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Litterfall, Biomass and Productivity in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1996-1997
Prior agricultural land use often plays an important role in the present condition of forests. This research was conducted to find any productivity differences among previously plowed, pastured, and woodlot sites. There are six sites, two from each of the land use types. With this research we wanted to estimate the productivity for each of the six stands and test the hypothesis that rates of annual aboveground biomass and annual litter fall in recovering forests would decline in the order woodlot - pastured - plowed. Twenty-five trees, of various diameters and species, were cored at each site. The cores were analyzed and the radial growth was calculated for the most recent 5 and 10 year intervals. Biomass increments were also calculated for the same time span using published allometric equations. Aboveground woody productivity was calculated for diameter classes within species and semi-log relationships of productivity per diameter were used to calculate the productivity of all trees in the stand that were not cored. Site-specific and species-specific equations were used. Litter fall was estimated by collecting litter from ten traps each in the six stands. Litter was sorted by species and reported on a dry matter basis. Red oaks and red maples were the major contributors of biomass and litter fall in all six of the stands, accounting for about seventy percent of the total aboveground biomass. Although woodlots had higher total biomass there was not a significant difference in productivity across the six sites. The range of productivity including both litter fall and aboveground woody production was from 7524-9014 Kg/ha. This fell into the range for temperate forests according to results published by the International Biological Program. Production per unit biomass was greater in the plowed stand and least in the woodlots.
Tree Canopy Leaf Area Index in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1997
Numerous variables related to land use disturbance and recovery processes can influence forest composition and structure. We’ve measured differences in forest communities in six sites that were formerly plowed, pastured, or continuously forested woodlots in Prospect Hill. None of the sites had noticeable canopy gap disturbance at the time of the measurements. Leaf area index (LAI) was measured with an LAI-2000 plant canopy analyzer (Li-Cor, Inc., Lincoln, NE) at all 77 edge and interior intersection points in the 30 m x 50 m permanent plot (7 columns x 11 rows) in 5 of our 6 land use sites. Under-canopy measurements were made in each site over 25-30 minutes during midday hours (11:00-2:30 EST) on overcast days near solstice (June 13, 18). The under-canopy readings were contrasted with an open-sky measurement taken in an open field near the Harvard Forest headquarters just before beginning data collection in each site. LAI averaged 3.98 and ranged from 2.28 to 5.93 across all sites. W1 had the highest site-level mean (4.62) and maximum (5.93) LAI while S2 had the lowest values (mean = 3.41, max = 4.55). The woodlot also showed the greatest spatial variation as measured by C.V., while plow #1 showed the least variation.
Canopy Sky Factors in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1998
Hemispherical photos were taken at 35 interior grid corners in each land use site’s 30 m x 50 m permanent plot on uniformly overcast days during summer 1998. A Canon A-1 35 mm camera with a 7.5 mm lens was mounted on a tripod, positioned so the film plane was 0.5 m above ground, oriented N-S with a compass, and leveled. Ektachrome 100 slide film was used. Two exposures were made for each location. The slides were processed and digitized in jpeg format by Kodak, Inc. at a resolution of 1536 x 1024 dpi. The jpeg images were screened for nearground obstructions. Fifteen of the 35 photo locations per site were used in subsequent analysis. Hemiview software (v. 2.0, Delta-T Devices Ltd., Cambridge, UK) was used to process the images and calculate indirect, direct, and global (= indirect + direct) sky factors for each sample location, plus the proportion of global sky factor represented by direct beam radiation. Several images spanning a wide range of canopy density were used to develop protocols for setting optimal thresholds in converting from color to black and white images. Each B/W image was then analyzed at three threshold levels, the optimum level plus 5 threshold units (~ 2.5%) above and below the optimum. The results were averaged across the three threshold levels to provide one set of sky factor data per sample location. Above-canopy incident radiation was calculated daily for the June-September growing season based on (1) latitude and longitude, (2) average atmospheric transmission, and (3) monthly averages for fractions of the day in diffuse radiation due to cloud cover for the Harvard Forest area. Data for 2 and 3 above were provided by researchers at the State University of New York at Albany. Below-canopy radiation was estimated daily across half-hour intervals as the sum of diffuse and direct beam components. Sky factors were then calculated from the above- and below-canopy radiation values and averaged both monthly and across the growing season.
