Deadwood decay and traits in the SAFE landscape

Deadwood decay and traits was measured across 20 SAFE Vegetation plots (17 existing plots and 3 new plots set up for this project). The plots form a gradient from no logging disturbance to salvage logged forest. See the 'PlotInfo' worksheet for plot descriptions. 'DeadwoodPieces_FieldData' worksheet: measurement of deadwood pieces in the forest. In the initial campaign in 2017, deadwood pieces were chosen for sampling from four decay classes, from DC_1 to DC_4 (DC_5 was not included, as it was unlikely that these pieces could have been resampled in later campaigns) and from six diameter classes of 5-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 20-40 cm, 40-70 cm, 70-110 cm and >110 cm. The aim was to sample one deadwood piece in each decay class x diameter class combination inside the plot or in the immediate vicinity, but in practice, not all combinations were found in every plot. Decay classes are based on a five-point scale following Harmon et al. (1995) Biotropica 27: DC_1 - recently dead, bark cover extensive and leaves and fine twigs present; DC_2 - some signs of decay, no leaves and few fine twigs, bark started to fall off, but wood is still firm; DC_3 - clear signs of decay, bark has started to fall off and/or sapwood is softening; DC_4 - wood is soft, typically no bark; DC_5 - wood is very soft and typically lost its shape. Each deadwood piece was given a unique tag and its lenght and diameter was measured. In addition, the penetration of the knife into the wood was measured and bark cover, moss cover, presence of fungal bodies and presence of insect holes was recorded. Soil moisture was measured near each deadwood piece. All pieces were mapped and photographed. Small samples of wood and bark were taken from each deadwood piece for deadwood trait measurements. For standing deadwood, the sampling point was 1.3 above the ground and for fallen deadwood the sampling point was determined from a random number generator, as a random proportion of the lenght of the tree, measured from the base of the deadwood. Volumetric samples were take using an increment borer or cylindrical samplign ring (for soft pieces), and small bulk samples were collected with chisel to obtain enough material for chemical analyses. The deadwood pieces were resampled in 2019, after two years of decay. In addition, the 5-10 cm diameter class pieces were resampled in 2018 after one year decay, as it was not certain how many of the small pieces could be found after two years. The dimensions and other characteristics were measured as in 2017, and new wood samples were take near the initial sampling point. 'Density_Moisture_LabData' worksheet: The samples were stored in plastic bags and transported to the field laboratory. They were stored in a vrefrigerator and processed within two days. Fresh Volume was estimated either based on geometry (diameter and lenght of the samples collected using increment borer or sampling ring) or on water displacement method. Fresh mass was recorded. Samples were dried at 50°C until constant mass and dry weight was recored. Wood moisture was estimated from the fresh and dry mass and wood density was calculated using the different volume estimates and dry weight. 'WoodChemistry_LabData' worksheet: After drying, all material from each deadwood piece was pooled for chemical analyses (2017 samples). The chemical analyses were carried out at Forest Research Centre, Sabah Forestry Department, Sepilok, Sabah, Malaysia, led by Dr. Noreen Majalap. The samples were analysed for wood pH, total phosphorus concentration, total nitrogen concentration and total carbon concentration.

Authors

• Riutta, Terhi — University of Oxford, Imperial College London
• Ewers, Robert M — Imperial College London
• Malhi, Yadvinder — University of Oxford
• Majalap, Noreen — Sabah Forestry Department, Forest Research Centre
• Cornelissen, Hans — Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
• Robert, Roland — Sabah Forestry Department, Forest Research Centre

Keywords

• Deadwood
• Decay
• Deadwood traits
• Coarse woody debris
• SAFE project
• Soil moisture
• Wood density
• Decay class
• Nitrogen
• Phophorus
• Carbon

Funders

• NERC (NE/P002218/1)
• Sime Darby Foundation (SAFE Core data)

Permits

• Research — Sabah Biodiversity Council (JKM/MBS.1000-2/2 JLD.10 (104))

Worksheets

Files

• SAFE_WoodDecomposition_Data_SAFEdatabase_2021-06-04.xlsx

Taxa

0 GBIF taxa, 0 sequence-derived taxa.