LTERN Data Portal

Connell Rainforest Plot Network: Subtropical Rainforest Understorey Light Environment Data, O'Reilly's Plot, Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia, 2013+

Citation

Green, P; Connell, J (): Connell Rainforest Plot Network: Subtropical Rainforest Understorey Light Environment Data, O'Reilly's Plot, Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia, 2013+. Long Term Ecological Research Network. http://www.ltern.org.au/knb/metacat/ltern9.58.15/html

Download EML
Identifier
docid
ltern9.58.15
Data Creators
Individual
Dr Peter Green
Position
Head of Department
Organization
Department of Botany, La Trobe University
Individual
Professor Joseph H. Connell
Organization
University of California
Abstract

This data package comprises data from a series of hemispherical photographs taken in July 2013 and May 2015 at the Connell Rainforest Plot near O’Reilly’s Guest House, 85 km south of Brisbane, Queensland. The 2.0 ha site consists of separate 1.0 ha plots separated by 600 m, but they have always been treated as a single entity. The site consists of mapped and tagged trees in all size classes from tiny seedlings to large canopy trees. Rates of recruitment, growth and mortality have been measured at intervals of 1-6 years with records extending back to 1963. The primary determinant of growth rate in the understory is light. Gaps created by the death of large canopy trees have been systematically surveyed many times over the decades until 2002, with the boundaries of the gaps being noted on hand drawn maps. These maps have never been digitized, and the originals are held at the University of California. Copies of some later maps are held by Green at La Trobe University. A digital camera with a fish-eye lens was used for the first time in 2013 to measure understory light environments along the seedling transects. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Connell Rainforest Plot Network’s full program is provided at http://www.ltern.org.au/index.php/ltern-plot-networks/connell-rainforest.

Contacts for Questions on the Use and Interpretation of Data
Individual
Dr Peter Green
Position
Head of Department
Organization
Department of Botany, La Trobe University
Address
Department of Botany
La Trobe University
Bundoora. Victoria 3086
Australia
Phone
voice
03 9479 3675
Email Address
p.green@latrobe.edu.au
Project Information and Data Owners
Title
Connell Rainforest Plot Network
Personnel
Role
Data Owner
Individual
Dr Peter Green
Position
Head of Department
Organization
Department of Botany, La Trobe University
Funding

The National Science Foundation was the sole funder of this research between 1963–2003. LTERN was the sole funder from 2012 until the present.

Methods and Sampling Information
Methods
Method Step 1
Description
Rainforest understorey light environment data collection

Prof Joseph H. Connell (University of California, Santa Barbara) established a long-term forest dynamics plot in 1963, in subtropical rainforest near O’Reilly’s Guest House in Lamington National Park, 84 km south of Brisbane. The plot layout consists of two 1 ha plots spaced approximately 600 m apart; these have always been treated as a single unit for analyses. This plot has never been logged, but some selective logging has occurred just outside the plot boundary.

Although a summary of methods employed in the study has been provided below, a full account of the field methods, with figures of the mapped study plots, is given in:

Connell, J.H., J.G Tracey & L.J Webb, 1984. Ecological Monographs 54: 141-164.

Connell, J.H. & Green P.T. 2000. Ecology 81: 568-584.

In summary, samples of trees in three broad size classes have been monitored on the plots over several decades. ‘Large trees’ (≥ 10 cm dbh) were first tagged, mapped and measured in 1963 across both plots. At the same time, ‘medium trees’ (2.5 cm dbh but < 10.0 cm dbh) were mapped and tagged along several belt transects 6.1 m wide running through the plot, centred on survey lines 20.1 m apart. The medium-tree belt transects comprise 30% of each plot. In 1965, ‘small trees’ (tiny seedlings to saplings < 2.5 cm dbh), were mapped and tagged along narrower transects either 1.8 or 3.6 m wide, centred on the same survey lines used to sample medium trees. Large trees rooted outside the plot boundaries, but whose canopies extended over the plots have also been monitored.

Further details relating to the methods employed by the Connell Rainforest Plot Network during this study can be found on the LTERN Plot Network site.

Surveys for canopy cover and understory light environments

Stand structure, canopy cover and variation in understory light environments have not been measured systematically on the plots. Under LTERN, new surveys for canopy cover and understory light environments using hemispherical photography are being be incorporated into regular plot monitoring.

Instrument
  • The understory light environment was characterized in July 2013 and May 2015 using a digital camera fitted with a fish-eye lens. The Sony NEX7-2380605 DSLR Compact-269 camera, lens and analytical software were purchased as a package from Regent Instruments Canada Inc (www.regentinstruments.com). The analytical software (WinScanopy 2013a) for Canopy Analysis) is designed to be fully integrated with the camera, and the camera settings were set to the specifications in the WinScanopy user manual. The camera was mounted in a self-levelling gimbal 1.6 m above the ground. Photos were taken at intervals of 12.5 feet along all transects on which seedlings and small saplings are mapped; Lines 1, 3, 4, 6 and 8.
  • The gimbal comes with a an automatic north-finder; in each image, north is indicated by the a small red dot on the edge of each image. Because the plot is small, single values of latitude and longitude were used for all images. The WinScanopy image analysis output is more than 100 data columns wide – only the most useful are included with this data package.
Sampling
Study Extent Description

