uid=HFR,o=lter,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org
all
public
read
doi:10.6073/pasta/0f8ac4ca7a07d62222fe5147b21279e5
Ants and Ecosystem Function in Hemlock Removal Experiment at Harvard Forest 2006-2014
Aaron
Ellison
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4151-6081
Aimee
Classen
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6741-3470
Researcher
Israel
Del Toro
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3901-8713
Researcher
Nicholas
Gotelli
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5409-7456
Researcher
Shannon
Pelini
Researcher
Nathan
Sanders
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6220-6731
Researcher
2023
English
Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is a foundation species in eastern North American forests. Hemlock stands host unique assemblages of flora and fauna, and the structure of these assemblages is expected to change as hemlock declines due to infestation by the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) and is removed by pre-emptive salvage logging. A 2003 survey of hemlock stands in central Connecticut and Massachusetts showed that ant species richness and abundance is substantially greater in logged and adelgid-infested hemlock stands than it is in intact hemlock stands (see HF065) and we hypothesized that we would see similar changes in ant species diversity following application of treatments in the Hemlock Removal Experiment at the Simes Tract (see HF118). We further hypothesized that because ants are known to modulate ecosystem function in other habitats that observed changes in ant species diversity would be accompanied by changes in ecosystem processes including soil respiration rate and nitrogen availability. In April 2006, we established a set of sub-plots in all eight canopy manipulation plots of the Hemlock Removal Experiment. In each canopy manipulation plot, we installed two ant exclosure plots, two disturbance control plots, and two control plots. Ant species richness and abundance, as well as effectiveness of the exclosures, is monitored with pitfall traps monthly during the summer. Soil nitrogen availability is measured using resins that are collected every three months, and soil respiration is measured bi-weekly during the growing season.
ants
hemlock
hemlock woolly adelgid
nitrogen
soil respiration
soil temperature
species diversity
species richness
LTER controlled vocabulary
disturbance
LTER core area
Harvard Forest
HFR
LTER
USA
HFR default
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.
Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal
https://spdx.org/licenses/CC0-1.0.html
CC0-1.0
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf160
Simes Tract (Harvard Forest). Coordinates based on WGS84 datum.
-72.22
-72.22
+42.47
+42.47
200
240
meter
2006
2014
family
Formicidae
genus
Aphaenogaster
species
rudis
genus
Camponotus
species
pennsylvanicus
genus
Tsuga
species
canadensis
completed
Information Manager
Harvard Forest
324 North Main Street
Petersham
MA
01366
USA
(978) 724-3302
hf-im@lists.fas.harvard.edu
Harvard Forest
324 North Main Street
Petersham
MA
01366
USA
(978) 724-3302
(978) 724-3595
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu
Exclosure construction: These sub-plots are located in the buffer-area of Simes plots 1-8. Exclosures are 3 x 3 m squares built from fiberglass roofing (3-m long x 30 cm high). The roofing is embedded 10-cm in the ground, leaving a 20-cm high wall. Corners are screwed to wooden posts and sealed with silicon caulk. Within this 3 x 3-m enclosure, a 2nd enclosure, 2 x 2 m in size, is constructed of 8” (~20-cm) diameter PVC sewer pipe cut in half lengthwise. The pipe is buried 5-cm deep, leaving 15-cm exposed, with the cut-edge (C-profile) pointing outwards. Corners are bolted into right-angle (90-degree) PVC elbows, also cut in half lengthwise, and sealed with silicon caulk. The result is a double-walled barrier separated by a 50-cm space. All monitoring and measurements are taken in the inner 2 x 2 m portion of the sub-plot. Exposed portions of both the fiberglass roofing and the PVC pipe barriers are sprayed with Tanglefoot insect barrier in May and July each year.
Disturbance controls: These sub-plots are 2 x 2 m squares to match the working area of the exclosures, and they are located in the buffer area and within 5-15 m of the exclosures. Corners are marked with red plastic pipe (Pex) and the edges were dug and cleared of rocks in the same way we dug the exclosures to embed the PVC pipes.
Controls: These sub-plots are also 2 x 2 m squares. In Simes plots 1-6, we co-located these sub-plots with two of the sub-plots used by Kathleen Savage and Eric Davidson to measure soil respiration in the center 30 x 30-m core area (see HF-130). In Simes plots 7 and 8 (the hardwood controls), control sub-plots are located in the buffer area within 5-m of the disturbance controls and the exclosures.
