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:

• Add rows to tables or lines to paraghaphs as you need them for entering your data.
• Contact emelendez@lternet.edu, if you have any question.

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

DATA SET IDENTIFIER: Frog transect data (Coqui transect data)

PROJECT TITLE : Frog Population Dynamics

PROJECT DESCRIPTION : El Verde Station, located in the tabonuco forest zone on the NW side of the Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF), has hosted numerous scientific efforts since the 1960s. Thus, a great deal of information exists concerning anuran populations at the site over the past 30 years. Although past surveys did not use consistent techniques, they clearly document the general status of the anuran community of the area. I began working at El Verde in the 1970s and have collected data on the anuran community primarily in the 1980s and 1990s. Until recently, these surveys also lacked a consistent sampling protocol, although they clearly document declines in species richness in comparison to earlier records.

Most Puerto Rican Eleutherodactylus are terrestrial frogs that breed for prolonged periods of time in more or less continuous habitat. Because their life cycle lacks a free living larvae stage, reproductive behavior is not tied to bodies of water and they do not have the large aggregations typical of many aquatic breeders. For these reasons, assessing their population status requires examining fairly large areas of habitat. I began systematically sampling the anuran community on a 12 ha grid at the Bisley watersheds in 1989 and a second 16 ha grid at El Verde in 1993. These efforts have provided a comprehensive data set that can be used to evaluate future changes in the anuran community in this forest.

LTER CORE AREAS: (Annotate all that apply)

Population Dynamics

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

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Populations

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	Whendee's Plots	coquitransect-Whendees.txt	June 12, 1989, June 18, 1989	daily	July 15, 1989, July 20, 1989
2	El Verde Grid Treefall Gaps	coquitransect-Noras.txt	July 5, 1989	daily	July 7, 1989
3	Nora's Plots	Coquitransect-EVLandslide.txt	June 30, 1989	daily	July 1, 1989
4	El Verde Field Landslide	coquitransect-EVgridtreefall.txt	June 30, 1989	daily	July 1, 1989

RESEARCH LOCATION:

• Whendee's Plots are in the Bisley watersheds. #1 is below the parking area between sheds 2 and 3. #2 is above the road just before shed 1. Upper and lower transects are relative to topography. Transects in #1 extend 30 m on either side of the gap; in #2 only on the side away from the road. "C" denotes gap center "(C+20)" = gap edge.
• Treefall Gaps are located on the El Verde 9-ha grid and are keyed to the closest grid point marker. Four transects run at 90ø angles from center of gap for a distance of 30 m. Angles listed above are approximates taken from field notes.
• Nora's Plots are in the El Verde study area. Plot #1 is next to the Sonadora River, and Plot #2 is next to the Prieta. Upper and lower transects are relative to topography. Transects extend 30 m on either side of the gap. "C" denotes gap center, and (0) denotes the gap edge.
• The El Verde Station Landslide is just outside the Field Station gate. One transect. Follows main path inside gap (non-linear); and extends 30 m into forest (linear) on side away from station.

INVESTIGATORS:

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS E-MAIL address

Larry L. Woolbright

LWoolbright@siena.edu

OTHER RESEARCHERS E-MAIL address

Dan Thero
Mike Flynn

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

L. Woolbright

LWoolbright@siena.edu

(518) 783-2440

SOURCE OF FUNDING (SPONSOR): NSF - LEF LTER

DATA SET ABSTRACT: Relative abundance of all size classes of Eleutherodactylus coqui was measured along control and experimental transects in a variety of disturbance regimes.

DATA SET METHODS: Transects were marked with a continuous lenght of nylon twine divided with flagging tape into 5-m intervals. Observers walked the transects with a 2-m lenght of twine centered on the transect line and recorded all frogs observed within the 2-m swath. Frogs less than 26 mm in body lenght were measured to the nearest 1 mm with a plastic ruler and categorized into 5-mm size calsses. Frogs over 25 mm in body length were measured to the nearest 0.5 mm with dial calipers.

REFERENCES :

CROSS-REFERENCES (other data sets related to this one): LTERDBAS25: Frog transect data, LTERDBAS30: Frog grid data (Bisley), LTERDBAS44: Frog population plots (El Verde + Bisley), LTERDBAS45: Frog spatial distribution data (El Verde + Bisley), LTERDBAS76: Frog abundance in fertilization plots, LTERDBAS150: Pattern morphology for frogs captured at 9 locations in northeastern Puerto Rico over a 25-year period from 1978 to 2002

SAMPLE LOCATION: N/A

STORAGE SITES (of data files): LUQ LTER Data Manager's Cabinet DM333-001, Drawer #1 or 2

LEF LTER OFFICIAL KEYWORDS (See table): BISLEY WATERSHEDS, 9HA GRID, EL VERDE, TABONUCO, POPULATION DYNAMICS, AMPHIBIANS, PEER REVIEWED JOURNAL

INVESTIGATOR'S ASSIGNED KEYWORDS: Anura, Leptodactylidae, Eleutherodactylus, coqui, abundance, population density, disturbance

PUBLICATIONS:
Woolbright, L.L. 1991. The impact of Hurricane Hugo on forest frogs in Puerto Rico. Biotropica23:462-467.