See Sampling Description

Sampling Description

The O'Reilly's Plot consists of two 1.0 hectare plots spaced 600 m apart, which have always been treated as a single unit for the purpose of analysis. This data package forms part of the collection of vegetation data undertaken at plots in Lamington National Park which were initiated by Professor Joseph H. Connell (University of California, Santa Barbara) in 1963. The same sampling methods are employed in a related data package focussing on tropical rainforest plots at Davies Creek, Dinden National Park (1.7 ha, 25 km south-west of Cairns). See Connell Rainforest Plot Network's full program provided at http://www.ltern.org.au/index.php/ltern-plot-networks/connell-rainforest for further details

Keywords and Subject Categories
LTERN Monitoring Themes
  • Vegetation structure
  • Plant species abundance
  • Individual plants
ANZSRC-FOR Codes
  • 0602 Ecology
  • 0599 Other Environmental Sciences
GCMD Science Keywords
  • Earth Science > Biosphere > Vegetation
  • Biosphere > Ecological Dynamics > Community Dynamics
  • Biosphere > Ecological Dynamics > Species/Population Interactions > Population Dynamics
  • Biosphere > Terrestrial Ecosystems > Forests
Geographic Coverage
Geographic Description
O'Reilly's Plot, Lamington National Park, 84 km south of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Bounding Coordinates
West
153.1206 degrees
 
East
153.1306 degrees
 
North
-28.21 degrees
 
South
-28.22 degrees
 
Temporal Coverage
Date
2013
Date
2015
Intellectual Rights, Licence and Usage Conditions

CC-BY-4_0 Special Conditions: Prior to publication of research utilising this data - the data provider (Dr Peter Green) requests consultation. Spatial coordinates for the site are available at https://www.ltern.org.au/knb/metacat/ltern9.54/html (Connell Rainforest Plot Network: Plot Details - Spatial Coordinates, Dinden National Park and Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia).

Data Table
crft_oreillys_hemispheric_photography_data_2013+_p910t1250.csv
Name
crft_oreillys_hemispheric_photography_data_2013+_p910t1250.csv
Attribute Information
site
Name
site
Definition
Site Identifier
Measurement Type
nominal
Measurement Domain
Text Domain
Definition
Character
line
Name
line
Definition
Line number (belt transect numeric identifier)
Measurement Type
nominal
Measurement Domain
Text Domain
Definition
Character
x_coordinate
Name
x_coordinate
Definition
X coordinate (ft) Chainage
Measurement Type
interval
Measurement Domain
Standard Unit
foot
Number Type
real
y_coordinate
Name
y_coordinate
Definition
Y coordinate (ft) Chainage
Measurement Type
interval
Measurement Domain
Standard Unit
foot
Number Type
real
filename
Name
filename
Definition
Name of digital image
Measurement Type
nominal
Measurement Domain
Text Domain
Definition
Character
date
Name
date
Definition
Date of image acquisition
Measurement Type
dateTime
Measurement Domain
Format
YYYY-MM-DD
latitude
Name
latitude
Definition
Latitude used for image analysis
Measurement Type
interval
Measurement Domain
Standard Unit
degree
Number Type
real
longitude
Name
longitude
Definition
Longitude used for image analysis
Measurement Type
interval
Measurement Domain
Standard Unit
degree
Number Type
real
gf
Name
gf
Definition
Gap fraction
Measurement Type
ratio
Measurement Domain
Standard Unit
number
Number Type
real
openness
Name
openness
Definition
Canopy openness
Measurement Type
ratio
Measurement Domain
Standard Unit
number
Number Type
real
dsf
Name
dsf
Definition
Direct site factor
Measurement Type
ratio
Measurement Domain
Standard Unit
number
Number Type
real
isf
Name
isf
Definition
Indirect site factor
Measurement Type
ratio
Measurement Domain
Standard Unit
number
Number Type
real
tsf
Name
tsf
Definition
Total site factor
Measurement Type
ratio
Measurement Domain
Standard Unit
number
Number Type
real
Physical Structure Description
Object Name
crft_oreillys_hemispheric_photography_data_2013+_p910t1250.csv
Text Format
Number of Header Lines
1
Number of Footer Lines
0
Record Delimiter
\r\n
Attribute Orientation
column
Simple Delimited
Field Delimiter
,
Distribution
Online
URL
ltern9.59.2
Access
Access Control
Auth System
knb
Order
allowFirst
Allow:
PermissionPrincipal
[all] cn=submitters,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org
[read] cn=pn_connell_rainforest,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org
[read] cn=allusers,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org
Additional Metadata Links
additionalLinks
Additional Metadata : additionalLinks
Metadata
additionalLinks
url
@name
Connell Rainforest Plot Network
http://www.ltern.org.au/ltern-plot-networks/connell-rainforest
Access
Access Control
Auth System
knb
Order
allowFirst
Allow:
PermissionPrincipal
[read] public
[all] cn=submitters,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org
[read] cn=pn_connell_rainforest,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org