Spasojevic Ecology Lab

CRoss-site Analysis of Functional Traits for Basic Ecology and Ecosystem Restoration

 

One of my long term research goals is to develop an open access database of plant functional traits for the continental United States based on vegetation data from the LTER and CTFS networks. This initiative is ongoing and goes by the acronym CRAFT BEER 

Trait Data

01

Alpine herbaceous plant traits (CO, USA)

Data on plant height, leaf size, specific leaf area, stomatal conductance and chlorophyll content for 113 species of herbaceous plants. Seed mass and leaf C:N ratios are present for some, but not all species. Please cite Spasojevic and Suding  2012 Journal of Ecology if using this data. Also found on the TRY plant trait database http://www.try-db.org 

02

Dispersal syndromes on serpentine and non-serpentine soils (CA and OR, USA): 

Dispersal syndrome data (Ballistic, Unassisted, Wind, Tumbling, Water, Adhesize, Animal, Bird, Mammal, Ant) on 479 species found on Serpentine adn adjacent non-serpentine plant communites in California and Oregon. The data were compiled from the KEW seed information database and from the literature

03

Ozark oak-hickory forest plant traits (MO, USA):

Data on leaf size, specific leaf area, leaf water content, leaf toughness and leaf chlorophyll content on 43 species for both saplings and adults. Data were collected within the Tyson Research Center forest dynamics plot. Please cite Spasojevic, M.J. and Myers, J.A. 2015. Data from: When does intraspecific trait variation contribute to functional beta-diversity? Journal of Ecology doi:10.5061/dryad.rr4pm 

 

04

Cross LTER plant leaf traits

Data on leaf area, specific leaf area and leaf C:N:P from the species that make up the top 80% of abundance at Cedar Creek, Jasper Ridge, Sevietta, Short-Grass Steppe, Konza, Georgia Coastal Ecosystem, Kellog Biological Station, Carpenteria Salt Marsh. 

CURRENTLY LACK METADATA

05

Douglas fir-western hemlock forest plant traits (WA, USA):

Data on leaf size, specific leaf area, leaf water content, wood density and bark thickness on 22 species . Data were collected within the Wind River forest dynamics plot.

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06

Poplar-elm-ash-sycamore forest plant traits (MD, USA):

Data on leaf size, specific leaf area, leaf water content, wood density and bark thickness on 57 species . Data were collected within the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center forest dynamics plot.

DATA COMING SOON

R scripts

01

Functional alpha diveristy with null modeling

The script used to analyze data in Spasojevic and Suding 2012 Journal of ecology. It uses the FD package  to calculate multiple metrics of FD and uses the vegan package to ask if functional diversity is less than, or greater than, expected by chance.