Herbaceous Species in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1996
Forests recovering from agricultural legacies differ in many ways that influence the landscape distribution, local abundance, and dispersion of herbaceous populations, as well as patterns of species associations within the herbaceous stratum. We recorded the presence/absence of 10 herbaceous species on a 1 x 1 m resolution in a 30 x 50 m permanent plot grid in six land use legacy sites (2 plowed, 2 pastured, 2 permanent woodlot) in summer 1996 to test predictions about herbaceous species abundance, richness, dispersion patterns, patterns of association, and their relationships to forest structure, microclimates, and soil resources. The 10 species chosen differed in several ways (evergreen vs. deciduous, stature, clonal architecture, affinity for disturbed vs. undisturbed forests) that allowed us to probe the impacts of prior disturbance and current resource patterns (light, water, nutrients) on the spatial patterns of individual species and species associations.
Mapped Trees in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1996-2006
Numerous variables related to land use disturbance and recovery processes influence forest composition, structure, and growth. We measured forest communities in six sites that were formerly plowed, pastured, or continuously forested woodlots in Prospect Hill to test predictions about species composition, stand structure, and productivity in response to agricultural land use legacies. A permanent 30 x 50 m plot gridded in 5 x 5 m sub-plots was established in each of the 6 sites. All trees at least 2.5 cm DBH (diameter at breast height, 1.3 m) were mapped visually in the field, marked with an aluminum tag, and their DBH recorded in summer 1996. Individual boles of multi-stemmed trees were measured separately and a composite single DBH was calculated. Standing dead trees were also mapped and their DBH recorded as well. The 1996 data were used to determine above ground woody biomass using allometric equations for individual trees. The permanent plots were re-surveyed ten years later in fall 2006. The status of each tree mapped in 1996 was recorded (alive, dead standing, dead fallen, forked) and DBH’s were re-measured. Additional trees that grew across the 2.5 cm DBH threshold during the ten-year period were mapped and their DBH’s measured. Composite diameters and above ground woody biomass were determined for forked trees as in 1996. The 2006 re-measurements were used to analyze changes in species composition, stand structure (density, diameter distribution), and mortality patterns among species and size classes, and to calculate net changes in above ground woody biomass across the ten-year period.
Microclimate in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1997
Understory microenvironmental patterns are strongly influenced by both the forest community and substrate, which are in turn affected by site factors, disturbance history and recovery processes. We measured ground-level microclimates across the growing season as part of a multi-faceted study of soil-plant-atmosphere interactions in sites with different agricultural land-use legacies (formerly plowed, formerly pastured, permanent woodlots) in Prospect Hill. A permanent 30 x 50 m plot was established in each of six sites (2 per land use category) and gridded into 5 x 5 m sub-plots. Fifteen microclimate stations were used to measure photosynthetic photon flux (PPF, umol m-2 s-1, LI-190 quantum sensor, Li-Cor, Inc), soil temperature (107B thermistor, Campbell Scientific, Logan, Utah), and air temperature (107 thermistor, Campbell Scientific, Logan, Utah) at 5 locations each in three sites simultaneously. PPF and air temperature were measured at 50 cm, while soil temperature was measured 5 cm. The central sample station was located in the center (sub-plot D6) of the 30 x 50 m grid and four additional stations were positioned 10 m from the central station in the cardinal directions. In addition to the variables described above, relative humidity (%, 207 air temperature/relative humidity probe, Campbell Scientific, Logan, Utah) was measured at 50 cm at the central station. All sensors were connected to a Campbell Scientific 23X datalogger and sampled continuously every 10 sec and averaged every 10 minutes for 5 days at a time. The stations were switched between two sets of sites (P1-S2-W2 followed by P2-S1-W1) at the end of every week, so the data record for any one site includes alternate weeks. Measurements were made during April through September, 1997. The data archived here are daily means per variable per station. Missing records are due to inclement weather, while blank fields represent occasional sensor or datalogger connection problems.
