Data from: Structure and dynamics of secondary and mature rainforests: insights from South Asian long-term monitoring plots

1) DESCRIPTION 

The dataset contains annual woody stems (shrubs and trees) census data collected from two long-term ecological monitoring plots spanning one hectare each in the Anamalai Hills of the Southern Western Ghats, India. These two plots represent one situated in a mature forest located within relatively undisturbed rainforest of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) and one in secondary forest on the Valparai Plateau, respectively. Both plots have been censused and measured from 2017 to 2022 following the standardized protocol (RAINFOR-GEM, Marthews et al. 2014).

2) CONTACTS

CONTACT #11. Name: Akhil Murali2. Work Address: Nature Conservation Foundation, 1311, 12th A Main, Vijayanagar 1st Stage, Mysuru 570017, Karnataka, India3. Work Phone: [phone]. Email address: [e-mail]5. ORCID: 0000-0001-6149-6458

CONTACT #21. Name: Srinivasan Kasinathan2. Work Address: Nature Conservation Foundation, 1311, 12th A Main, Vijayanagar 1st Stage, Mysuru 570017, Karnataka, India3. Work Phone: [phone]. Email address: [e-mail]5. ORCID: 0000-0001-7323-6653 

CONTACT #31. Name: Kshama Bhat2. Work Address: Nature Conservation Foundation, 1311, 12th A Main, Vijayanagar 1st Stage, Mysuru 570017, Karnataka, India3. Work Phone: [phone]. Email address: [e-mail]5. ORCID: 000-0002-6190-2687

CONTACT #4 1. Name: Jayashree Ratnam 2. Work Address: National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bellary Road, Bengaluru 560065, Karnataka, India3. Work Phone: [phone]. Email address: [e-mail] 5. ORCID: 0000-0002-6568-8374

CONTACT #51. Name: Mahesh Sankaran 2. Work Address: National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bellary Road, Bengaluru 560065, Karnataka, India3. Work Phone: [phone]. Email address: [e-mail] 5. ORCID: 0000-0002-1661-6542

CONTACT #61. Name: Divya Mudappa2. Work Address: Nature Conservation Foundation, 1311, 12th A Main, Vijayanagar 1st Stage, Mysuru 570017, Karnataka, India3. Work Phone: [phone]. Email address: [e-mail]5. ORCID: 0000-0001-9708-4826

CONTACT #71. Name: T. R. Shankar Raman2. Work Address: Nature Conservation Foundation, 1311, 12th A Main, Vijayanagar 1st Stage, Mysuru 570017, Karnataka, India3. Work Phone: [phone]. Email address: [e-mail]5. ORCID: 0000-0002-1347-3953

CONTACT #81. Name: Anand M Osuri 2. Work Address: Nature Conservation Foundation, 1311, 12th A Main, Vijayanagar 1st Stage, Mysuru 570017, Karnataka, India3. Work Phone: [phone]. Email address: [e-mail] 5. ORCID: 0000-0001-9909-5633

3) GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE and SITE DESCRIPTION

a) Site type: : Tropical Forestb) Geography: : Anamalai Tiger Reserve, Southern Western Ghats.c) Habit: : Mid elevation Wet evergreen Forestd) Site History: : 

i) MANAMBOLI- The Mature Forest plot (10.357748° N, 76.889747° E; 825 m asl) is situated within a relatively undisturbed 200-hectare mid-elevation tropical wet evergreen rainforest tract at the core of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR). This area has been protected from logging and other significant disturbances since its establishment as a protected area in 1979.

ii) CANDURA- The Secondary Forest plot (10.30855411° N, 76.83391853° E; 875 m asl) is situated within a 124-hectare rainforest remnant on the Valparai Plateau: the Candura rainforest remnant. The Candura site experienced episodic selective logging in the 1990s and early 2000s, with the last logging episode occurring in 2004. In the early 2000s, the understorey of the remnant was cleared for Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) cultivation in the central and southern parts (abandoned in 2007), robusta coffee (Coffea canephora) in the northwestern corner (abandoned in the early 2000s), and pepper in 21 hectares in the northeastern part (established in 2015, abandoned in 2021).

Climate: Humid tropical with about 2400 mm rainfall annually, falling mainly during the southwest monsoon.

