Find research datasets worth reusing

openCC0Nov 2022View details →

Long-term dynamics of tropical rain forests in permanent inventory plots, La Selva, Costa Rica (1969-1995)

Three permanent plots comprising a total of 12.4 ha were established in 1969 in tropical rain forest at La Selva Biological Station, near Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica. The plots were established in old-growth forest on three contrasting landforms: Plot 1 (4.4 ha) on old alluvial terrace; Plot 2 (4.0 ha) in swamp forest and rolling hills; and Plot 3 (4.0 ha) on steeply dissected terrain with residual soils. The data archived here include plot inventories carried out at five census dates over a period of 27 years. The inventory starting dates were 1969; 1982; 1985; 1989; and 1995. All stems 10 cm dbh or greater were tagged with a permanent numbered tag; measured in diameter at breast height and above buttresses to the nearest mm; mapped on the ground to the nearest m; and identified to species. At each census, live trees were re-measured, dead trees were recorded along with information on the manner of death, other details on the condition of the tree were noted, and new recruits were tagged, mapped, measured, and identified. The archived data include these five components: (1) The master data file, including comprehensive data on all tagged individuals in the three plots for the five censuses from 1969-1995. Each line in the data set represents an individual tagged tree or liana. The data array comprises 8689 lines (the number of tagged individuals) x 48 columns of data. The lines in the data set are ordered first by Plot number (1, 2, 3); next by subplot within each plot; and then by tag number within each subplot. (2) A list of column identifiers, describing in detail the information represented in each of the 48 columns within the master data file. The list gives a description of the data in each column, the units of measurement, and a guide to the interpretation of zeroes in the data. (3) A key to codes used in the field to describe the condition of individual trees. (4) A taxonomic reference list, including all species found

MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Long-term Population and Community Dynamics: Fishes, ongoing since 2005 (Reformatted to the ecocomDP Design Pattern)

This data package is formatted as an ecocomDP (Ecological Community Data Pattern). For more information on ecocomDP see https://github.com/EDIorg/ecocomDP. This Level 1 data package was derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/knb-lter-mcr/6/58. The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and is included for context: These data describe the species abundance and size distributions of fishes surveyed as part of MCR LTER's annual reef fish monitoring program. This study began in 2005 and the dataset is updated annually. The abundances of all mobile taxa of fishes (Scarids, Labrids, Acanthurids, Serranids, etc.) observed on a five by fifty meter transect which extends from the bottom to the surface of the water column are recorded by a diver using SCUBA. The diver then swims back along a one by fifty meter section of the original transect line and records the abundances of all non-mobile or cryptic taxa of fishes (Pomacentids, Gobiids, Cirrhitids, Holocentrids etc). Surveys are conducted between 0900 and 1600 hours (Moorea time) during late July or early August each year. In 2006, divers also began to estimate the size (length) of each fish observed to the nearest half cm. Four replicate transects are surveyed in each of six locations on the forereef (two on each of Moorea's three sides), six locations on the backreef (two on each of Moorea's three sides) and on six locations on the fringing reef (two on each of Moorea's three sides) for a total of 72 individual transects. Transects are permanently marked using a series of small, stainless steel posts affixed to the reef. Transects on the forereef are located at a depth of approximately 12m, those on the backreef are located at a depth of approximately 1.5m and those on the fringing reef are located at a depth of approximately 10m. In addition to the biotic data collected, divers also record data on the date and time each transect was surveyed,

openCustomOct 2024View details →

MacroSheds: a synthesis of long-term biogeochemical, hydroclimatic, and geospatial data from small watershed ecosystem studies