Photosynthetic Light Response Curves in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1998
Ambient CO2 concentrations in terrestrial ecosystems vary substantially on several spatial and temporal scales as numerous soil, plant, and atmospheric processes respond to irradiance, temperature, moisture and wind. There is one widespread microhabitat in terrestrial ecosystems, the nearground zone, in which CO2 is naturally enhanced above average background levels. CO2 produced by soil respiration diffuses through the litter and boundary layers and dissipates fairly rapidly into the overlying bulk air. However, a marked vertical profile of nearground enriched CO2 (hereafter NEC) is usually present in the first 0-50 cm above ground. The degree of enrichment varies primarily with soil respiration rate and turbulent mixing, secondarily with photosynthesis by plants in the herbaceous stratum, and usually shows marked diel and seasonal variation. References to this CO2 "subsidy" and its effects on plants have occurred occasionally in the literature since 1939, but there have been few detailed studies of either the nearground profile or plant responses in the field, particularly for species that consistently occupy the nearground stratum. Considerable research over the last twenty years in both controlled and field environments has shown that co-occurring plant species may respond differently to artificially elevated CO2. But in contrast to light, temperature, water, and nutrients, plant community ecologists have generally not considered CO2 among the factors that regulate species’ distribution and abundance, except indirectly as it may affect water balance. We have documented differences in forest composition (woody and herbaceous), soil characteristics, microclimates, and nearground CO2 levels among six sites that were formerly plowed, pastured, or continuously forested woodlots in Prospect Hill. We selected three perennial herbaceous species (Aralia nudicaulis, wild sarsaparilla; Clintonia borealis, blue-bead lily; Medeola virginiana, Indian cucumber root) and two do
Herbaceous Stratum Sunfleck Regimes in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1998
Numerous variables related to land use disturbance and recovery processes can influence forest understory irradiance regimes. In addition to season-long measurements of herbaceous stratum microclimates (data archived separately), we explored the degree to which differences in forest community composition and structure generate differences in near-ground sunfleck regimes in our six land use sites (2 plowed, 2 pastured, 2 permanent woodlot). Considerable research has shown that photosynthetic responses to fluctuating irradiance cannot be predicted accurately from steady-state gas-exchange measurements, and that sunflecks may account for both a large fraction of total daily photon fluence and net carbon assimilation by plants in the herbaceous stratum of moist forests. We measured clear-day irradiance patterns to test predictions about how sunfleck frequency, duration, and brightness should vary across the three land-use legacies. We also wished to document sunfleck regimes as part of a companion study on photosynthetic responses by herb and tree species to sunflecks. Twenty-three quantum sensors (Li-190, Li-Cor, Inc., Lincoln, NE) were placed at regularly-spaced interior intersection points across the 30 m x 50 m permanent plot grid in each land use site. The sensors were mounted on stakes 50 cm above ground, leveled, and attached to a Campbell Scientific CR23X datalogger. Photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) values were recorded at all 23 microsites every 6 seconds for 3.5-4.5 hours in the morning (8:00-11:30+ a.m. EST) on one clear day per site in July and August 1998. Using custom software and a sunfleck definition threshold of 100 umol m-2 s-1, sunfleck events were extracted for each microsite across the sampling period and the following were calculated for each fleck event: number of fleck events per hour, sunfleck duration (sec), duration of the shade period prior to the sunfleck (sec), mean PPF across the sunfleck event, and peak PPF during the sunfleck. Descrtipti
Tree Seedlings in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1996
Forests recovering from agricultural legacies differ in many ways that influence tree seed dispersal and seedling establishment patterns. We recorded the number of seedlings (less than 0.5 m tall) of all tree species on a 1 x 1 m resolution across six land use legacy sites (2 plowed, 2 pastured, 2 permanent woodlot) in summer 1996 to test several predictions about seedling abundance, diversity, and dispersion patterns, and their relationships to forest structure, microclimates, and soil resources.
Herbaceous Community Composition in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1996
Patterns of vascular plant species richness were investigated in six land use legacy sites (2 formerly plowed, 2 formerly pastured, and 2 permanent woodlot) in Prospect Hill to test predictions about the effects of disturbance, light and soil resources, and forest floor environmental heterogeneity on community composition. The occurrence of vascular taxa was recorded in each of the 60 5 m x 5 m contiguous plots within the 30 m x 50 m permanently gridded study plot in each land use legacy site in June 1996. Identification was made to species in most cases. Woodlots showed higher average species richness at the site level (53) than either pastured (52 species) or plowed (49) sites. However woodlots also show greater spatial variation in richness at the 5 m x 5 m resolution than either the plowed or pastured sites (in that order) as represented by the range, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation. Seasonally-averaged light levels at 50 cm are approximately twice as high in the plowed and pastured sites as in the woodlots, but the woodlots show significantly greater soil organic matter, carbon, nitrogen and water-holding capacity than the post-agricultural sites. These results suggest that soil resources may be more important than light in fostering higher herbaceous stratum richness. However, woodlot richness is also affected by the presence of taxa that are slow to re-colonize heavily disturbed sites (e.g., Epigaea repens) and to distinctive microsites that are less common in the plowed or pastured sites in the Harvard Forest system (e.g., exposed boulders). The greater spatial variation in woodlot richness is strongly influenced by both substrate diversity and by scattered hemlock trees, which substantially depress the herb stratum in localized patches.
