DOI: 10.5061/dryad.2ngf1vhxb
title: <em>Betula ermanii Cham.</em> provenance trial in Japan: Survival, height, diameter, and productivity data

description: Understanding the response of Betula ermanii Cham. to climate
 change is crucial for conservation efforts. Provenance trials provide
 valuable insights into local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity, aiding
 in the maintenance of performance in boreal and alpine forest ecosystems.
 This study aimed to evaluate the impact of climate change on the
 performance of B. ermanii, and to formulate conservation strategies for
 future climates. Using survival and growth data from provenance trials, a
 performance model was developed and applied to projected climate scenarios
 obtained from WorldClim. Results indicated that the performance of all
 provenances declines under warming. Particularly, the southern-edge Kinki
 provenance struggled to survive both in situ and *ex
 situ *under climate warming. These findings emphasize the
 necessity of integrating both in situ and ex situ conservation measures
 tailored to seed source provenances. Provenance trial data provide
 valuable insights into how climatic responses affect provenances, guiding
 conservation efforts for B. ermanii in the face of changing environmental
 conditions.
description: <em>Betula ermanii</em> Cham., a wind-pollinated
 deciduous tree species, is a significant component of Japan's
 deciduous broad-leaved forests, particularly prevalent in subalpine
 regions and forest margins, where it often forms pure forests. Seeds of
 <em>B. ermanii</em> were gathered during the autumns of 2016
 and 2017 from 11 provenances across its distribution zones. These seeds
 were grown in the nursery at the University of Tokyo Hokkaido Forest
 (UTHF) in April 2018. Following two growing seasons, containerized
 saplings were planted at 11 planting sites across Japan in autumn 2019 and
 spring 2020. Each planting site received 20 seedlings per population, with
 exceptions for Akkeshi (AKS<sub>s</sub>), Goyo-San
 (GYS<sub>s</sub>), and Choukai-San
 (CKS<sub>s</sub>). This endeavor resulted in a total of 2013
 seedlings (183 seedlings × 11 planting sites). Random planting designs
 were implemented for each site to mitigate spatial autocorrelation issues.
 Survival counts, height, and diameter measurements were conducted in
 autumn from 2020 to 2023. The performance (productivity index) was
 calculated by multiplying the survival rate by the average height of each
 site. Relative differences in climatic parameters between the planting
 site and the seed source population were analyzed. To forecast future
 climate, data were obtained from the WorldClim database (Hijmans
 <em>et al</em>., 2005). The differences in climate variables
 between the provenance trials and provenances from 2011 to 2022 were
 calculated.
description: # *Betula ermanii Cham.* provenance trial in Japan: Survival, height,
 diameter, and productivity data
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2ngf1vhxb](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2ngf1vhxb) \* File name: B.ermanii_23au_data.csv, Col.Name.xlsx  \* Authors: Aye Myat Myat Paing \* Other contributors: Takaki Aihara, Yoshihiko Tsumura, Mitsuru Hirota, Toshiya Yoshida, Kousuke Homma, Hajime Kobayashi, Atsuhiro Iio, Nobuhiro Tomaru, Masahiro Takagi, Dai Nagamatsu, Ikutaro Tsuyama, Yoko Hisamoto, Haruhiko Taneda, Susumu Goto \* Date created: 2024-04-04 \* Date modified: 2025-11-11 Contact Information \------------------- \* Name: Aye Myat Myat Paing \* ORCID: [https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7104-624X](https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7104-624X) \* Institution: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo \* Address: 1-1-1 Midori-cho, Nishitokyo-shi, 188-0002 Tokyo, Japan \* Email: [ayemyatpaing95@gmail.com](mailto:paing@g.ecc.a.u-tokyo.ac.jp) Additional Dataset Metadata \=========================== Acknowledgements \---------------- \* Funding sources: JSPS-KAKENHI 21H04732 Dates and Locations \------------------- \* Dates of data collection: Data were collected in autumn 2023 \* Geographic locations of data collection: Data were collected in 11 sites in Japan (Paing et al.,2023). Methodological Information \========================== *Deciduous broad-leaved boreal species, *Betula ermanii*, inhabit