The MacroSheds dataset is an ongoing synthesis of data records from small-watershed ecosystem studies, including those managed by LTER, CZO/CZNet, NEON, and many other networks. While details of instrumentation and sampling methods vary across these studies, the types of data collected and the questions that motivate their analysis are remarkably similar. Nevertheless, little effort toward the compilation of these datasets has previously been made, and comparative watershed analyses have remained limited in scale. The MacroSheds dataset includes daily time series of streamflow (discharge) and stream chemistry, as well as precipitation and precipitation chemistry where available. Each of the 200+ watersheds included in the MacroSheds dataset is described by a comprehensive collection of watershed attributes, summarized from a diverse set of gridded data products. A subset of these watershed attributes conform as closely as possible to the specifications of the CAMELS dataset (https://ral.ucar.edu/solutions/products/camels), allowing the MacroSheds dataset to function as a small-watershed supplement to that corpus, and a resource for hydrologists as well as biogeochemists and watershed ecosystem scientists. Data paper: https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/lol2.10325 Data dashboard for visualization: macrosheds.org R package for data access and analysis: https://github.com/MacroSHEDS/macrosheds R package vignettes: https://macrosheds.org/pages/vignettes Live dataset changelog: https://macrosheds.org/pages/changelog.html Questions: mail@macrosheds.org

Long-term monitoring of herpetofauna along the Salt and Gila Rivers in and near the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, ongoing since 2012 (Reformatted to the ecocomDP Design Pattern)

openCC (other)Jul 2021View details →

MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Long-term Population and Community Dynamics: Other Benthic Invertebrates, ongoing since 2005 (Reformatted to the ecocomDP Design Pattern)

openCC0Jun 2025View details →

Long-term soil properties after different biochar feedstock treatments in a Southwest Virginia Pasture, 2024

Biochar is an agricultural amendment that can improve soil health and promote carbon (C) sequestration. Effects of biochar can vary and depend on the biochar feedstock, method of production, soil conditions, and amendment method and frequency. These data include soil physicochemical properties from plots amended with hay, softwood, and hardwood biochar types produced under similar conditions (479°C – 522°C for 3.5-10.2 hours) with and without a nitrogen addition (porcine blood meal) in a randomized complete block design after 4.5 years. Plots were first established at the Virginia Tech Catawba Sustainability Center in Catawba, VA in June of 2019 and sampled in March 2024. Soil measurements include total nitrogen, total carbon, carbon:nitrogen ratios, gravimetric moisture, pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (NO3 and NH4), bulk density, and moisture from bulk density measurements. These data contribute to a long-term understanding of different biochar feedstock effects on Southwest Virginia pasture soils.

openCC (other)Jul 2025View details →

Long-term record of lake and stream biogeochemistry from the Loch Vale Watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA: 1981-2024

The Loch Vale Watershed (LVWS) Project is a long-term research and monitoring program that addresses watershed-scale ecosystem processes, particularly as they respond to atmospheric deposition and climate variability. The LVWS is a 7-km2 high-altitude basin located within Rocky Mountain National Park in the Colorado Front Range (Colorado, United States of America). This dataset includes year-round measurements of physical water parameters, nutrients, major ions, trace metals, silica, and chlorophyll collected from lakes and streams within the LVWS basin. Related data entities: Scanned field notebooks from the Loch Vale Watershed Project from 1981-2023 are available via this published data release: https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/6723cba2d34e4f57573e8e45. Quality assurance reports from the Loch Vale Watershed Project are available for specific time periods and can be found at the following locations: 1983-1987: included in this data release under "Other Entities", file name LWVS_QAreport_1983to1987_Denning 1988: included in this data release under "Other Entities", file name LWVS_QAreport_1988_Denning 1989-1990: included in this data release under "Other Entities", file name LWVS_QAreport_1989to1990_Edwards 1995-1998: https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr99111 1999-2002: https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20041306 2003-2009: https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20111137 2010-2019: https://doi.org/10.3133/tm1D9 The most recent methods manual is included in full in this data release under "Other Entities", file name "LVWS Methods Manual". Please refer to this manual for the detailed methods.

openCC (other)Aug 2025View details →

Long-term demographic dataset for Cladonia perforata, including fine-scale cover, occupancy, and subpopulation area data, 2011-2024