Additions: In 2006, 20 dowels (10-cm long, 2 cm diameter, with 1-cm bored hole) and 20 nest boxes (plywood, 20 cm x 10 cm x 2cm with routed grooves) were scattered haphazardly 5-m away from the ant exclosures. Dowels and nest boxes were sampled for ant colonies in 2007 and 2008.
Ant species composition and treatment effectiveness: To track changes in ant species richness and abundance, and to simultaneously determine effectiveness of the treatments, two pitfall traps are set in each sub-plot. Pitfall traps are 180-ml, 8-cm diameter urinalysis cups buried in the soil so that the rim of the cup is flush with the soil surface. Three times each summer, during the first weeks of June, July, and August, the cups are opened, filled with 10-ml of water to which dish detergent has been added (1 drop / gallon = 3.89 L) and left to collect ants for 48 hours. After 48 hours, trap contents are collected and cups are re-capped to await the next sample. Ants collected are identified and stored in 95% Ethanol in the Harvard Forest Sample Archive. Capped cups remain in place year-round to avoid repeated disturbance and further perforation of these small experimental units.
Soil respiration: Soil respiration is measured in each sub-plot using Kathleen Savage and Eric Davidson’s Li-Cor 6000/6200 back-pack system. Permanent 25-cm diameter PVC collars are embedded in each sub-plot and repeated respiration measurements are made every two weeks during the growing season (May through October). Measurements were made in 2006-2008 (see HF-130).
Nitrogen availability: Nitrogen availability is measured as extractable NO3 and NH4 on commercial resin-capsules (Unibest; WECSA, Inc.). Resin capsules are placed at the end of permanently embedded Wecsa-style samplers and are collected and replaced quarterly (January, April, July, October). Nitrogen is extracted and measured using a Lachat Autoanalyzer (see HF-054).
Soil temperature: Soil temperature was initially measured using I-buttons, but failure rates more than 25% led to their abandonment in early 2008. We consider as reliable only plot-level soil temperature data from HF-108 and spot-measurements taken during soil respiration measurements.
Decomposition rates of standard substrates: Whatman filter paper disks (10-cm) and tongue depressors (20-cm) were placed on the soil suface in flat mesh litter bags. Replicates were collected in 2008, 2009, and 2010, dried, and weighed.
Ant samples and vouchers are stored in the Harvard Forest Sample Archive.
Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research
Harvard Forest
324 North Main Street
Petersham
MA
01366
USA
(978) 724-3302
(978) 724-3595
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu
https://ror.org/059cpzx98
pointOfContact
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.
National Science Foundation LTER grants: DEB-8811764, DEB-9411975, DEB-0080592, DEB-0620443, DEB-1237491, DEB-1832210.
hf160-01-ibuttons.csv
soil temperatures from ibuttons
hf160-01-ibuttons.csv
15590457
5a4630a27ac0b65493a0e0148814cee2
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p16/hf160/hf160-01-ibuttons.csv
datetime
date and time
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm
date
date
YYYY-MM-DD
time.24hr
time of day
hh:mm
soilt
soil temperature at 10cm depth
celsius
0.5
real
NA
missing value
block
one of two treatment blocks
1
valley block, including canopy manipulation plots 1-3 and 8
2
ridge block, including canopy manipulation plots 4-7
treatment
canopy-level treatment
hemlock control
hemlock control
hardwood control
hardwood control
girdled
all hemlock trees girdled
log
all hemlocks > 20 cm dbh and all merchantable hardwoods and white pine cut and removed from plot
plot
plot number. Range 1-8.
plot number
subplot
ant manipulation sub-plot group. Levels are A and B (two groups per canopy manipulation plot)
ant manipulation sub-plot group
subplot.t
sub-plot-level treatment. Levels are control, disturbance (disturbance control) and exclosure.
control
control
disturbance
disturbance control
exclosure
exclosure
239729
hf160-02-subplots.csv
locations of individual subplots
hf160-02-subplots.csv
2290
79f6f940ea39eee78f16a59b8e231230
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p16/hf160/hf160-02-subplots.csv
treatment
canopy-level treatment
hemlock control
hemlock control
hardwood control
hardwood control
girdled
all hemlock trees girdled
log
all hemlocks greater than 20 cm dbh and all merchantable hardwoods and white pine cut and removed from plot
block
one of two treatment blocks
1
valley block, including canopy manipulation plots 1-3 and 8
2
ridge block, including canopy manipulation plots 4-7
plot
plot number. Range 1-8.
