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Tree seeds sorted and counted from long-term reference area litter traps are presented for 1993 until the present. These data are part of the LTER funded quantification of tree annual productivity. Our focal species for seed counts have been sugar maple, American beech and white ash. This data set allows comparison between seed production in reference sites (BB and TF) and the calcium addition watershed (W1) for these species. These data were gathered as part of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (HBES). The HBES is a collaborative effort at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, which is operated and maintained by the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station.
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Tree Seed Data at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, 1993 - present
Seeds Abstract Tree seeds sorted and counted from long-term reference area litter traps are presented for 1993 until the present. These data are part of the LTER funded quantification of tree annual productivity. Our focal species for seed counts have been sugar maple, American beech and white ash. This data set allows comparison between seed production in reference sites (BB and TF) and the calcium addition watershed (W1) for these species.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1637685
- PAR ID:
- 10317030
- Publisher / Repository:
- Environmental Data Initiative
- Date Published:
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Tree seeds sorted and counted from long-term reference area litter traps are presented for 1993 until the present. These data are part of the LTER funded quantification of tree annual productivity. Our focal species for seed counts have been sugar maple, American beech and white ash. This data set allows comparison between seed production in reference sites (BB and TF) and the calcium addition watershed (W1) for these species. These data were gathered as part of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (HBES). The HBES is a collaborative effort at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, which is operated and maintained by the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station.more » « less
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Seed distribution and deposition patterns around parent trees are strongly affected by functional traits and therefore influence the development of plant communities. To assess the limitations of seed dispersal and the extent to which diaspore and neighbouring parental traits explain seed rain, we used a 9-year seed data set based on 150 seed traps in a 25-ha area of a temperate forest in the Changbai Mountain. Among 480,598 seeds belonging to 12 families, 17 genera, and 26 species were identified, only 54% of the species with mature trees in the community were represented in seeds collected over the 9 years, indicating a limitation in seed dispersal. Understory species were most limited; overstory species were least limited. Species with wind-dispersed seed had the least limitation, while the lowest similarity in species richness was for animal-dispersed species followed by gravity-dispersed species; fleshy-fruited species had stronger dispersal limitations than dry-fruited species. Generalized linear mixed models showed that relative basal area had a significant positive effect on seed abundance in traps, while the contribution of diaspore traits was low for nearly all groups. These results suggest that tree traits had the strongest contribution to seed dispersal and deposition for all functional groups examined here. These findings strengthen the knowledge that tree traits are key in explaining seed deposition patterns, at least at the primary dispersal stage. This improved knowledge of sources of seeds that are dispersed could facilitate greater understanding of seedling and community dynamics in temperate forests.more » « less
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Abstract The effects of vertebrate seed predation on the regeneration of restored forests are not well understood because most past studies have focused on seed predation within the first few years after restoration and have measured seed removal without quantifying subsequent seedling establishment of seeds that avoid predation. Quantifying the establishment of seeds that escape predation in restored forests at later stages of regrowth is crucial for anticipating longer‐term recovery trajectories. Here, we evaluated the potential role of vertebrate seed predators in limiting recruitment of later‐successional tree species in nine forests actively restored ≥15 years prior and in four paired remnant forest fragments embedded in an agricultural landscape in southern Costa Rica. We conducted seed addition experiments with four tree species inside and outside vertebrate exclosures and used camera trapping to detect seed predators. To determine the fate of seeds that avoided predation, we also measured seedling establishment after 1 year, given that other mortality factors may compensate in the absence of vertebrate seed predation. We detected two species of birds and five species of granivorous mammals removing seeds. Seed tagging indicated that most removal resulted in predation. For three of the four tree species tested, vertebrate seed predation reduced seedling establishment. The magnitude of this effect depended on species' susceptibility to other causes of mortality during the seed‐to‐seedling transition. Our study demonstrates that vertebrate seed predators can substantially reduce later‐successional seedling recruitment in restored forests and should be considered alongside dispersal limitation and microsite conditions as factors slowing forest recovery. Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.more » « less
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Fine litterfall (leaves, twigs, fruits, seeds, etc.) is collected in Watershed 1, Watershed 5, the Throughfall plots and the Bear Brook Watershed reference forest, located to the west of Watershed 6, to quantify carbon and nutrient flux associated with this important pathway. In addition, measurements of area per leaf are combined with counts of leaves for each tree species to quantify leaf area index of the forest. These measurements have facilitated quantification of ice storm effects and species declines (paper birch, sugar maple). These data were gathered as part of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (HBES). The HBES is a collaborative effort at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, which is operated and maintained by the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station.more » « less
