Metabolic and physiological responses in the foliage and roots of three coniferous tree species growing along a hydrological gradient in southeast Alaska, USA

This data publication includes the foliar and corresponding root data from Tsuga heterophylla, Picea sitchensis and Pinus contorta collected from 12 sites across the Douglas Island-Juneau complex in southeast Alaska that represent a hydrological gradient. The foliar and root metabolites are part of a study on the impact of comparative hydrologic conditions on tree response/adaptation. From September 30 to October 3, 2010, depending upon availability, foliage from up to 12 trees per site for each of the 3 species were randomly sampled from 3 replicate sites of Palustrine Emergent (PEM), Palustrine Scrub-Shrub (PSS), Palustrine Forested (PFO) Wetlands and Forested Uplands (U) (as defined by the National Wetlands Inventory); together these sites constitute a continuum of conditions associated with each wetland designation. Our goal was to sample, where possible, at least five taller trees (heights varied by species and site) for foliage only, and both foliage and roots from at least 3 relatively shorter trees for the ease of collecting fine roots. Foliar and root data presented here include free polyamines, free amino acids, and soluble ions analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrophotometer (ICP-OES). Site characteristics are also provided.This was a comparative study to evaluate the effects of site and soil chemistry across a hydrologic gradient (Palustrine Emergent Wetland to Forested Upland) on the metabolic changes in the foliage and roots of Western hemlock, Sitka spruce, and Shore pine. These data could be used to examine the possible implications of shifts in metabolism in these 3 tree species in response to changes in wetland type. These data would make the basis for observing future changes in the metabolic profiles of these trees growing in wetlands in response to changing climatic conditions.For additional information regarding site characteristics data, see Bisbing et al. (2016) and Bisbing and D'Amore (2018). (Data are provided in this package with permission of the authors.)