Datasets and R code for Hwang, B. et al. (2024)The impact of insect herbivory on biogeochemical cycling in broadleaved forests varies with temperature

We established a global network of 74 plots within 40 mature, undisturbed broadleaved forests located across tropical, temperate, and boreal zones to investigate the impact and drivers of insect herbivory on element cycling. Using standardized methods, we analyzed freshly senesced and green leaves from these plots to estimate foliar production and herbivory, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and silica concentrations, and stand-level nutrient fluxes as deposited by insect herbivores. We then compared insect-mediated element fluxes to other sources of labile nutrients such as atmospheric deposition and bedrock weathering. We also investigated potential abiotic (mean annual temperature, evapotranspiration : mean annual precipitation, soil nutrient concentrations) and biotic (foliar biomass production, leaf-level herbivory, foliar nutrient concentrations) as potential drivers of these fluxes. All annual data by litter trap (herblat.xls), by plot means (herblatmeans.xls), and code for analysis (herblatcode.R) found in this folder were used for the following manuscript:Hwang, B. et al. (2024) The impact of insect herbivory on biogeochemical cycling in broadleaved forests varies with temperature. Nature Communications, Accepted.