natural forests in Japan's sub-alpine zones. \* Seeds were gathered from 11 seed source provenances spanning Japan. \* Seedlings were cultivated in the nursery located within the University of Tokyo Hokkaido Forest. *Between autumn 2019 and spring 2020, a total of 2013 saplings were transplanted to 11 sites throughout Japan. *Planting was executed utilizing a randomized design approach. *From autumn 2020 to 2023, assessments including survival counts, height, and diameter measurements were conducted. *Performance (Productivity Index) was calculated by multiplying the survival rate and the average height of autumn 2023. **Description of the data and file structure** DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR: raw-data [B.ermanii_23au_data.csv] Number of columns x rows: 27 x 1664 Column Name Description label: Individual label ID site: Planting site name abbreviation pop: Seed source provenance abbreviation L_planted: Height of seedling after planting (in centimeters) after planting: In increments of 0.1 centimeters. surv23au: Survival survey results for autumn 2023: Survival 1, Death 0. surv_rate: Survival rate of seedlings at each planting site as of autumn 2023 in percentage. L23au: Height (in centimeters) for autumn 2023: in increments of 0.1 centimeters. prod_i: Performance (Productivity index) for autumn 2023. d_bio1: Mean annual temperature difference between the planting site and the seed source provenance. d_bio6: Mean Daily Minimum Temperature of the Coldest Month, difference between the planting site and the seed source provenance. d_bio10: Mean Temperature of the Warmest Quarterdifference between the planting site and the seed source provenance. d_bio12: Annual Precipitation difference between the planting site and the seed source provenance. d_bio18: Precipitation during the Warmest Quarter difference between the planting site and the seed source provenance. d_bio19: Precipitation during the Coldest Quarter difference between the planting site and the seed source provenance. bio1_s: Mean annual temperature of the seed source provenance, sourced from WorldClim version 2.1 (1970-2000) at a 30-second spatial resolution. bio6_s: Mean Daily Minimum Temperature of the Coldest Month of the seed source provenance, sourced from WorldClim version 2.1 (1970-2000) at a 30-second spatial resolution. bio10_s: Mean Temperature of the Warmest Quarter of the seed source provenance, sourced from WorldClim version 2.1 (1970-2000) at a 30-second spatial resolution. bio12_s: Annual Precipitation of the seed source provenance, sourced from WorldClim version 2.1 (1970-2000) at a 30-second spatial resolution. bio18_s: Precipitation during the Warmest Quarter of the seed source provenance, sourced from WorldClim version 2.1 (1970-2000) at a 30-second spatial resolution. bio19_s: Precipitation during the Coldest Quarter of the seed source provenance, sourced from WorldClim version 2.1 (1970-2000) at a 30-second spatial resolution. bio1_p: Mean annual temperature of the planting site, sourced from WorldClim version 2.1 (1970-2000) at a 30-second spatial resolution. bio6_p: Mean Daily Minimum Temperature of the Coldest Month of the planting site, sourced from WorldClim version 2.1 (1970-2000) at a 30-second spatial resolution. bio10_p: Mean Temperature of the Warmest Quarter of the planting site, sourced from WorldClim version 2.1 (1970-2000) at a 30-second spatial resolution. bio12_p: Annual Precipitation of the planting site, sourced from WorldClim version 2.1 (1970-2000) at a 30-second spatial resolution. bio18_p: Precipitation during the Warmest Quarter of the planting site, sourced from WorldClim version 2.1 (1970-2000) at a 30-second spatial resolution. bio19_p: Precipitation during the Coldest Quarter of the planting site, sourced from WorldClim version 2.1 (1970-2000) at a 30-second spatial resolution. Number of variables:  Variable List: surv23au, surv_rate, L23au, prod_i, d_bio1, d_bio6, d_bio10, d_bio12, d_bio18, d_bio19, bio1_s, bio6_s, bio10_s, bio12_s, bio18_s, bio19_s, bio1_p, bio6_p, bio10_p, bio12_p, bio18_p, bio19_p Variable used for data analysis: prod_i, d_bio6, d_bio10, d_bio18, d_bio19 Missing data codes: NA (not available) DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR: Col.Names [Col.Name.xlsx] Number of columns x rows: 2 x 21 Colum Name Description for raw-data [B.ermanii_23au_data.csv]