cm D₁₃₀ were mapped. Following CTFS protocol we are conducting the censuses at 5 year intervals. The second census (November 1994 to October 1996) consisted of only one survey with all stems >=1 cm D₁₃₀ censused at the same time, although only stems >=10 cm D₁₃₀ were mapped. The third census (funded by the Andrew Mellon Foundation) started in July 2000 and is expected to finish in April 2002. In this third census, in addition to mapping stems >=10 cm D₁₃₀, we are also mapping the location of stems >=1 cm D₁₃₀.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: We are grateful for the work of many people who helped inventory the LFDP. In particular, technicians: R. DeLeon, J. Bithorn, M. Aponte, A.-L. Méndez, M. Estades, A. Estrada, S. Matta, plant taxonomist B. Boom, and data manager Eda Meléndez. Many volunteers, too numerous to mention, were also a tremendous help with the census. We thank the United States Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Conservation Service, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA for the soil survey. The International Institute of Tropical Forestry (IITF) gave us access to their historical records and timber cruise surveys, and we thank Dr. Frank Wadsworth and Octavio Jodan who helped interpret them. John Thomlinson helped prepare the digital maps of stem locations and the soil map. The aerial photographs were analyzed at The Harvard Forest, Harvard University.

LTER CORE AREAS: (Annotate all that apply)

Population Dynamics

Disturbance Patterns

Primary Productivity

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

Recovery After Disturbance

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):

Data File No.	Data File Identifier	On-Line Filename	Starting Date	Periodicity of sample	End Period
1	Physical environment of the Luquillo Forest Dynamics Plot, Puerto Rico (20m scale).	LFDP_spp.txt	February 1990	Once	January 1991

Note: If for some reason you have problems accessing and downloading the data through the forms, send us a message to emelendez@lternet.edu in which you give us a brief statement of the purpose to use the data.

RESEARCH LOCATION:Luquillo Forest Dynamics Plot (LFDP, southwest plot corner 18° 20’ N, 65° 49’ W), El Verde Research Area, Luquillo Experimental Forest, Caribbean National Forest, Puerto Rico.

INVESTIGATORS:

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS E-MAIL address

Jill Thompson	Jill@coqui.net
Nicholas Brokaw	nbrokaw@lternet.edu

OTHER RESEARCHERS E-MAIL address

Robert B. Waide	rwaide@lternet.edu
Wyn M. Everham III	eeverham@fgcu.edu
D. Jean Lodge	DJLodge@coqui.net
Charlotte M. Taylor
Diana Garcia-Monteil

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

Jill Thompson	Jill@coqui.net	(787) 360-2891
Nicholas Brokaw	nbrokaw@lternet.edu	1-787-764-0000 x 4940

SOURCE OF FUNDING (SPONSOR): The LFDP was established with funds from a National Science Foundation (NSF) SGER grant, BSR-9015961 to the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). This work was also supported by LTER grants BSR-8811902 and BSR-8811764 from NSF to the Institute for Tropical Ecosystem Studies, UPR, and to IITF, as part of the Long-Term Ecological Research Program in the Luquillo Experimental Forest. The U.S. Forest Service (Dept. of Agriculture) and UPR gave additional support. Funds were also provided through grants RII-880291 and HRD-9353549 from NSF to UPR’s Center for Research Excellence in Science and Technology. Funding for current work on the LFDP comes from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

 DATA SET ABSTRACT: File LFDP_spp. contains the current species list with family for the Luquillo Forest Dynamics plot and the codes for these species found in LFDP1 and LFDD1a. As new species are encountered or renamed and species renamed then this list will be updated. Species identifications are assisted by reference to Liogier (1985, 1988, 1994, 1995, 1997), Little and Wadsworth (1964). Little, et. al. (1974), Little and Woodbury (1976).

 The National Science Foundation requires that data from projects it funds are posted on the web two years after any data set has been organized and “cleaned”. The data from each census of the LFDP will be updated at intervals as each survey of the LFDP shows errors in the previous data collection. After posting on the web, researchers who are not part of the project are then welcome to use the data. Given the enormous amount of time, effort and resources required to manage the LFDP, obtain these data, and ensure data accuracy, LFDP Principal Investigators request that researchers intending to use this data comply with the requests below. Through complying with these requests we can ensure that the data are interpreted correctly, analyses are not repeated unnecessarily, beneficial collaboration between users is promoted and the Principle Investigators investment in this project is protected.

  Please comply with the following requests:

• Submit to the LFDP PIs a short (1 page) description of how you intend to use the data;Invite LFDP PIs to be co-authors on any publication that uses the data in a substantial way (some PIs may decline and other LFDP scientists may need to be included);
• If the LFDP PIs are not co-authors, send the PIs a draft of any paper using LFDP data, so that the PIs may comment upon it;
• In the methods section of any publication using LFDP data, describe that data as coming from the “Luquillo Forest Dynamics Plot, part of the Luquillo Experimental Forest Long-Term Ecological Research Program”;
• Acknowledge in any publication using LFDP data the “The Luquillo Experimental Forest Long-Term Ecological Research Program, supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the University of Puerto Rico, and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry”;
• Supply the LFDP PIs with 10 reprints of any publication using LFDP data.
• Accept that the LFDP PIs can not guarantee that the LFDP data you intend to use, has not already been submitted for publication or published.