Woolbright, L.L. 1996. Disturbance influences long-term population patterns in the Puerto Rican frog, (1)Eleutherodactylus coqui (Anura: Leptodactylidae). 1996. Biotropica 28:493-501

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: J. ZIMMERMAN, A. LUGO , D.J. LODGE

FILING
___ "File" copy only : Data Management will only file an electronic copy of the data file and its documentation
X "Enter" data on-line : Data Management will be in charge of entering the data on computer files (Contact Eda C. Meléndez

SITES DESCRIPTIONS: See research location

Geographical positional system (GPS) Coordinates for each location:

location	latitude	longitude

VARIABLES (ATTRIBUTES):

FILE NAME OR #ABOVE (all in which the variable appears)	3, 4	3, 4	1, 2, 3, 4	1, 2, 3, 4	1, 2, 3, 4
ABBREVIATION (as it appears on the data file)	DATE	GAPNUM	DATACOLLECTORS	TRANSECTDESIGNATION	SECTION
NAME OF VARIABLE	Date of observation	Gap identification code	Names of observers	Transect identification	Section of transect
DEFINITION OF VARIABLE	Date of observation in (mm/dd/yy)	Identification given to gap where observation was performed	Names (last, first, or nickname) of people who made the observation at the field	Identification given to transect where observation was performed	Section of transect where obervation was performed
UNIT
PRECISION
RANGE OR LIST OF VALUES				http://luq.lternet.edu/data/lterdb25/metadata/lterdb25-transectlist.htm	http://luq.lternet.edu/data/lterdb25/metadata/lterdb25-transectlist.htm
DATA TYPE	date	alphanumeric	alphabetic	integer
MISSING DATA CODES	none	none	none	none	none

VARIABLES (ATTRIBUTES):

FILE NAME OR #ABOVE (all in which the variable appears)	1, 2, 3, 4	1, 2, 3, 4	1, 2, 3, 4	1, 2, 3, 4	1, 2, 3, 4
ABBREVIATION (as it appears on the data file)	HABITAT	NUMCOQUIES6TO10MM	NUMCOQUIES11TO15MM	NUMCOQUIES16TO20MMCLASS,	NUMCOQUIES21TO25MMCLASS
NAME OF VARIABLE	Habitat type	Number of coquies 6 to 10 mm observed	Number of 11 to 15 mm coquies observed	Number of coquies 16 to 20 mm observed	Number of coquies 21 to 25 mm observed
DEFINITION OF VARIABLE	Type of habitat where the individual was observed	Number of coquies observed per section with 6 to 10 mm size	Number of coquies observed per section with 11 to 15 mm size	Number of coquies observed per section with 16 to 20 mm si	Number of coquies observed per section with 21 to 25 mm si
UNIT
PRECISION
RANGE OR LIST OF VALUES	G=gap, E=edge, F=forest
DATA TYPE	alphabetic	integers	integers	integers	integers
MISSING DATA CODES	none	none	none	none	none

ARIABLES (ATTRIBUTES):

FILE NAME OR #ABOVE (all in which the variable appears)	1, 2, 3, 4	1, 2, 3, 4	1, 2, 3, 4
ABBREVIATION (as it appears on the data file)	NUMCOQUIESGT25MMCLASS	TOTAL	COMMENTS
NAME OF VARIABLE	Number of coquies greater than 25 mm long observed	Number of coquies observed	Sex, measurement, and age of some coquies
DEFINITION OF VARIABLE	Number of coquies per section greater than 25 mm long observed	Total number of coquies observed per section	Sex, measurement in mm, and age of some of the observed coquies
UNIT
PRECISION
RANGE OR LIST OF VALUES
DATA TYPE	integers	integers	alphanumeric
MISSING DATA CODES	none	none	none

COMPUTATIONAL METHODS:

Variable Name	Formula

FOR DATA MANAGER USE ONLY

DATE OF LAST REVIEW: July 10, 2007
DATE OF LAST ENTRY: 1989
STAGE OF DATA SET MANAGEMENT (dates):
RECEIVED ENTERED AND FILED: Dec. 12, 1989
ON-LINE June 2001
REVIEWED BY RESEARCHER
FILING MEDIA:
NAME OF DOCUMENTATION FILE: lterdb25.htm
NAME OF ON - LINE CATALOG: LTERDB
RECORD #:
DOCUMENT TYPE: magnetic media (paper also)
PRIORITY TO BE ENTERED: second