Long-term dynamics of tropical rain forests in permanent inventory plots, La Selva, Costa Rica (1969-1995)

Three permanent plots comprising a total of 12.4 ha were established in 1969 in tropical rain forest at La Selva Biological Station, near Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica.

The plots were established in old-growth forest on three contrasting landforms: Plot 1 (4.4 ha) on old alluvial terrace; Plot 2 (4.0 ha) in swamp forest and rolling hills; and Plot 3 (4.0 ha) on steeply dissected terrain with residual soils.

The data archived here include plot inventories carried out at five census dates over a period of 27 years. The inventory starting dates were 1969; 1982; 1985; 1989; and 1995.

All stems 10 cm dbh or greater were tagged with a permanent numbered tag; measured in diameter at breast height and above buttresses to the nearest mm; mapped on the ground to the nearest m; and identified to species. At each census, live trees were re-measured, dead trees were recorded along with information on the manner of death, other details on the condition of the tree were noted, and new recruits were tagged, mapped, measured, and identified.

The archived data include these five components:
(1) The master data file, including comprehensive data on all tagged individuals in the three plots for the five censuses from 1969-1995. Each line in the data set represents an individual tagged tree or liana. The data array comprises 8689 lines (the number of tagged individuals) x 48 columns of data.
The lines in the data set are ordered first by Plot number (1, 2, 3); next by subplot within each plot; and then by tag number within each subplot.

(2) A list of column identifiers, describing in detail the information represented in each of the 48 columns within the master data file. The list gives a description of the data in each column, the units of measurement, and a guide to the interpretation of zeroes in the data.

(3) A key to codes used in the field to describe the condition of individual trees.

(4) A taxonomic reference list, including all species found in the three permanent plots during the 1969-1995 inventories. The numerical species code is listed together with the name of the family, genus, species (or morpho-species designation) and taxonomic authority. Habit is indicated for most taxa; species are categorized as liana, treelet, understory tree, subcanopy tree, canopy tree, or emergent tree. The taxonomic list is presented in two forms, one ordered numerically by the species code number and the other alphabetically by family, genus, and species.

(5) This metadata file, documenting with text and figures the specifics of the project, its history, personnel, methods, protocols, funding, and publications.