Search for: All records

Sporocarp (fungal fruiting body) observational data and fungal eDNA data extracted from soil samples collected primarily by Farrar Ransom in the summers of 2022 and 2023. Also included: detailed site metadata, soil moisture measurements, sample processing metadata, and R code used in publication analysis. Photos and additional data not used for publication will be published in a separate EDI package in July 2026. The majority of these data were collected in study plots established around 2016 by Dr. Elizabeth Studer for her dissertation work. This factorial study design consists of approximately 60 plots on two hydropedological soil types beneath four canopy tree species. The four tree species we considered were white ash (Fraxinus americana), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis). Some of these plots are now part of the ongoing Ash Protection Experiment. The following data tables and other entities were used in the analysis for the publication: Ransom, F. R., Metzler, P., Studer, E. A., Ayres, M. P., Chaudhary, V. B. (2026). Unique soil fungal communities are associated with disappearing ash trees in a northern temperate hardwood forest [Accepted with Major Revisions at Fungal Ecology]. 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. 

This dataset provides nest records for Ovenbirds breeding at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. We located and monitored nesting attempts (successful and unsuccessful) on a 100-ha plot (elevation: 450-600 m). Ovenbirds renest after a nest failure and occasional double brood (i.e., attempt to produce another brood after successfully fledgling offspring). Few males were bigamous (i.e., associated with two nesting females, either sequentially or simultaneously). 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. 

This dataset provides territory maps for Ovenbirds breeding at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. We mapped territories on a 100-ha plot (elevation: 450-600 m). 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. 

This dataset provides encounter histories and body measurements for Ovenbirds. Ovenbird were captured and given unique combinations of three colored leg bands and a USGS aluminium leg band. Mass, tail, wing cord, and tarsus were measured. Measurements reported are from the first capture. 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. 

Invertebrate abundance and biomass from Berlese-Tullgren funnels measurements used to quantify food availability in the brown food web. Samples were taken from haphazard locations within replicate Ovenbird territories on an approximately 100-ha plot (elevation: 450-600 m). 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. 

Sporocarp (fungal fruiting body) observational data and fungal eDNA data extracted from soil samples collected primarily by Farrar Ransom in the summers of 2021, 2022, and 2023. Also included: detailed site metadata, soil moisture measurements, sample processing metadata, and R code used in publication analysis. Data are still being uploaded as of January 2026. The majority of these data were collected in study plots established around 2016 by Dr. Elizabeth Studer for her dissertation work. This factorial study design consists of approximately 60 plots on two hydropedological soil types beneath four canopy tree species. The four tree species we considered were white ash (Fraxinus americana), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis). Some of these plots are now part of the ongoing Ash Protection Experiment. The following data tables and other entities were used in the analysis for the publication: Unique soil fungal communities are associated with disappearing ash trees in a northern temperate hardwood forest. Site_Metadata; eDNA_Abun_Table; eDNA_Taxa_Metadata; eDNA_Extraction_Metadata; iNext_Format_eDNA; Sporocarp_Count_Table; Sporocarp_Prop_Table; Soil_Moisture_Measurements; PCR_Plate_Gel_Photos; FR_DADA2_PlusFilter_CodePub; FR_eDNA_CodePub; FR_Sporocarp_CodePub. 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. 

Quantifying Invertebrate (esp Lepidoptera) abundance at Hubbard Brook has historically relied on manual surveys of caterpillar larvae on shrub foliage, a method constrained by accessibility, field effort, and observer variability. Bucket traps later enabled calibration of relative abundance but require capturing insects and can be intrusive. Here we evaluate a reproducible and scalable monitoring approach using blacklight sheets to image invertebrate activity and estimate relative abundance without capture. The blacklight setup provides standardized nightly sampling that can be deployed efficiently across sites and time (currently across 5 sites), enabling scalable monitoring of insect presence and temporal variability. This project aims to establish a robust relationship between moth counts recorded at blacklight sheets and broader Lepidoptera abundance in the forest, supporting long-term ecological monitoring with reduced disturbance and improved repeatability. We are developing an image-based counting pipeline to quantify moth detections from blacklight photos and assess consistency across nights and locations. 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 in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, which is operated and maintained by the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 