4) TEMPORAL COVERAGE

a) Begins: 2017-11-30 (Year, Month, Day)b) Ends: 2022-11-12 (Year, Month, Day)

5) SAMPLING DESIGN AND METHODS 

a) Plot Design: Each 1 ha plot of 100 m × 100 m, sub-divided into 100 continuous sub-plots of 10 m × 10 m, was surveyed and mapped to maximum accuracy using a theodolite in the field, with grid corners permanently staked. b) Data collection period and frequency: After the plot establishment in NOvember -- December 2017, the plots were recensused each year (around November). c) Research Methods: All woody plant individuals with girth at breast height (GBH, at 1.3 m) ≥10 cm were tagged with numbered aluminum tags and spatially mapped. Plant species were identified using standard floral keys. Stem GBH was measured for all single stemmed individuals. For trees with buttresses, the GBH point of measurement (POM) was taken at 50 cm above the buttresses or at the height where the stem is regular. New saplings that recruited into the ≥10 cm GBH class were identified, mapped, tagged, and added to the monitoring. Stems that appeared to be dead were recorded at each monitoring and those that showed no signs of recovery in subsequent visits were recorded as mortality.

6) FILES INCLUDED

The dataset includes the following 9 files, whose details and contents are explained below. (Wherever used in the various files, NA implies not available.)

01_README.txtMetadata (this file) including information on the dataset explaining associated files and their contents.

02_Candura_annual_census.csv This contains the Annual census data with the following column headings: site: Site name (Can = Candura)cno: Census Number (1 = 2017, 2 = 2018..., 6 = 2022)ymd: Date in DD-MM-YYYY format (Day Month Year)gno: Grid Numbertno: Unique tag number for the plantpno: Pole Number (unique alphabetic code for each stem of multi-stemmed individuals)sps: Species name as codeslx: X coordinate of tree in the 10 m × 10 m subplot (in metres)ly: Y coordinate of tree in the 10 m × 10 m subplot (in metres)ht1: Point of measurement at 1.3 m above the ground or 50 cm above the top of the highest buttress or stilt root (POM1)c1: Alive status of the stem at the POM1 (coded according Marthews et al. 2014, page: 97)g1: Stem girth at POM1 (in centimetre)ht2: 20 cm above the ht1 or point of measurement 2 (POM2) recording girth at which the dendroband is attachedc2: Alive status of the stem at the POM2 (coded acording Marthews et al. 2014, page: 97)g2: Girth at POM2 (in centimetre)dyn: whether the dendroband is attached to the tree or not (y-Yes, n-No)da: alive status of stem (d-dead,a-alive)remarks: remarks or notes

03_Manamboly_annual_census.csvThis contains Annual census data with the following column headings: site: Site name (Man = Manamboli)cno: Census Number (1 = 2017, 2 = 2018..., 6 = 2022)ymd: Date in DD-MM-YYYY format (Day Month Year)gno: Grid Numbertno: Unique tag number for the plantpno: Pole Number (unique alphabetic code for each stem of multi-stemmed individuals)sps: Species name as codeslx: X coordinate of tree in the 10 m × 10 m subplot (in metres)ly: Y coordinate of tree in the 10 m × 10 m subplot (in metres)ht1: Point of measurement at 1.3 m above the ground or 50 cm above the top of the highest buttress or stilt root (POM1)c1: Alive status of the stem at the POM1 (coded according Marthews et al. 2014, page: 97)g1: Stem girth at POM1 (in centimetre)ht2: 20 cm above the ht1 or point of measurement 2 (POM2) recording girth at which the dendroband is attachedc2: Alive status of the stem at the POM2 (coded acording Marthews et al. 2014, page: 97)g2: Girth at POM2 (in centimetre)dyn: whether the dendroband is attached to the tree or not (y-Yes, n-No)da: alive status of stem (d-dead,a-alive)remarks: remarks or notes

04_Candura_vernier.csvThis file has the girth measurement of trees with lianas where digital vernier calipers were used to measure stem diameter since it was not possible to measure stem girth using measuring tape.site: Site name (Can = Candura)cno: Census Numberymd: Date in DD-MM-YYYY format (Day Month Year)gno: Grid Numbertno: Unique tag number for the plantpno: Pole Number (unique alphabetic code for each stem of multi-stemmed individuals)sps: Species name as codesvern1_d1 First measure of diameter at POM1 (in millimetre) vern2_d1 Second measure of diameter at POM1 (in millimetre) vern3_d1 Third measure of diameter at POM1 (in millimetre) calc_g1: Girth at POM1 (in centimetre; calculated using the averaged value as diameter from the three measurements)vern1_d2 First measure of diameter at POM2 (in millimetre) vern2_d2 Second measure of diameter at POM2 (in millimetre) vern3_d2 Third measure of diameter at POM2 (in millimetre) calc_g2 Girth at POM2 (in centimetre; calculated using the averaged value as diameter from the three measurements)Remarks Remarks and notes

