Harvard Forest

Data Archive

HF308

Whole-Tree Nonstructural Carbohydrate Budgets in Five Species at Harvard Forest 2014

Related Publications

Data

• hf308-01: NSC budgets (preview)
• hf308-02: NSC concentrations (preview)

Overview

• Lead: Morgan Furze
• Investigators: Andrew Richardson, Brett Huggett, Donald Aubrecht, Claire Stolz, Mariah Carbone, Molly Wieringa, Catherine Chamberlain
• Contact: Information Manager
• Start date: 2014
• End date: 2014
• Status: complete
• Location: Prospect Hill Tract (Harvard Forest)
• Latitude: +42.535 degrees
• Longitude: -72.188 degrees
• Elevation: 350 meter
• Datum: WGS84
• Taxa: Acer rubrum (red maple), Betula papyrifera (paper birch), Fraxinus americana (white ash), Pinus strobus (white pine), Quercus rubra (red oak)
• Release date: 2023
• Language: English
• EML file: knb-lter-hfr.308.4
• DOI: digital object identifier
• EDI: data package
• DataONE: data package
• Related links:
• Study type: short-term measurement
• Research topic: physiological ecology, population dynamics and species interactions
• LTER core area: primary production
• Keywords: carbohydrates, carbon, physiology, roots, seasonality
• Abstract:

  We measured nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations throughout the year in the branches, stemwood, and roots of five temperate tree species. These NSC concentrations were used in two ways. First, we scaled up concentrations to the whole-tree level using allometric equations and compared NSC storage between these five species to determine the size and seasonal fluctuation of whole-tree total NSC budgets as well as the contribution of individual organs. Second, for four of these species, we assessed the radial patterns and seasonality of NSC concentrations in the stemwood based on contrasting wood anatomy (ring-porous vs. diffuse-porous).

• Methods:

  Please see Related Publications for specific details.

  Study species

  We selected mature trees for this study belonging to the following species: red oak (Quercus rubra L., n=6), white pine (Pinus strobus L., n=6), red maple (Acer rubrum, n=6), paper birch (Betula papyrifera, n=3), and white ash (Fraxinus americana L., n=3). Red oak and white ash are ring-porous trees, while red maple and paper birch are diffuse-porous trees. White pine was excluded when assessing the radial patterns and seasonality of NSC concentrations in the stemwood based on wood anatomy.

  Field collection

  Each month throughout 2014, a stemwood core to the pith was collected from each tree with a standard 4.3-mm increment borer. In addition to a monthly stemwood core, we collected sunlit branches from the top of the canopy. We collected coarse root cores in January, April, June, August, October, and December 2014.

  NSC analysis

  To obtain a detailed understanding of NSC storage, we subdivided organs for NSC analysis. Subdividing organs also allowed us to assess the radial patterns of NSC concentrations within the stemwood. Stemwood cores collected monthly throughout 2014 were subdivided into segments from the cambium (designated as 0) to the pith: 0-1 cm, 1-2 cm, 2-3 cm, 3-4 cm, 4-8 cm, and 8 cm-pith. Root cores were subdivided as 0-1 cm and 1 cm-pith. Branches (multi-year, 3-5 y) were ground in their entirety. Dried and ground tissues were analyzed to determine sugar and starch concentrations

  Allometric scaling from sugar and starch concentrations to budgets

  We estimated the dry wood biomass of each subdivided organ (branch, stemwood, and root) using allometric scaling theory. We then paired the sugar and starch concentrations for each sample with the estimate of that component’s woody biomass. This was done for each sample per tree, and then the amounts were summed to estimate sugar and starch budgets (kg) for each organ.

  Radial patterns of sugar and starch concentrations in the stemwood

  Using the NSC data for the stemwood, we assessed the radial distribution and seasonality of sugar and starch concentrations for ring-porous and diffuse-porous trees.

• Organization: Harvard Forest. 324 North Main Street, Petersham, MA 01366, USA. Phone (978) 724-3302. Fax (978) 724-3595.

• Project: The Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program examines ecological dynamics in the New England region resulting from natural disturbances, environmental change, and human impacts. (ROR).

• Funding: National Science Foundation LTER grants: DEB-8811764, DEB-9411975, DEB-0080592, DEB-0620443, DEB-1237491, DEB-1832210.

• Use: This dataset is released to the public under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 (No Rights Reserved). Please keep the dataset creators informed of any plans to use the dataset. Consultation with the original investigators is strongly encouraged. Publications and data products that make use of the dataset should include proper acknowledgement.

• License: Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal (CC0-1.0)

• Citation: Furze M. 2023. Whole-Tree Nonstructural Carbohydrate Budgets in Five Species at Harvard Forest 2014. Harvard Forest Data Archive: HF308 (v.4). Environmental Data Initiative: https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/4b226f589f8075796b366a91bf7bdf4a.

Detailed Metadata

hf308-01: NSC budgets

1. year: year
2. month: month
3. species: species name
4. tag: tree tag
5. organ: woody organ
6. sugar: sugar budget in woody organ (unit: kilogram / missing value: NA)
7. starch: starch budget in woody organ (unit: kilogram / missing value: NA)

hf308-02: NSC concentrations

1. year: year
2. month: month
3. species: species name
4. tag: tree tag
5. organ: woody organ
6. increment: woody organ segment starting from inside the bark and moving to the pith for stem cores and root cores
7. sugar: sugar concentration (unit: milligramPerGram / missing value: NA)
8. starch: starch concentration (unit: milligramPerGram / missing value: NA)
9. total: total concentration (unit: milligramPerGram / missing value: NA)