Two decades of annual landscape-scale tree growth and dynamics in old-growth tropical rainforest in the CARBONO Project, La Selva Biological Station, 1997-2018

Here we present the complete data series from a 21-yr study of the annual
growth and dynamics of trees, palms and lianas in the old-growth tropical
rainforest at the La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. These
observations were part of the CARBONO Project, a multidisciplinary team
study of forest carbon cycling.  The project was designed to
assess forest processes at the landscape scale by sampling with
replication across the within-landscape edaphic heterogeneity typical of
tropical forests.  Through more than two decades, forest growth
and dynamics were assessed annually.  The annual time-step used
in the CARBONO Project effectively captured forest responses to major
disturbances and to interannual and climatic variation.  Annual
measurements also enhanced the accuracy and long-term consistency of the
data.  To our knowledge, the resulting records are unique for
tropical forests, where the dominant approach to studying the dynamics of
a given forest has been to use a single plot and multi-year inter-census
intervals. To date these CARBONO Project data have revealed: multi-decadal
forest stability in spite of the short-term changes in forest structure
resulting from major natural disturbances (e.g., the 1997-1998 Strong El
Niño, and the extreme windstorm of May 2018); the dynamics and importance
of large trees; and the responses of a major component of ecosystem
productivity,  aboveground wood production, to interannual and
long-term climatic and atmospheric change.  These data have also
contributed to many remote-sensing studies. The data set consists of
annual observations through the period 1997–2018 of the floristics,
survival, recruitment, and growth of all woody stems (diameter > 10
cm) in a landscape-scale plot network.  At completion of the
study, the data spanned 6705 individuals and 21 years. The data set is
complete and has been through extensive internal checks for quality
assurance.   Detailed data documentation and an emphasis
on measurement repeatability were prioritized through the study. 
The metadata include an extensive README file describing the data files
and the methods, a document detailing the data management and qa/qc, and
the scanned original field data-sheets for the 22 annual censuses. We
gratefully acknowledge the careful long-term field work and data entry and
checking by paraforesters Leonel Campos Otoya and William Miranda Conejo.
 Logistical support and the long-term protection of the La Selva
reserve were provided by the Organization for Tropical Studies. The
Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía of Costa Rica granted permits to carry
out this study through the years of the study (most recently: Resolución
No. 037-2018-ACCVC-PI).

本数据集呈现了一项为期21年的长期研究完整序列数据，该研究针对哥斯达黎加拉塞尔瓦生物站（La Selva Biological Station）的原始热带老龄林内树木、棕榈科植物以及藤本植物的年度生长与群落动态展开。
本观测隶属于CARBONO项目——一项聚焦森林碳循环的多学科团队研究。
该项目旨在通过针对热带森林典型的景观内土壤异质性设置重复采样的方式，评估景观尺度下的森林生态过程。
研究跨越二十余载，每年均对森林生长与群落动态进行监测。CARBONO项目采用的年度时间步长，有效捕捉了森林对重大干扰、年际变化以及气候波动的响应；年度监测同时提升了数据的精度与长期一致性。
据我们所知，这套数据集记录在热带森林研究领域具有独特性——过往针对特定森林群落动态的主流研究方法，多采用单一样地与多年间隔的样地复查方案。
截至目前，依托CARBONO项目数据已取得多项研究发现：即便重大自然干扰（如1997-1998年超强厄尔尼诺事件、2018年5月极端风暴）引发森林结构短期变化，森林仍呈现数十年尺度的稳定性；阐明了大型树木的动态特征与生态重要性；揭示了生态系统生产力核心组成部分——地上木材生产对年际及长期气候与大气变化的响应规律。此外，该数据集还为诸多遥感研究提供了支撑。
本数据集涵盖1997至2018年间的年度监测数据，对象为景观尺度样地网络内所有直径大于10厘米的木本植株的区系组成、存活情况、补充更新与生长状况。研究结束时，该数据集共包含6705株个体的21年监测记录。数据集完整无缺，且已通过多轮内部质量核查以保障数据质量。研究全程均优先保障数据文档的详实性，并高度重视测量流程的可重复性。
元数据包含一份详述数据文件与研究方法的详尽README文件、一份说明数据管理与质量控制（QA/QC）流程的文档，以及22次年度普查的原始野外数据表单扫描件。
我们谨向辅助林务员莱昂内尔·坎波斯·奥托亚（Leonel Campos Otoya）与威廉·米兰达·科内霍（William Miranda Conejo）长期细致的野外工作、数据录入与核查工作致以诚挚谢意。热带研究组织（Organization for Tropical Studies）为拉塞尔瓦保护区的后勤保障与长期保护提供了支持。哥斯达黎加环境与能源部（Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía）在研究周期内为本次研究核发了许可（最新许可文件：Resolución No. 037-2018-ACCVC-PI）。