Land Use and Forest Dynamics at Harvard Forest 1937-2013
Modern vegetation patterns have developed as a result of species response to environmental gradients, disturbance history, and biotic interactions. However, the relative importance of environmental versus historical factors in determining modern species distributions may differ from site to site and may change with increasing time since disturbance. In addition, life-forms may differ in their response to environmental versus historical disturbance gradients. In the current study, we relate vegetation patterns across the Prospect Hill Tract of Harvard Forest to variability in edaphic factors and disturbance histories. Modern species distribution patterns are related to both edaphic and disturbance gradients. Although species respond individualistically to edaphic and disturbance gradients, land-use history, soil drainage, and C:N ratio are good predictors of the distribution of many species. In contrast, 1938 hurricane damage is less important. Vascular species richness is related to historical land-use, with fewer species in historical woodlots than on former agricultural sites. This is contrary to what has been reported from several other studies, and may reflect the dominance of historical woodlots in the study area by hemlock, a species that creates environmental (i.e. light and soil) conditions that are unsuitable for many species. Historical land-use does not appear to influence bryophyte species richness, although the distributions of several species do follow patterns of land-use. Species richness also varies according to soil drainage, with higher bryophyte, herb, and shrub richness and lower overstory and understory tree richness on wetter sites.
Mid-19th Century Land Use on the Southern New England and New York Coasts 1832-1886
The widespread influence of land use and natural disturbance on population, community, and landscape dynamics and the long-term legacy of disturbance on modern ecosystems requires that a historical, broad-scale perspective become an integral part of modern ecological studies and conservation assessment and planning. In previous studies, the Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program has developed an integrated approach of paleoecological and historical reconstruction, meteorological modeling, air photo interpretation, GIS analyses, and field studies of vegetation and soils, to address fundamental ecological questions concerning the rates, direction, and causes of vegetation change, to evaluate controls over modern species and community distributions and landscape patterns, and to provide critical background for conservation and restoration planning. In the current study, we extend this approach to investigate the link between landscape history and the abundance, distribution, and dynamics of species, communities and landscapes of the Cape Cod to Long Island coastal region, including the islands of Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and Block Island. The study region includes many areas of high conservation priority that are linked geographically, historically, and ecologically. This data package includes GIS layers digitized by Harvard Forest researchers from copies of the US Coastal Survey “T-Sheet” maps available from the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. The US Coastal Survey, and then the US Coast and Geodetic Survey mapped the region, or specific parts of it, several times between 1832 and the 1960s. In this project we digitized the earliest T-Sheet available for each location. The original maps were surveyed between 1832 and 1886, with most of them made between 1835 to 1855. The original maps showed features such as roads, farm walls, railroads, buildings, some industrial buildings, saltworks, wharfs, and land cover including woodlands,
Land Use on the Southern New England and New York Coasts 1600-2001
The widespread influence of land use and natural disturbance on population, community, and landscape dynamics and the long-term legacy of disturbance on modern ecosystems requires that a historical, broad-scale perspective become an integral part of modern ecological studies and conservation assessment and planning. In previous studies, the Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program has developed an integrated approach of paleoecological and historical reconstruction, meteorological modeling, air photo interpretation, GIS analyses, and field studies of vegetation and soils, to address fundamental ecological questions concerning the rates, direction, and causes of vegetation change, to evaluate controls over modern species and community distributions and landscape patterns, and to provide critical background for conservation and restoration planning. In the current study, we extend this approach to investigate the link between landscape history and the abundance, distribution, and dynamics of species, communities and landscapes of the Cape Cod to Long Island coastal region, including the islands of Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and Block Island. The study region includes many areas of high conservation priority that are linked geographically, historically, and ecologically. Despite the compelling rationale for examining this coastal region as a whole and for comparing its related, though distinctive geographic areas, an integrated and comprehensive study of the region has never been undertaken. We are investigating regional controls over landscape patterns and community distribution and will focus in detail on the dynamics of sandplain communities, including grasslands, heathlands, barrens, and woodlands, which are unique components of this region and high priorities for conservation. In order to determine the historical and modern abundance and distribution of these community types, and to relate these to historical patterns of land use, fire, winds