This dataset includes all data pertaining to a long-term demographic study of Cladonia perforata (perforate reindeer lichen), a federally endangered lichen endemic to Florida, including fine-scale cover, occupancy, and population area data, conducted by the Archbold Biological Station Plant Ecology Program. This includes 13 years of data (2011-2024) from nine subpopulation (including seven at Archbold Biological Station, and two at the Lake Wales Ridge Wildlife and Environmental Area, Royce Unit), all located in rosemary scrub habitat within the Lake Wales Ridge metapopulation. This study sought to characterize the fire ecology and long-term population trends for the species, and thus also includes data on prescribed burn severity and time since fire. Data were collected using a stratified random plot design, with occupancy plots (presence/absence within 1.5 meter radius) throughout the subpopulation and a subset of these designated as cover plots only, with this cover data collected as point intercept hits within a 48x48cm area. Cover data also includes microhabitat data – canopy cover in densiometer reading and dominant ground cover. Cover and occupancy data were taken every 3 years for each subpopulation (subpopulations were on different yearly schedules). Subpopulation area was mapped using a submeter GPS unit every 6 years. Subpopulations were resampled for all metrics as soon as possible following a fire, and the sampling schedule was then reset.

openCC (other)Oct 2025View details →

Towers Forestry Plot, Long-term Vegetation Monitoring in a 1-ha old-growth Rainforest, La Selva Research Station, OTS, Sarapiquí, Heredia, Costa Rica, 2010–2020

The Towers Plot is a 1-hectare permanent vegetation plot established in 2010 under the canopy towers at La Selva Research Station, Sarapiquí, Heredia, Costa Rica. The plot was created by the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) to monitor long-term changes in forest structure, composition, and dynamics in an old-growth tropical rainforest. All woody stems with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of 10 cm or greater—including trees, palms, and lianas—were tagged, mapped, and measured following standardized procedures. Censuses were conducted between 2010 and 2020 to document growth, mortality, and recruitment. The dataset includes taxonomic identifications, stem diameter measurements, spatial coordinates within the plot, and metadata describing field methods and species composition. The plot was established beneath three canopy towers that had been previously constructed through the NSF-funded Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) project, NSF 0722741, which provided key infrastructure for canopy and environmental research at La Selva. This proximity created a valuable opportunity to integrate vegetation monitoring with existing environmental instrumentation. Johana Hurtado, coordinator of the Tropical Ecology, Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) project at La Selva, collaborated with OTS staff in the establishment of the plot, ensuring methodological consistency with other tropical forest monitoring sites. This dataset provides a comprehensive record of woody plant diversity and forest structure in a lowland old-growth Neotropical rainforest. It supports research on forest dynamics, carbon storage, and ecosystem change. The overall monitoring project is ongoing; this data package contains observations from 2010 through 2020.

openCC (other)Dec 2025View details →

Woody vegetation composition and structure at long-term monitoring plots on the Stevenson-Hamilton Research Supersite, Kruger National Park, South Africa (2012)

This dataset contains measurements of woody vegetation composition and structural attributes collected in 2012 from long-term ecological monitoring plots located on the Stevenson-Hamilton Research Supersite in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. The study region is characterized by granitic soils, broad-leaved savanna vegetation, and a long history of fire, herbivory, and climate-driven ecological dynamics. Vegetation surveys were conducted in sixteen 0.25-ha sampling plots to quantify woody species composition, stem density, and size structure. Additional measurements of vegetation structure were collected, including grass biomass, canopy cover, canopy height, and canopy diversity, providing a broader assessment of both woody and herbaceous layers. These data establish an important baseline for monitoring ecological change, evaluating woody vegetation dynamics under variable fire and herbivore regimes, and supporting ongoing research on savanna ecosystem functioning within the Kruger National Park.

openCC (other)Dec 2025View details →

Riparian Woody Vegetation Composition and Structure in Long-Term Monitoring Plots Along the Sabie River, Kruger National Park (2011-2012)

