Life History Traits of Resprouting Puerto Rican Tropical Dry Forest Trees, Guánica Forest, 1981-2018

This dataset provides trait and demographic data for 44 tropical dry forest tree species from the Guánica State Forest in southwest Puerto Rico. The study area spans 4,500 ha of semi-deciduous TDF, where the sampled species represent over 90% of all individuals with a diameter at breast height (dbh) ≥2.5 cm. The dataset integrates ten functional traits, combining newly collected measurements (2017–2018) with previously published data (Vargas et al. 2021b). Previously published data includes xylem-specific hydraulic conductivity (ks), Huber value (hv), and hydraulic safety margin (HSM), with species-level data availability ranging from 19 to 44 species, except for HSM, which was measured for six species. Trait measurements were primarily collected during the wet season (August–November), except stomatal behaviour traits (psimax, psidv, and gsmax), which were assessed during the winter dry season before leaf fall.
Demographic data encompass species-specific growth rates and annual survival rates for adult trees, derived from four permanent census plots (625 m² to 10,000 m²) distributed across the forest. These plots, established in mature upland TDF on limestone substrates with mollisol soils, were monitored between 1992 and 2019. Growth rate estimates are based on diameter increments recorded at regular censuses over 20.4–26.4 years. Survival rates were calculated over a 21-year period (1998–2019), mitigating the influence of extreme drought events. Standardised measurement protocols ensured data consistency, including repeated diameter assessments at multiple stem locations and the exclusion of wet-season measurements to prevent water-related swelling artifacts. Growth rates were derived from the regression slope of dbh against time, incorporating a minimum of two dbh measurements per individual (following Poorter et al. 2010). Annual survival rate was calculated over a 21-year timespan (1998–2019) to avoid bias introduced by an intense drought in 1997. The following equations were used: (1) Annual mortality rate (MR) = logeN0 – logeN1/ time (yr); (2) Annual survival rate (SR) = 100 x e-MRx1
Additionally, the dataset includes post-disturbance resprouting responses for 36 species following three disturbance types: fire, hurricane damage, and clearcutting. Data were collected from sites impacted by wildfires (2012), Hurricane Georges (1998), and experimental clearcutting (1981), spanning a maximum distance of 13 km across the forest. Resprouting was assessed at multiple time points post-disturbance, standardised to include basal and root-origin shoots from trees with ≥60% above-ground biomass loss. In total, 1,015 individuals were surveyed, with 704 exhibiting basal resprouting and 311 producing root shoots.
This dataset provides valuable insights into the functional traits, demographic dynamics, and disturbance responses of Caribbean tropical dry forest tree species, supporting ecological research on forest resilience, species-specific disturbance responses, and long-term forest dynamics. The dataset is complete and not ongoing.

References cited:
Poorter, L., McDonald, I., Alarcón, A., Fichtler, E., Licona, J.-C., Peña-Claros, M., Sterck, F., Villegas, Z., & Sass-Klaassen, U. (2010). The importance of wood traits and hydraulic conductance for the performance and life history strategies of 42 rainforest tree species. New Phytologist, 185(2), 481–492. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.03092.x

Vargas, G., Brodribb, T. J., Dupuy, J. M., González‐M., R., Hulshof, C. M., Medvigy, D., Allerton, T. A. P., Pizano, C., Salgado‐Negret, B., Schwartz, N. B., Van Bloem, S. J., Waring, B. G., & Powers, J. S. (2021b). Beyond leaf habit: Generalities in plant function across 97 tropical dry forest tree species. New Phytologist, 232(1), 148–161. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17584

本数据集收录了来自波多黎各西南部瓜尼卡州立森林的44种热带干旱林乔木的功能性状与种群统计数据。研究区域涵盖4500公顷的半落叶热带干旱林（Tropical Dry Forest, TDF），所采样的物种占胸径（diameter at breast height, dbh）≥2.5 cm的所有个体的90%以上。

本数据集整合了10项功能性状数据，包含2017–2018年新采集的测量值，以及已发表的前人研究数据（Vargas等，2021b）。已发表的数据包括木质部比导水率（xylem-specific hydraulic conductivity, ks）、胡伯值（Huber value, hv）和水力安全边际（hydraulic safety margin, HSM）；各性状的物种覆盖度为19至44种，仅水力安全边际（HSM）的测定仅覆盖6个物种。除气孔行为性状（psimax、psidv和gsmax）于冬季旱季落叶前测定外，其余性状测量主要集中在湿季（8–11月）开展。

种群统计数据涵盖成树的物种特异性生长速率与年存活率，数据来源于分布于该森林内的4个永久监测样地（面积625 m²至10,000 m²）。这些样地建于石灰岩基质、发育软土（mollisol）的成熟高地热带干旱林中，监测周期为1992–2019年。生长速率估算基于20.4–26.4年间多次普查记录的胸径增量。存活率计算周期为21年（1998–2019年），以抵消极端干旱事件的影响。

标准化测量规程保障了数据一致性，包括对多个茎干位置进行重复胸径测定，以及排除湿季测量数据以避免水分诱导的茎干膨胀伪影。生长速率通过胸径随时间的回归斜率计算得到，每株个体至少包含2次胸径测量值（遵循Poorter等，2010年的方法）。年存活率的计算周期设定为21年（1998–2019年），以规避1997年强干旱事件引入的统计偏差。所用计算公式如下：
(1) 年死亡率（MR）= lnN0 – lnN1 / 时间（年）；
(2) 年存活率（SR）= 100 × e^(-MR×1)

本数据集还包含36个物种在三种扰动类型（火灾、飓风破坏与皆伐）后的萌芽响应数据。数据采集自2012年野火、1998年乔治飓风（Hurricane Georges）影响区域，以及1981年实验性皆伐样地，样地分布范围横跨该森林，最大跨度达13 km。扰动后萌芽在多个时间点被评估，标准化标准包含对地上生物量损失≥60%的个体，统计其基生芽与根生芽。总计调查了1015株个体，其中704株表现出基生萌芽，311株产生根生萌芽。

本数据集为加勒比热带干旱林乔木的功能性状、种群动态与扰动响应提供了宝贵的研究支撑数据，可用于森林恢复力、物种特异性扰动响应以及长期森林动态相关的生态学研究。本数据集已完整公开，暂无后续更新计划。

### 参考文献
1. Poorter, L., McDonald, I., Alarcón, A., Fichtler, E., Licona, J.-C., Peña-Claros, M., Sterck, F., Villegas, Z., & Sass-Klaassen, U. (2010). The importance of wood traits and hydraulic conductance for the performance and life history strategies of 42 rainforest tree species. *New Phytologist*, 185(2), 481–492. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.03092.x
2. Vargas, G., Brodribb, T. J., Dupuy, J. M., González‐M., R., Hulshof, C. M., Medvigy, D., Allerton, T. A. P., Pizano, C., Salgado‐Negret, B., Schwartz, N. B., Van Bloem, S. J., Waring, B. G., & Powers, J. S. (2021b). Beyond leaf habit: Generalities in plant function across 97 tropical dry forest tree species. *New Phytologist*, 232(1), 148–161. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17584