Functional traits of woody plants sampled in permanent forest monitoring plots along altitudinal and forest perturbation gradients in the Colombian Andes, 2019-2022

The dataset contains information on six functional traits of woody plants, including Leaf Area, Specific Leaf Area (SLA), Leaf Dry Matter Content (LDMC), Leaf Thickness (Lth), Wood Density (WD), Bark Thickness (BT). It also includes data on concentrations of C, N, P, Ca, Mg, and K in leaves; leaf fresh mass and leaf dry mass data; and fresh wood volume and dry wood mass data to calculate Wood Density. Ten leaves per individual were sampled, and three measurements were taken for leaf thickness at the base, middle, and top of the leaf. For wood density, a single branch sample was taken per individual and for bark thickness five measurements per individual were made. The data were collected between 2019 and 2022 from 27 forest monitoring plots (0.5 ha each) in five locations along an altitudinal (lowland, mid-elevation, and highland forests) and forest perturbation (low, medium, and high perturbation levels) gradient in Andean ecosystems in Colombia. The database includes information about the plot location and parameters of the locality.

The purpose of this data collection was to determine whether the expression of functional traits in woody plants differs between the perturbation gradient and the relationship of the traits to ecosystem processes. This information is important for understanding the drivers of variation in forest resilience and the impacts of perturbation on ecosystem functioning. This data set was obtained within the framework of the BioResilience project, a transdisciplinary investigation that seeks to understand the resilience of forest ecosystems after the post-conflict period in Colombia.