This dataset contains measurements of woody vegetation composition and structural attributes collected in 2009 and 2010 from 15 long-term riparian monitoring plots located along the Sabie River in the southern region of the Kruger National Park, South Africa. The Sabie River is the park’s most perennial river system and supports diverse riparian plant communities influenced by hydrological variability, flooding dynamics, sediment deposition, herbivory, and climate-driven disturbance. Within each monitoring plot, field teams recorded woody species identity, stem density, plant height, and stem diameter. Additional structural and condition indicators were collected, including canopy breakage, evidence of bark stripping, resprouting status, and whether individuals were toppled or alive at the time of sampling. These structural attributes provide detailed assessments of disturbance impacts and vegetation condition within riparian zones. Data collection followed the same standardized protocols as the Southern Granites long-term vegetation monitoring program, allowing for cross-site comparisons between upland savanna and riparian systems. This dataset provides a baseline for evaluating long-term ecological change in riparian woody plant communities and supports ongoing research on the ecological functioning and resilience of river corridors in Kruger National Park.

openCC (other)Feb 2024View details →

Forest tree, woody debris, root ingrowth, soil respiration and characterization data from long-term research plots for LTREB at the University of Michigan Biological Station

The NSF-funded project "LTREB: Drivers of temperate forest carbon storage from canopy closure through successional time" (2014-2024) supports research to meet the following goals: 1) elucidate mechanisms responsible for changes in C storage over decades to centuries; 2) link processes leading to persistence and resilience of forest C storage following disturbance; 3) quantify the effects of potential drivers such as forest structure, N availability, climate change, and atmospheric deposition on decadal and longer-term trajectories of C storage. Field activities for this research are conducted at the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) on a pair of chronosequences and several old reference forests. Synthesis activities utilize data collected from these field sites in support of the LTREB project, as well as data synthesized from other sources (e.g., long-term UMBS plot data, AmeriFlux data, FIA data) all intended to address the core questions of the LTREB project. This dataset has been compiled and expanded over a series of versions, with new data types and observations appended periodically. Presently, the dataset includes observations from tree inventory censuses, woody debris sampling, fine root ingrowth cores, soil respiration measurements, and two sets of soil collections aimed at quantifying a range of physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil.

Long-term monitoring of ground-dwelling arthropods in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, Scottsdale, Arizona, ongoing since 2012 (Reformatted to the ecocomDP Design Pattern)

Point-count bird censusing: long-term monitoring of bird abundance and diversity along the Salt River in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, ongoing since 2013 (Reformatted to the ecocomDP Design Pattern)

Long-term monitoring of ground-dwelling arthropods in central Arizona-Phoenix, ongoing since 1998 (Reformatted to the ecocomDP Design Pattern)

This data package is formatted as an ecocomDP (Ecological Community Data Pattern). For more information on ecocomDP see https://github.com/EDIorg/ecocomDP. This Level 1 data package was derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/knb-lter-cap/41/16. The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and is included for context: The Central Arizona–Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) program has been monitoring ground-dwelling arthropods (e.g., insects, ararchnids) at locations throughout the greater Phoenix metropolitan area (GPMA) and surrounding Sonoran desert region since 1998. Monitoring locations span a diversity of habitat types, including mesic and xeric residential yards, commercial areas, agricultural fields, desert locations within the GPMA (desert remnant), and undisturbed desert locations. Organisms are collected quarterly using unbaited pitfall traps, typically ten per location but with some variation, exposed for approximately seventy-two hours. Organisms are identified to the lowest practical taxonomic level and enumerated. Many of the sampling locations established at the beginning of the monitoring project were relocated in 2001-2002 to overlap with the CAP LTER’s Ecological Survey of Central Arizona (ESCA; formerly named Survey200) long-term monitoring sites, although within the same general landscape categories.

MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Long-term Population and Community Dynamics: Corals, ongoing since 2005 (Reformatted to the ecocomDP Design Pattern)