Historical and future land use and land cover data for the STARS4Water river basins
<p>Dataset contains data on historical and future land use and land cover for seven European river basins (Danube, Drammen, Duero, East Anglia, Messara, Rhine and Seine) being case study basin in the STARS4Water, and a shapefile with river basin boundaries. The average area fraction of five general land use classes (crop, forest, grass, urban and other) within the project river basins was calculated at five-year intervals starting in 2016 and ending in 2051. This dataset was prepared based on the data available in the "LUCAS LUC future land use and land cover change dataset for Europe (Version 1.1)" repository (Hoffmann et al., 2022, DOI: 10.26050/WDCC/LUC_future_EU_v1.1).</p>
Monitoring juvenile Chinook salmon outmigration using rotary screw traps on the Sacramento River at Knights Landing
Since 1995, the rotary screw traps (RSTs) at Knights Landing have provided water management agencies an early warning of emigrating juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead trout (O. mykiss) making their way to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta). Due to the proximity of the site to other major tributaries of the Sacramento River, such as the Feather and American Rivers, it is assumed that salmonids captured at the Knights Landing RSTs originate from the upper Sacramento River and its tributaries, a stretch of river that provides spawning and rearing habitat for all four runs of natural origin Chinook salmon: winter-run (State and federally listed as endangered), spring-run (State and federally listed as threatened), late fall-run and fall-run, as well as steelhead trout (federally listed as threatened). The near real-time information RST monitoring data provides on emigration timing and relative abundance for protected runs of juvenile Chinook salmon and steelhead improves the ability for resource agencies and water managers to implement protective measures that help them navigate through the maze of waterways in the Delta. By utilizing emigration data in adaptive management, reservoir releases, export rates, water transfers, and Delta Cross Channel Gate operations can be modified to minimize the risk of predation, entrainment, and take, thereby maximizing juvenile salmonid survival through the Delta. The primary goals of the Knights Landing Monitoring Program are to (1) Provide early warning of listed salmonids emigrating toward the Delta, (2) Document passage of emigrating salmonids including timing, relative abundance, and environmental conditions, (3) Develop passage estimates of salmonids emigrating through the lower Sacramento River above the Delta, and (4) Develop a long-term dataset on juvenile salmonid emigration to compare changes over time. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) issued ITP 2081-2019-066-00 to D
FAO and SAGARPA. (2012). Baseline of the Natural Resources Sustainability Program. Sustainable Land Use Subindex - Calculation Methodology. Mexico City (53 pp.) (FAO y SAGARPA. (2012). Línea de Base del Programa de Sustentabilidad de los Recursos Naturales. Subíndice de Uso Sustentable del Suelo - Metodología de Cálculo (53 pág.). Ciudad de México)
The lack of soil data is a complication that most soil scientists will encounter throughout their career; this critical aspect is exacerbated due to the excessive cost of soil surveying. Consequently, it is essential to develop strategies that guarantee the permanent accessibility of past soil sampling efforts. The main objective of this contribution is to release an entire dataset of soil samples surveyed by the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries, and Food (SAGARPA) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in the year 2012, the dataset consists of more that 4000 compound samples surveyed on managed cropland. SAGARPAS's main objective was to generate a new index to assess and monitor the current and future state of soil when sustainable soil practices take place. A complete set of physicochemical properties were determined via laboratory analysis for all record in the dataset, namely: pH, EC, OM, BD, P, Sand, Silt, Clay, Texture, N, K, Ca, Mg, Na, CEC, Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Exchangeable Sodium Percentage (ESP), including the calculation of the Sustainable Soil Land Use Subindex (SSLUS). We presented a reviewed dataset with the potential to contribute to a large variety of studies, ranging from: agricultural pinpointing of the best conditions for crop production to digital soil mapping and modeling and agronomical studies. We also provide the original report on the developement of the dataset, indicating the names of creators and colaborators, as well as the methods of analysis and interpretation of the results. The new information is appealing for a wide diversity of users interested in soil traits across agricultural systems of Mexico.
