Understory and canopy phenology, I/Io, solar radiation, and temperature related to Trelease Woods, Urbana, IL, USA from 1995–2022

This study used phenological field observations made year-round for 15
dominant canopy tree species (1995-2022), understory saplings of three
species (1995-2022), and 33 herb species (1995-2017) in Trelease Woods, a
mature old-growth deciduous forest remnant near Urbana, Illinois, USA. The
phenological data sets are paired with basal-area data, mid-day light
transmission data from 21 days in 2002, daily solar radiation data from a
NOAA (SURFRAD) site at Bondville, Illinois, and daily temperature data
from a nearby weather station in Champaign, Illinois. These datasets were
used to parameterize models of canopy light transmittance and understory
plant light interception. These data sets were used to test the mismatch
hypothesis, viz, whether canopy trees or understory plants are more
sensitive to climate change, thus changing through time the relative
amount of transmitted light understory species intercept. We estimated how
four factors (understory phenology, cold temperatures, canopy phenology,
and sunlight) individually limit the potential light interception of each
understory species.