This data package is formatted as an ecocomDP (Ecological Community Data Pattern). For more information on ecocomDP see https://github.com/EDIorg/ecocomDP. This Level 1 data package was derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/knb-lter-mcr/4/38. The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and is included for context: This dataset contains the percentage cover of the stony corals (Scleractinia) and other major groups analyzed from 0.5 x 0.5 m photographic quadrats in several reef habitats at the Moorea Coral Reef LTER, French Polynesia. This survey has been repeated annually in April since 2005. There are two tables available, providing different views of the same data: a long table having all values in one column and a wide table having a separate column for each dependent variable. Functional groups (i.e., dependent variables) counted are: Scleractinian Corals (by genus where appropriate, see methods), Macroalgae, Crustose Coralline Algae / Bare Space, Soft Corals, Hydrocorals (Millepora), Algal Turf and Sand. The coral community was sampled photographically in all habitats surrounding the island: Fringing Reef, Lagoon (Backreef), and Outer Reef (Forereef.) The sampling regime consists of a repeated-measures protocol in each habitat, and is structured by habitat to allow a statistical contrast of sites, shores, times, and in the case of the outer reef, depths. Detailed methods are available in the protocols section. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Grant No. OCE 16-37396 (and earlier awards) as well as a generous gift from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Research was completed under permits issued by the French Polynesian Government (Délégation à la Recherche) and the Haut-commissariat de la République en Polynésie Francaise (DTRT) (Protocole d'Accueil 2005-2020). This work represents a contribution of the Moorea Coral Reef (MCR)

MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Long-term Population and Community Dynamics: Benthic Algae and Other Community Components, ongoing since 2005 (Reformatted to the ecocomDP Design Pattern)

This data package is formatted as an ecocomDP (Ecological Community Data Pattern). For more information on ecocomDP see https://github.com/EDIorg/ecocomDP. This Level 1 data package was derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/knb-lter-mcr/8/32. The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and is included for context: Coral reefs are comprised of scleractinian corals and many other benthic organims. The sampling described here quantifies the relative abundances of corals (aggregate abundance) and the other major benthic components including algal turfs, macroalgae, crustose corallines, and other sessile invertebrates. Abundance is estimated yearly at each of 6 sites (2 per shore) around the island. At each site, and in each of 4 habitats (fringing reef, backreef, forereef 10-m depth, forereef 17-m depth), 5 permanent 10-m long transects have been established and abundance estimates are made at fixed positions along each transect (n=10, 0.25 m2 quadrats per transect) allowing a repeated measures statistical analysis for the detection of temporal trends. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Grant No. OCE 16-37396 (and earlier awards) as well as a generous gift from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Research was completed under permits issued by the French Polynesian Government (Délégation à la Recherche) and the Haut-commissariat de la République en Polynésie Francaise (DTRT) (Protocole d'Accueil 2005-2020). This work represents a contribution of the Moorea Coral Reef (MCR) LTER Site.

MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Long-term Community Dynamics: Backreef (Lagoon) Corals Annual Survey, ongoing since 2005 (Reformatted to the ecocomDP Design Pattern)

This data package is formatted as an ecocomDP (Ecological Community Data Pattern). For more information on ecocomDP see https://github.com/EDIorg/ecocomDP. This Level 1 data package was derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/knb-lter-mcr/1038/10. The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and is included for context: This dataset contains the percentage cover of all stony corals (Scleractinia, pooled among genera) and other major groups analyzed from 0.5 x 0.5 m photographic quadrats at the Backreef habitat at the Moorea Coral Reef LTER, French Polynesia. This survey time series began in 2005 and is repeated each year in April. Functional groups counted are: Scleractinian corals, Macroalgae, Crustose Coralline Algae / Bare Space, Soft Corals, Hydrocorals (Millepora), Algal Turf and Sand. The coral community was sampled photographically in all represented habitats surrounding the island: Fringing Reef, Lagoon, and Outer Reef. This dataset contains only Lagoon (Backreef) data (see knb-lter-mcr.4 for the other habitats) and is structured in a repeated-measures protocol to allow a statistical contrast of sites, shores and times. Community structure was determined through a coarse analysis of the benthic community, initially completed in situ (2005), but using photoquadrats from 2006. There are quadrats analyzed at each of five areas within each site, and the areas are revisited (but not the quadrats) each year to support the repeated measures design. There are two tables available, providing different views of the same data: a long table having all values in one column and a wide table having a separate column for each observed object. Detailed methods are available in the protocols section. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Grant No. OCE 16-37396 (and earlier awards) as well as a generous gift from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. R