As the interface between plants and soil, the organic horizon is the foundation of forest ecosystems. Two potential predictors of O-horizon properties, vegetation and mineral soil type, are difficult to separate because they typically covary. We conducted a factorial study involving four canopy tree species and two soil types with different hydrology and topographic position to parse patterns in chemistry and microbiota of the O-horizon in a north-temperate deciduous forest. There were frequent strong effects of tree species. Organic horizon properties under white ash frequently differed from the other trees: e.g., lower cation exchange capacity and exchangeable acidity, thinner Oi horizon, lower %C and C:N, and, from phospholipid fatty acids, more AM fungi and less gram positive bacteria. These patterns, presumably due to species-specific attributes of leaf litter quality, root exudates, and microbial associations, must arise over decades, given that the forest stands that we studied were established only 85—100 years ago. We also found patterns in the O-horizon related to underlying soil type, independent of tree species: e.g., Bh podzols, compared to typical podzols, had higher trace metals, thicker Oa horizon, and more AM fungi. Relationships between mineral soil type and the organic horizon could arise because landscape features that influence hydrology and therefore soil formation over centuries also influence biogeochemistry of the organic horizon over decades. It could also involve bioturbation by organisms across horizons. There is basic and applied value in better understanding of properties of the O-horizon based on vegetation and soil types. 

Forest ecosystems are increasingly threatened by interacting biotic and abiotic stressors, yet how insect defoliation interacts with climate to influence tree growth remains poorly understood. In this study, we hypothesized that biogeography modulates the influence of defoliation on tree growth responses to climate, with two possible outcomes: defoliation may amplify climate sensitivity and increase vulnerability to stress, or alternatively, it may neutralize or even reverse typical climate–growth relationships. We compared pine forests in four biogeographic regions: two water-limited Mediterranean lowland regions in Portugal, and two temperature-limited regions, one in a Mediterranean mountain in Portugal, and the other in a humid subtropical forest in New Jersey (USA). Using dendroecological techniques, we reconstructed defoliation events, marking the first such reconstruction for Portuguese pine forests, and assessed growth responses to seasonal climate variables. In the absence of defoliation, tree growth aligned with the primary climatic limitation at each site, whether temperature or water availability. However, during defoliation events, these typical climate-growth relationships were disrupted. In temperature-limited regions, defoliation reversed the positive effects of warming and increased vulnerability to moisture stress. Conversely, in water-limited regions, defoliation reduced growth sensitivity to warming and did not increase drought vulnerability, suggesting a buffering effect. These results demonstrate that defoliation can decouple tree growth from climatic drivers, with biogeographically distinct outcomes shaped by underlying environmental constraints. Our findings emphasize the need to integrate biotic disturbances into models of forest climate sensitivity to improve predictions of forest resilience under global change. 

As the interface between plants and soil, the organic horizon is the foundation of forest ecosystems. Two potential predictors of O-layer properties, vegetation and mineral soil type, are difficult to separate because they typically covary. We conducted a factorial study involving four canopy tree species and two soil types with distinctly different hydrology and topographic position to parse patterns in chemistry and microbiota of the O-layer in a north-temperate deciduous forest. There were frequent strong effects of tree species. White ash frequently differed from the other trees: e.g., lower cation exchange capacity and exchangeable acidity, thinner Oi layer, lower %C and C:N, and, from phospholipid fatty acids, more AM fungi and less gram+ bacteria. These patterns, presumably due to species-specific attributes of leaf litter quality, root exudates, and microbial associations, must arise over decades, given that the stands in the study age between 85 and 100 years. We also found patterns in the O-layer related to underlying soil type, independent of tree species: e.g., Bh podzols, compared to Typical podzols, had higher trace metals, thicker Oa layer, and more AM fungi. Relations between mineral soil type and the organic layer, which were larger than expected, could arise because landscape features that influence hydrology and therefore soil formation over millennia also influence biogeochemistry of the organic layer over decades. It could also involve bioturbation by organisms across horizons. There is basic and applied value in models that can predict properties of the O-layer based on vegetation and soil types.