Dataset Description

This dataset compiles previously published information for three Fagus species widely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere:

• Fagus grandifolia (North America, n = 399)
• Fagus sylvatica (Central Europe, n = 1606)
• Fagus crenata (Japan, n = 17)

The dataset includes:

• Geographic coordinates (latitude, longitude)
• Elevation of each sampling site
• Climatic variables:
  • Mean Annual Temperature (MAT)
  • Mean Annual Precipitation (MAP)
    (extracted from WorldClim)
• Foliar nutrient concentrations:
  • Major nutrients: N, P, K
  • Secondary nutrients: Ca, Mg, S
• Canonical scores (PC1, PC2, PC3) derived from corresponding statistical analyses
• Cells without data or values are indicated as n/a.

File: fagusdata_complete.csv

File Structure

Each row represents one sampling site or observation and includes:

• Taxonomic information
• Site of origin
• Environmental variables
• Nutrient concentrations
• Principal component scores

Variables:

• species_code = Species abbreviation, (FC = Fagus crenata, FG= Fagus grandifolia, FS= Fagus sylvatica).
• species = species name
• Genus, spec – Taxonomic information separately.
• Source = Source where data were collected (search, repository, person in chagre of the information, experimental site)
• References = citation of related publications, repositories, experiments, personal communication
• site_Source = Prefecture locality/region/study site where data were collected
• country = correspondent country
• site_unique = Site identifier per scource
• Lat, long – Geographic coordinates (decimal degrees).
• MAT, MAP – Mean annual temperature (°C) and precipitation (mm).
• Elev – Elevation (m).
• N%, P%, K%, Ca%, Mg%, S% – Foliar nutrient concentrations (%).
• PC1, PC2, PC3 – Ordination or PCA scores derived from nutrient variables.

Data Sources

Each observation is linked to its original source, including published studies and digital repositories. Values were extracted from published studies and digital repositories. The foliar data used for the F. sylvatica in Central Europe mainly from ICP Forest repository (ICP Forest, 2022). Data for F. grandifolia from the USA populations was obtained from the Fahey et al. (2022) dataset in EDI Data Portal. Relevant data for F. crenata from Japan relied upon contributions from the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI) in Japan (J. Nagakura and Kazuki Nanko, personal communication).

Climate variables (MAT, MAP) were obtained from WorldClim using the reported coordinates.

References

List of manuscripts and resources used to extract foliar data.

Amores, G., Bermejo, R., Elustondo, D., Lasheras, E., & Santamaría, J. M. (2006). Nutritional status of Northern Spain beech forests. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 177, 227–238.

Battles, J., Cleavitt, N., Johnson, C., Hamburg, S., Fahey, T., Driscoll, C., & Likens, G. (2017). Forest Inventory of a Northern Hardwood Forest: Watershed 6, 2017, Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest.

Bauer, G., Schulze, E. D., & Mund, M. (1997). Nutrient contents and concentrations in relation to growth of Picea abies and Fagus sylvatica along a European transect. Tree Physiology,17(12), 777–786.

Bussotti, F., Borghini, F., Celesti, C., Leonzio, C., & Bruschi, P. (2000). Leaf morphology and macronutrients in broadleaved trees in central Italy. Trees - Structure and Function, 14(7), 361–368.

Bussotti, F., Pancrazi, M., Matteucci, G., & Gerosa, G. (2005). Leaf morphology and chemistry in Fagus sylvatica (beech) trees as affected by site factors and ozone: Results from CONECOFOR permanent monitoring plots in Italy. Tree Physiology, 25(2), 211–219.

Gracia, C., Ibàñez, J. J., Burriel, J. A., Mata, T., & Vayreda, J. (2000–2004). Inventari Ecològic i Forestal de Catalunya (IFC). Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF), Bellaterra, Spain.

Hong, S. D., Gonzales, K. E., See, C. R., & Yanai, R. D. (2021). MELNHE: Foliar Chemistry 2008–2016 in Bartlett, Hubbard Brook, and Jeffers Brook (12 stands) ver 1. Environmental Data Initiative.

ICP Forests. (2022). ICP Forest - Level II- open dataset. (https://icp-forests.org/open_data) - download date: August 2022.

Jonard, M., André, F., Dambrine, E., Ponette, Q., and Ulrich, E. (2009). Temporal trends in the foliar nutritional status of the French, Walloon and Luxembourg broad-leaved plots of forest monitoring. Annals of forest science, 66(4), 412-412.

Jose, S., and Gillespie, A. R. (1996). Aboveground production efficiency and canopy nutrient contents of mixed-hardwood forest communities along a moisture gradient in the central United States. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 26(12), 2214-2223.

Kattge, J., Bönisch, G., Díaz, S., Lavorel, S., Prentice, I. C., Leadley, P., Tautenhahn, S., Werner, G. D. A., et al. (2020). TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access. Global Change Biology, 26(1), 119–188.

Maňkovská, B., Godzik, B., Badea, O., Shparyk, Y., & 247 Moravčík, P. (2004). Chemical and morphological characteristics of key tree species of the Carpathian Mountains. Environmental Pollution, 130(1), 41–54.

Santamarìa, J. M., & Martfn, A. (1998). Influence of Air Pollution on The Nutritional Status of Navarra’s Forests, Spain. Chemosphere, 36(4), 943–948.

Sariyildiz, T., and Anderson, J. M. (2005). Variation in the chemical composition of green leaves and leaf litters from three deciduous tree species growing on different soil types. Forest Ecology and Management, 210, 303–319.

Yang, Y., Yanai, R. D., Fatemi, F. R., Levine, C. R., Lilly, P. J., Briggs, R. D., Britt, B. (2016). Sources of variability in tissue chemistry in northern hardwood species 1. Can. J. For

Intended Use

This dataset provides a standardized and comparable resource for research in ecology, biogeochemistry, and biogeography of Fagus species.