Decomposition of bark beetle-attacked trees after mortality varies across forests
Data files
Jun 19, 2024 version files 74.95 KB
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BB-Terms3Site_DataForPublication.xlsx
73.06 KB
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README.md
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Abstract
Data are from a 2 year experiment examining differences in decomposition processes between bark beetle-attacked trees and trees not attacked by bark beetles in three sites spanning a broad geographic area. Specifically, in Honduras, and Mississippi and Arizona, USA, we felled one recently bark beetle-attacked and one apparently healthy conspecific tree at each site that was cut into 120 experimental logs. Logs of each tree (attacked or unattacked) were assigned one of three metal mesh covering treatments: 1) fully covered to exclude all macroinvertebrates, 2) covered from above to exclude secondary bark beetle colonization, 3) no cover to allow all detrital food web organisms. Half of all logs at each site was collected after 1 and 2 years and the density loss, insect visual damage rating, and abundance of termites, ants, and beetles was measured.
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gb5mkkwzs
In Honduras, and Mississippi and Arizona, USA, Trees were felled and cut into sixty 10 cm sections (hereafter referred to as logs). Logs from both attacked and unattacked trees were randomly assigned to one of three covering treatments (n =20 per treatment/ tree type) to determine the relative contributions of microbes and invertebrates to decomposition rates: 1) fully covered (hereafter: FC), 2) covered from above (hereafter: HC (i.e., Half Covered), and 3) no covering (hereafter: NC). FC and HC logs were outfitted with stainless steel fine-mesh metal cloth (mesh size 0.26 ×0.47 mm). Half of all logs at each site was collected after ~1 and 2 years and the density loss, insect visual damage rating, and abundance of termites, ants, and beetles was measured. Insects were extracted using hanging cloth Berlese Funnels over 5 days with a 40W halogen light. Ants, Termites, and Beetles (order level) were then separated and counted. Wood density was determined after insect extraction, by cutting two ~8 cm3 cube subsamples of the logs (~2 cm × 2 cm x 2 cm) from the log sapwood (SW) and dried at 105 ◦C for 48 h before weighing. Visual insect damage rating (hereafter VIDR) was also assessed from wood cube subsamples based on an adapted AWPA E1 scale: Briefly, 6 indicated wood was very severely attacked and easily broken and 0 indicated no damage (detailed methods are in Supplementary material).
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