plot number
subplot
ant manipulation sub-plot group. Levels are A and B (two groups per canopy manipulation plot)
ant manipulation sub-plot group
subplot.t
sub-plot-level treatment
control
control
disturbed
disturbance control
exclosure
exclosure
x.m
longitude in Massachusetts State Plane Meters, NAD-83
meter
.01
real
NA
missing value
y.m
latitude in Massachusetts State Plane Meters, NAD-83
meter
0.1
real
NA
missing value
elevation
elevation in meters above sea level
meter
1
whole
NA
missing value
48
hf160-03-ants.csv
monthly ant diversity
hf160-03-ants.csv
117981
735296517103e997c737ae4bdd075e76
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p16/hf160/hf160-03-ants.csv
date
date on which pitfall trap was retrieved
YYYY-MM-DD
treatment
canopy-level treatment; levels are hemlock control, hardwood control, girdled (all hemlock trees girdled), and log (all hemlocks > 20 cm dbh and all merchantable hardwoods and white pine cut and removed from plot.
hemlock control
hemlock control
hardwood control
hardwood control
girdle
all hemlock trees girdled
log
all hemlocks greater than 20 cm dbh and all merchantable hardwoods and white pine cut and removed from plot
block
one of two treatment blocks
1
valley block, including canopy manipulation plots 1-3 and 8
2
ridge block, including canopy manipulation plots 4-7
plot
plot number. Range 1-8.
plot number
subplot
ant manipulation sub-plot group. Levels are A and B (two groups per canopy manipulation plot)
ant manipulation sub-plot group
subplot.t
sub-plot-level treatment
control
control
disturbance
disturbance control
exclosure
exclosure
addition-dowel
ant addition, dowel-nest
addition-box
ant addition, nest-box
addition-nearby in log
ant addition, adjacent to nest-box
vial.num
vial number, refers to vial in Harvard Forest Sample Archive
vial number, refers to vial in Harvard Forest Sample Archive
subfamily
Subfamily of ant species. Valid levels are: Myrmicinae, Formicinae, Ponerinae, Dolichoderinae
subfamily of ant species
genus
Genus of ant species
Genus of ant species
species
Species of ant species
Species of ant species
spec.code
six- or seven-character species code for ant species. See HF147 for additional details.
six- or seven-character species code for ant species
count
number of individuals recovered in the pitfall trap
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
1342
hf160-04-nitrogen.csv
quarterly nitrogen availability
hf160-04-nitrogen.csv
120962
5e692d0059b52372d5582c7997f29c7c
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p16/hf160/hf160-04-nitrogen.csv
year
year of measurement; range 2006 - present
YYYY
quarter
indicates end date of three-month period of nitrogen accumulation
1
January – March
2
April – June
3
July – September
4
October – December
treatment
canopy-level treatment; levels are hemlock control, hardwood control, girdled (all hemlock trees girdled), and log (all hemlocks > 20 cm dbh and all merchantable hardwoods and white pine cut and removed from plot.
hemlock control
hemlock control
hardwood control
hardwood control
girdle
all hemlock trees girdled
log
all hemlocks greater than 20 cm dbh and all merchantable hardwoods and white pine cut and removed from plo
block
one of two treatment blocks
1
valley block, including canopy manipulation plots 1-3 and 8
2
ridge block, including canopy manipulation plots 4-7
plot
plot number. Range 1-8.
plot number
subplot
ant manipulation sub-plot group. Levels are A and B (two groups per canopy manipulation plot)
ant manipulation sub-plot group
subplot.t
sub-plot-level treatment. Levels are control, disturbance (disturbance control) and exclosure.
control
control
disturbance
disturbance control
exclosure
exclosure
res.mass
mass of the rinsed, air-dried resin following collection
gram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
tot.nh4
total extractable ammonium
microgram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
tot.no3
total extractable nitrate
microgram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
res.nh4
extractable ammonium per resin
microgramsPerGram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
res.no3
extractable nitrate per resin
microgramsPerGram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
tot.n
total extractable nitrogen = TotNH4 + TotNO3
microgram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
res.n
total extractable nitrogen per resin = ResNH4 + ResNO3
microgramsPerGram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
daily.nh4
total extractable ammonium per day
microgramsPerGram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
daily.no3
total extractable nitrate per day
microgramsPerGram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
daily.n
total extractable nitrate per day = DailyNH4 + DailyNO3
microgramsPerGram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
1440
hf160-05-soil-resp.csv
soil respiration
hf160-05-soil-resp.csv
40319
3d6a7a9a568c795b404625653d4ea31c
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p16/hf160/hf160-05-soil-resp.csv
date
date on which soil respiration measurement was made
YYYY-MM-DD
doy
Julian day in which soil respiration measurement was made (range: 137 – 264)
nominalDay
1
whole
NA
missing value
treatment
canopy-level treatment
hemlock control
hemlock control
hardwood control
hardwood control
girdled
all hemlock trees girdled
log
all hemlocks greater than 20 cm dbh and all merchantable hardwoods and white pine cut and removed from plot
block
one of two treatment blocks
1
valley block, including canopy manipulation plots 1-3 and 8
2
ridge block, including canopy manipulation plots 4-7
plot
plot number. range 1-8.