05_Manamboli_vernier.csvThis file has the girth measurement of trees with lianas where digital vernier calipers were used to measure stem diameter since it was not possible to measure stem girth using measuring tape.site: Site name (Man = Manamboli)cno: Census Numberymd: Date in DD-MM-YYYY format (Day Month Year)gno: Grid Numbertno: Unique tag number for the plantpno: Pole Number (unique alphabetic code for each stem of multi-stemmed individuals)sps: Species name as codesvern1_d1 First measure of diameter at POM1 (in millimetre) vern2_d1 Second measure of diameter at POM1 (in millimetre) vern3_d1 Third measure of diameter at POM1 (in millimetre) calc_g1: Girth at POM1 (in centimetre; calculated using the averaged value as diameter from the three measurements)vern1_d2 First measure of diameter at POM2 (in millimetre) vern2_d2 Second measure of diameter at POM2 (in millimetre) vern3_d2 Third measure of diameter at POM2 (in millimetre) calc_g2 Girth at POM2 (in centimetre; calculated using the averaged value as diameter from the three measurements)Remarks Remarks and notes

06_Candura_Height_data.csvThis contains data on the heights of individual trees in plot as measured in 2018.site: Site name (Can = Candura)ymd: Date in YYYY/MM/DD format (Year Month Day)gno: Grid Number: tno: unique tag number: pno: Pole Number (unique alphabetic code for each stem of multi-stemmed individuals)sps: Species name as codes: lx: X coordinate of tree in the 10 m × 10 m subplot (in metres)ly: Y coordinate of tree in the 10 m × 10 m subplot (in metres)height: Height of tree in metresremarks: Remarks: and notes

07_Manamboli_Height_data.csvThis contains data on the heights of individual trees in plot as measured in 2018.site: Site name (Man = Manamboli)ymd: Date in YYYY-MM-DD format (Year Month Day)gno: Grid Number: tno: unique tag number: pno: Pole Number (unique alphabetic code for each stem of multi-stemmed individuals)sps: Species name as codes: lx: X coordinate of tree in the 10 m × 10 m subplot (in metres)ly: Y coordinate of tree in the 10 m × 10 m subplot (in metres)height: Height of tree in metresremarks: Remarks: and notes

08_Species_name_match.csvThis file provides the combined list of species codes updated taxonomy and successional guild. Scientific names were updated to current taxonomy using the species name matching tool of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, GBIF (www.gbif.org).sps: Species codesquery : Scientific name of the plant at the time of data collection: scientificName: : with auther citation: key: GBIF keyrank: Taxonomic rank or level of identification (GENUS, SPECIES)kingdom: Taxonomic Kingdom (plants) provided by GBIF name matching tool: phylum: Taxonomic Phylum provided by GBIF name matching toolclass: Taxonomic Class provided by GBIF name matching toolorder: Taxonomic Order provided by GBIF name matching toolfamily: Taxonomic Family provided by GBIF name matching toolgenus: Taxonomic Genus provided by GBIF name matching toolbotanical_name: Updated scientific name of the species provided by GBIF name matching toolhabt_new: Successional guild of the species (Mature = mature forest species; Secondary = secondary successional species; Int - Introduced species)

09_R_scrpt_for_manuscript.RText file with code in the R statistical and programming environment (www.r-project.org).

ReferenceMarthews TR, Riutta T, Oliveras Menor I, Urrutia R, Moore S, Metcalfe D, Malhi Y, Phillips O, Huaraca Huasco W, Ruiz Jaén M, Girardin C, Butt N, Cain R and colleagues from the RAINFOR and GEM networks (2014). Measuring Tropical Forest Carbon Allocation and Cycling: A RAINFOR-GEM Field Manual for Intensive Census Plots (v3.0). Manual, Global Ecosystems Monitoring network, http: //gem.tropicalforests.ox.ac.uk/.