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Although temperate forests are generally thought of as N-limited, resource optimization theory predicts that ecosystem productivity should be co-limited by multiple nutrients. These ideas are represented in the Multi-Element Limitation (MEL) model (Rastetter et al. 2012). To test the patterns of resource limitation predicted by MEL, we are conducting nutrient manipulations in three study sites in New Hampshire: Bartlett Experimental Forest (BEF), Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF), and Jeffers Brook in the White Mountain National Forest. We are monitoring stem diameter, leaf area, sap flow, foliar chemistry, leaf litter production and chemistry, foliar nutrient resorption, root biomass and production, mycorrhizal associations, soil respiration, heterotrophic respiration, N and P availability, N mineralization, soil phosphatase activity, soil carbon and nitrogen, nutrient uptake capacity of roots, and mineral weathering. These data can be found in the EDI repository, using the search term "MELNHE" (http://portal.edirepository.org), and through the data catalog on https://hubbardbrook.org, using the same search term. This data package is referenced by the MELNHE datasets, and includes a datatable of site descriptions and a pdf file with the project description, and diagrams of plot configuration. 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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Estimates of productivity and multiple measures of biodiversity at Bartlett and Hubbard Brook Experimental Forests
In ecosystems dominated by grasses and other small-statured plants, biodiversity and productivity have generally been found to be positively correlated. However, studies in forested ecosystems have found mixed results. Biodiversity in forests has typically been characterized using indices of species diversity, but recent studies have shown that other measures of biodiversity can also play an important role. Several indices of biodiversity were calculated using local-scale inventory measurements and aircraft Light Detecting and Ranging data from Bartlett (BEF) and Hubbard Brook Experimental Forests (HBEF) in New Hampshire, USA to look at relationships between different measures of biodiversity (species, functional, phylogenetic, and structural diversity) and site productivity. For this dataset, a total of 22 biodiversity indices were calculated using the 2001-2003 BEF and 1995-1998 HBEF inventory datasets. These biodiversity indices include three species diversity indices, five functional diversity indices, five phylogenetic diversity indices, and 12 structural diversity indices. In addition, measurements of wood growth and foliar nitrogen for a select number of plots previously collected in another study (Smith et al 2005) were used to represent plot productivity. Site characteristics and land use such as topography, management history, and forest type were also included. Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest and the Bartlett Experimental Forest are both operated and maintained by the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station.
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- PAR ID:
- 10491723
- Publisher / Repository:
- Environmental Data Initiative
- Date Published:
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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The Multiple Element Limitation in Northern Hardwood Ecosystems (MELNHE) project studies N and P acquisition and limitation of forest productivity through a series of nutrient manipulations in northern hardwood forests. This data set is published in support of a manuscript titled "Nitrogen and phosphorus co-limitation of forest growth in northern hardwood forests" and includes data and code used in the analysis. The primary diameter breast height dataset can be found in: Fisk, M.C., R.D. Yanai, and T.J. Fahey. 2025. Tree DBH response to nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization in the MELNHE study, Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, Bartlett Experimental Forest, and Jeffers Brook ver 2. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/fb8f8d5b903627bee9ad6aa4c32f2289. Additional detail on the MELNHE project, including a datatable of site descriptions and a pdf file with the project description and diagram of plot configuration can be found in this data package: https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?scope=knb-lter-hbr&identifier=344. 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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{"Abstract":["Although temperate forests are generally thought of as N-limited, resource optimization theory predicts \nthat ecosystem productivity should be co-limited by multiple nutrients. These ideas are represented in \nthe Multi-Element Limitation (MEL) model (Rastetter et al. 2012). To test the patterns of resource \nlimitation predicted by MEL, we are conducting nutrient manipulations in three study sites in New Hampshire: \nBartlett Experimental Forest (BEF), Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF), and Jeffers Brook in the White Mountain National Forest.\n We are monitoring stem diameter, leaf area, sap flow, foliar chemistry, leaf litter production and chemistry, \nfoliar nutrient resorption, root biomass and production, mycorrhizal associations, soil respiration, heterotrophic respiration, \nN and P availability, N mineralization, soil phosphatase activity, soil carbon and nitrogen, nutrient uptake capacity of roots, \nand mineral weathering. These data can be found in the EDI repository, using the search term \n"MELNHE" (http://portal.edirepository.org), and through the data catalog on https://hubbardbrook.org, using the same search term.\n This data package is referenced by the MELNHE datasets, and includes a datatable of site descriptions and\na pdf file with the project description, and diagrams of plot configuration.\n These data were gathered as part of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (HBES). The HBES is a collaborative \neffort 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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The MELNHE study looks at patterns of resource limitation through nutrient manipulations in three study sites in New Hampshire: Bartlett Experimental Forest, Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, and Jeffers Brook, located in the White Mountain National Forest. The investigation is monitoring stem diameter, leaf area, sap flow, foliar chemistry, leaf litter production and chemistry, foliar nutrient resorption, root biomass and production, mycorrhizal associations, soil respiration, heterotrophic respiration, N and P availability, N mineralization, soil phosphatase activity, soil carbon and nitrogen, nutrient uptake capacity of roots, and mineral weathering. Applications of N and P began in June 2011 and continue at the rate of 30 kg N/ha/yr (as NH4NO3) and 10 kg P/ha/yr (as NaH2PO4). This dataset was produced using thermal dissipation probes in hardwood trees. We recorded temperature differences between the reference and heated over multiple days in five hardwood species across 5 years. Sites are located in Bartlett Experimental Forest and Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in NH. The number of trees in each plot and species vary among years. 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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Abstract The Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF) was established in 1955 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service out of concerns about the effects of logging increasing flooding and erosion. To address this issue, within the HBEF hydrological and micrometeorological monitoring was initiated in small watersheds designated for harvesting experiments. The Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (HBES) originated in 1963, with the idea of using the small watershed approach to study element fluxes and cycling and the response of forest ecosystems to disturbances, such as forest management practices and air pollution. Early evidence of acid rain was documented at the HBEF and research by scientists at the site helped shape acid rain mitigation policies. New lines of investigation at the HBEF have built on the long legacy of watershed research resulting in a shift from comparing inputs and outputs and quantifying pools and fluxes to a more mechanistic understanding of ecosystem processes within watersheds. For example, hydropedological studies have shed light on linkages between hydrologic flow paths and soil development that provide valuable perspective for managing forests and understanding stream water quality. New high frequency in situ stream chemistry sensors are providing insights about extreme events and diurnal patterns that were indiscernible with traditional weekly sampling. Additionally, tools are being developed for visual and auditory data exploration and discovery by a broad audience. Given the unprecedented environmental change that is occurring, data from the small watersheds at the HBEF are more relevant now than ever and will continue to serve as a basis for sound environmental decision‐making.more » « less