plot number
subplot
ant manipulation sub-plot group. Levels are A and B (two groups per canopy manipulation plot)
ant manipulation sub-plot group
subplot.t
sub-plot-level treatment
control
control
disturbed
disturbance control
exclosure
exclosure
soilt.10cm
soil temperature measured at 10 cm
celsius
0.1
real
NA
missing value
co2.flux
flux of carbon dioxide (soil respiration), in units of mg C m-2 hr-1
milligramPerMeterSquaredPerHour
0.01
real
NA
missing value
780
hf160-06-decomp.csv
decomposition of lignin and cellulose, 2008-2010
hf160-06-decomp.csv
36010
4a9a7590cd9ba9b1a43fbeddfbe9f307
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p16/hf160/hf160-06-decomp.csv
date.out
date litter bag collected
YYYY-MM-DD
months.f
number of months in field
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
block
one of two treatment blocks
valley
valley block, including canopy manipulation plots 1-3 and 8
ridge
ridge block, including canopy manipulation plots 4-7
plot
plot number. Range 1-8.
plot number
treatment
canopy-level treatment; levels are hemlock control, hardwood control, girdled (all hemlock trees girdled), and log (all hemlocks > 20 cm dbh and all merchantable hardwoods and white pine cut and removed from plot.
hemlock control
hemlock control
hardwood control
hardwood control
girdled
all hemlock trees girdled
logged
all hemlocks greater than 20 cm dbh and all merchantable hardwoods and white pine cut and removed from plo
subplot
ant manipulation sub-plot group. Levels are A and B (two groups per canopy manipulation plot)
ant manipulation sub-plot group
subplot.t
sub-plot-level treatment. Levels are control, disturbance (disturbance control) and exclosure.
control
control
disturbance
disturbance control
exclosure
exclosure
litter.type
litter type
cellulose
cellulose
lignin
lignin
bag.num
unique number identifying each litter decomposition bag
bag number
i.adm
initial air-dried mass of material in the litter decomposition bag
gram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
i.odm
initial oven-dried mass of material in the litter decomposition bag
gram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
i.afodm
initial ash-free oven-dried mass of material in the litter decomposition bag
gram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
f.odm
final oven-dried mass of material remaining in the litter decomposition bag after collection from the field after MonthsInF months
gram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
crb.no
crucible number
crucible number
crb.mass
mass of the crucible
gram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
sam.crb.mass
sample mass + crucible mass
gram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
ash.crb.mass
ash mass + crucible mass
gram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
ash.mass
ash mass. AshMass = AshCrbMass - CrbMass
gram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
p.ash.free
proportion of fODM attributable to material other than ash (range 0 – 1) = (fODM – AshMass)/fODM
dimensionless
0.01
real
NA
missing value
f.afodm
final oven-dried mass of material, minus mass of the ash fAFODM = fODM × pAshFree
gram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
f.loss
mass of sample lost to decomposition fLoss = iAFODM - fAFODM
gram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
m.loss.frac
proportion of the original mass of the sample lost to decomposition (range 0 – 1) mLossFrac = fLoss / iAFODM
dimensionless
0.01
real
NA
missing value
remain.per
percentage of original mass remaining in the decomposition bag at the time of collection (range 0 – 100) pctRemain = (1 – mLossFrac) × 100
dimensionless
0.01
real
NA
missing value
288
hf160-07-kendrick-et-al-2015.zip
R code and associated csv files to accompany Kendrick et al. 2015 paper
hf160-07-kendrick-et-al-2015.zip
789923
8226970f03f9839d57b93bbd363e095b
zip
R script, csv, R Markdown, html
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p16/hf160/hf160-07-kendrick-et-al-2015.zip
script, document
community
plot
long-term measurement
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf147
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf108
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf118
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf054
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf130
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf065
milligramPerMeterSquaredPerHour