Soil Properties in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1995-1998
Soil properties and processes were evaluated on three types of colonial agricultural land-use - plowing, pasturing, and selective tree removal in a woodlot that ceased in the mid to late 1800s. Plowing, the most intensive type of agricultural disturbance, mixes soil to a depth of approximately 15cm, homogenizing the soil resources and likely reducing diversity in microenvironments. Removing trees and replacing them with grasses for pasture decreases the organic matter amount and types of inputs to the system, decreasing resource diversity. Woodlots, altered by selective and chronic tree removal, would have more limited decreases in resources and microenvironments. This study defines forest soil legacies using data from plots located at Harvard Forest in both amounts of soil resources and spatial heterogeneity of those soil resources. We found that for several soil parameters measured on previously cultivated and preciously pastured lands at the Harvard Forest, a legacy exists in the mineral soil, but the forest floor appears to have largely recovered from the agricultural disturbance. Parameters examined included soil mass, bulk density, organic matter content, pH, C, N, nitrogen mineralization and nitrification, Ca, Mg, K, and P.
Soil Respiration in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1997
Soil properties and processes were evaluated on three types of colonial agricultural land-use - plowing, pasturing, and selective tree removal in a woodlot that ceased in the mid to late 1800s. Plowing, the most intensive type of agricultural disturbance, mixes soil to a depth of approximately 15cm, homogenizing the soil resources and likely reducing diversity in microenvironments. Removing trees and replacing them with grasses for pasture decreases the organic matter amount and types of inputs to the system, decreasing resource diversity. Woodlots, altered by selective and chronic tree removal, would have more limited decreases in resources and microenvironments. This study examined soil surface (at 10cm above the soil surface) CO2 concentrations and soil respiration at the land use sites. Soil respiration and surface CO2 concentrations were highest in the woodlot sites and lowest in the formerly plowed sites.
Impacts of Land Use on Japanese Barberry Invasion in Central Massachusetts 2005
Despite the recognized importance of historical factors in controlling many native species distributions, few studies have incorporated historical landscape changes into models of invasive species distribution and abundance. We explore the possibility that the current distribution of invasive species may reflect legacies of historical land use despite nearly a century of forest succession and subsequent disturbances. We evaluated the modern distribution and abundance of Berberis thunbergii DC. (Japanese barberry), a problematic non-native shrub in forests of the northeastern U.S., relative to two distinct periods of historical land use, modern forest harvesting activity, and environmental and edaphic characteristics. Species questions addressed in this study include: (1) Do patterns of historical land use influence modern barberry distribution and abundance? (2) What is the influence of disturbance type and timing relative to the timing of introduction on current barberry distribution and abundance? (3) Which disturbance, environmental and edaphic variables best predict modern barberry distribution and abundance? Japanese barberry occurred more frequently and was more abundant in sites historically cleared for agriculture than in historically wooded sites. This relationship was strongest for areas in agriculture in the early 20th century after barberry was introduced to the region. The strong relationship between modern distribution patterns and prior land use suggests historical colonization of abandoned agricultural lands and persistence through subsequent reforestation. Contrary to our expectations, recent forest harvesting did not influence the occurrence or abundance of barberry. Our results indicate that interpretations of both native community composition and modern plant invasions must consider the importance of historical landscape changes and the timing of species introduction along with current environmental and edaphic conditions.
Land-Use Impacts on Ecosystem Services Provisioning in Massachusetts 2001-2011
Meeting fundamental human needs while also maintaining ecosystem function and services is the central challenge of sustainability science. In the densely populated state of Massachusetts, USA, abundant forests and other natural land cover convey a range of ecosystem services. However, after more than a century of reforestation following an agrarian past, Massachusetts is again losing forests, this time to housing and commercial development. We used land-cover maps, ecosystem process models, and land-use data bases to map changes (2001, 2006, 2011) in eight ecosystem service variables and to identify “hotspots,” or areas that produce a high value of five or more services, at three policy-relevant spatial scales. Water-related services (clean water provisioning and flood regulation) experienced local declines in response to shifting land uses, but changed little when measured at the state-level. General habitat quality for terrestrial species declined state-wide during the study period as a consequence of forest loss. In contrast, climate regulation (carbon storage) and cultural services (outdoor recreation) increased, driven by continued forest biomass accrual and land protection, respectively. Timber harvest volume had high inter-annual variability, but no temporal trend. The scale at which hotspots are delineated greatly affects their quantity and spatial configuration, with a higher density in eastern Massachusetts and 10–12% more hotspots overall when they are identified at a town scale as compared to a watershed or state scale. Ecosystem service hotspots cover a small percentage of land area in Massachusetts (2.5–3.5% of the state), but are becoming more abundant as urbanization concentrates ecosystem service provisioning onto a diminished natural land base. This suggests that while ecosystem service hotspots are valuable targets for conservation, more are not necessarily better since hotspot proliferation can reflect the bifurcation of the landscape into servic
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.