Data: Plant-water relations of the genus Ocotea in Monteverde, Costa Rica

<p><strong>Study Site and Species:</strong> This study was conducted in a fragmented tropical pre-montane wet forest on the Pacific slope of the Cordillera de Tilar&aacute;n mountains near Monteverde, Costa Rica (10.302379, -84.809142) between February and June 2010. We monitored plant-water relations on understory saplings of three evergreen tree species from the genus <em>Ocotea </em>(Lauraceae), including <em>O. monteverdensis</em>, <em>O. whitei</em>, and <em>O. tenera</em>. The terminal height and diameter at breast height of each individual was measured once at the start of the study.</p> <p><strong>Climate:</strong> To characterize climate, bulk precipitation (S-RGB tipping bucket, Onset Corporation, Bourne, MA), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR; S-LIA sensor, Onset Corporation, Bourne, MA), and vapor pressure deficit (VPD; S-THB temperature and relative humidity sensor, Onset Corporation, Bourne, MA) were logged at a 20 min interval using a meteorological station (Hobo MicroStation, Onset Corporation, Bourne, MA) set 1.5 m above ground in an open field ~200 m² in size approximately 500 m from the site (10.3248&deg;, -84.820047&deg;, 1415 m asl).</p> <p><strong>Soil Moisture: </strong>Simultaneous to monthly measurements of plant-water relations, soil moisture was measured (n = 10 observations per month) as a percent across 0-20 cm soil depth (Hydrosense, Campbell Scientific, Logan, UT).<strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Plant-Water Relations:</strong> Pre-dawn (before 06:00) and midday (around 12:00) measurements of leaf water potential were measured using a pressure chamber (SAPS, Soil Moisture, Goleta, CA) on a monthly basis on the same 5 individuals of each species between February and June 2010. In February 2010, water potential measurements were also collected every 2 hrs for a 24-hr period to characterize diurnal patterns. Leaf pressure volume curves and stomatal conductance measurements are also available upon request.&nbsp;</p> <p>These data are made available as formatted for PSInet: A global water potential network (https://psinetrcn.github.io/)</p> <p>Funding was provided by a National Geographic Society Young Explorers Grant to G.R. Goldsmith.&nbsp;</p>