Data from: The frequency, magnitude, and spatial distribution of heart rot in dominant temperate tree species in a forest dynamics plot

The composition, dynamics, and health of forest tree communities are
governed by interactions with the abiotic and biotic environment. Fungi
are critical biotic interactors that play an increasingly appreciated role
in forest tree health, particularly with respect to mycorrhizal and
pathogenic fungi. Heart rot fungi, while known to infect large fractions
of the individuals in managed stands, have been considerably understudied
in tree community ecology. Heart rot has been predicted to form hotspots
in the forest due to crown or bole damage and/or soil moisture gradients,
and is expected to vary across species due to life history
differences. To address this knowledge gap, we quantified heart
rot, the incidence, magnitude, and spatial distribution of heart rot in
328 individuals with diameters greater than or equal to 10 cm across the
six most dominant tree species in a mixed broadleaf temperate forest
dynamics plot. The results show that 71% of individuals display
some degree of heart rot in this natural community. The incidence of heart
rot does not significantly vary across species despite their life history
strategy differences, but one species had significantly more heart rot in
infected individuals. Lastly, heart rot was spatially clustered across
species, but heart rot incidence and magnitude were not related to soil
moisture, indicating the importance of crown and bole breakage, likely
promoted by severe weather. Summary: The present study conducted the first
spatially explicit study of heart rot incidence and magnitude in a natural
forest tree community. We demonstrate that over two-thirds of every large
tree in the forest studied has some degree of heart rot, indicating their
widespread, but underappreciated, role in tree communities. We demonstrate
that heart rot is non-randomly distributed in this community and that
spatial clustering of heart rot in forests is most likely due to hotspots
of individual tree damage and not soil moisture.