DOI: 10.5061/dryad.9p8cz8wr4
title: Data from: Can faster growth compensate for increased mortality in subtropical dry forest fragments?

description: Capturing the effects of fragmentation and ongoing changing climate on the
 population dynamics of long-lived trees requires long-term datasets, but
 these are uncommon in rainforests and dry forests outside of the tropics.
 This study capitalised on nine 0.04-ha permanent plots established in 1982
 within corridors of old-growth subtropical dry forest (Araucarian vine
 forest) retained as fire breaks within forestry plantations in Imbil
 (southern Queensland, Australia). Tree diameter growth and survival were
 censused in 1997 and 2021, resulting in two monitoring periods. The most
 recent period was associated with an increasing trend in vapour-pressure
 deficit (VPD). Consistent with this trend, we found that survival was
 substantially lower across all size classes in the second period.
 Mortality-induced reductions in stem density were associated with faster
 growth rates in all but the largest stems in the second period. Growth was
 also moderately faster in plots near forest edges in the second
 period.  The richness of obligate understory species declined
 significantly by an average of 1.44 species over the 40-year study period.
 Synthesis and applications: Overall, our results are consistent with
 increasing tree mortality rates reported recently for the Australian wet
 tropics and suggest widespread and alarming impacts of increasing VPD on
 rainforest and dry forest community dynamics. To increase forest
 resilience in a changing climate, we recommend the retention of a buffer
 of plantation trees adjacent to old growth forest corridors; widening the
 forest corridors using faster-growing species identified in this study and
 maintaining connections between scrub breaks and larger tracts of forest
 for species dispersal.
description: No data processing was undertaken other than the tidying and
 wrangling undertaken in the R scripts.
description: # Data from: Can faster growth compensate for increased mortality in
 subtropical dry forest fragments? Date created: 2 May 2024 Authors:
 Vanessa Moscato, William J. F. McDonald, Birte Balle-Hosking, and John M.
 Dwyer ### Instructions to run the "Imbil\_R\_Project\_Final" R
 Project: Download all data files outlined below and save them in the
 "Data" subfolder in "Imbil_R_Project_Final". Then open
 the R Project in RStudio and run "Imbil_analysis_script.R" to
 reproduce all analyses, figures, and tables. ## Data description
 **"Imbil_plot_scale_data.csv"**: Plot-scale data for the nine
 plots * plot_name: name of plot in the format of original logging area
 number, plot number, and logging area name. * plot: name of plot as used
 in the R script and manuscript. Values include "ARAUCARIA1",
 "DERRIER1", "DWYER1", "FRASER1",
 "FRASER2", "FRASER3", "MITCHELL1",
 "WESTERN1", "YABBA1". * latitude: latitude (decimal
 degrees) * longitude: longitude (decimal degrees) * width_of_break_m:
 width of scrub break where plot was located (measured in m using GIS) *
 dist_to_edge_m: smallest distance from the plot to the edge of the scrub
 break (measured in m using GIS) * altitude_m: altitude (m above sea level)
 * slope_deg: slope of the plot in degrees * aspect: categorical
 classification of aspect. Values include "North",
 "South", "West", "Northeast",
 "Southeast". **"species_height.csv"** * species_code:
 species codes used in the R script (revised to include occasional
 corrected identificaitons during the 2021 survey) * scientific_name:
 scientific name (not used) * potential_height: species maximum heights (m)
 as per Harden, McDonald and Williams (2006) Harden, McDonald and Williams,
 2006. Rainforest trees and shrubs: A field guide to their identification.
 Casino, Australia: Gwen Harden Publishing.
 **"species_names.csv"** * species_code: species codes used in
 the R script (revised to include occasional corrected identifications
 during the 2021 survey) * Lf: life form code. 1 = tree, 2 = liana, 3 =
 understory fern, grass or herb and 4 = epiphyte * scientific_name:
 scientific name including var. and subsp. * scientific_name_simple:
 scientific name excluding var. and subsp. * family: taxonomic family *
 notes: clarifying comments about species names
 **"month_vpd.nc"**: Network Common Data Form (NC) format file
 including monthly vapour pressure deficit data. Metadata for this specific
 file are provided in "month_vpd_metadata.txt" Michael
 Hutchinson, Tingbao Xu, Jennifer Kesteven, Ian Marang, Bradley Evans.
 Monthly vapour pressure deficit for the Australian continent from 1960 to
 present, on the ANUClimate 0.01 x 0.01 degree grid. Date accessed
 15/05/2022, DOI: 10.25914/60a10af667bbe **"Araucaria_4_12.csv",
 "Derrier_3_8.csv", "Dwyer_5_16.csv",
 "Fraser_1_1.csv", "Fraser_1_2.csv",
 "Fraser_1_3.csv", "Mitchell_7_24.csv",
 "Western_2_4.csv", "Yabba_6_20.csv"**
 Individual-tree-level data from 1982, 1997 and 2021 in each of the nine
 plots (one csv file per plot, each with identical column headings). The
 file names follow the format of logging area name_logging area number_plot
 number (underscores as separators): In each file the variable names
 (column headings) are: * plot: Plot number (as per original plot setup by
 Bill McDonald and colleagues) (these are changed in the R script to match
 those in "Imbil_plot_scale_data.csv") * subplot: 10 x 10 m
 subplot within the 20 x 20 m plot (1-4) * tree_no: Original tree numbers
 ascribed in 1981 and 1997. New trees in 2021 were ascribed a value of
 "new". * e_w: Stem mapping coordinate (east-west) * n_s: Stem
 mapping coordinate (north-south) * species_code: Species code based on
 1981 and 1997 data * species_code_1: Revised species codes including
 occasional corrected identifications during the 2021 survey * dbh_82: Stem
 diameter at breast height (DBH; cm) when originally mapped in 1982 *
 dbh_97: Stem DBH (cm) in 1997 * alive_82_97: Binary variable indicating
 species that survived from 1982 to 1997 (1) and those that did not (0) *
 dbh_21_1: DBH (cm) of single-stemmed individuals in 2021, or DBH of the
 first measured stem in multi-stemmed individuals in 2021 * dbh_21_2: DBH
 (cm) of the second measured stem in multi-stemmed individuals in 2021 *
 dbh_21_3: DBH (cm) of the third measured stem in multi-stemmed individuals
 in 2021 * dbh_21_4: DBH (cm) of the fourth measured stem in multi-stemmed
 individuals in 2021 * dbh_21_5: DBH (cm) of the fifth measured stem in
 multi-stemmed individuals in 2021 * alive_97_21: Binary variable
 indicating species that survived from 1997 to 2021 (1) and those that did
 not (0) * notes_97: Notes regarding the individual in 1997 * notes_21:
 Notes regarding the individual in 2021
 **"Alison_wood_density.csv"**: wood density measurements taken
 by Alison Brown (reported in Brown et al. 2022) * abbrev: eight letter
 species code used by Brown (first four letters of genus and first four
 letters of species) * individual_id: individual replicate number per
 species * fresh_vol: fresh volume of wood sample determined by water
 displacement (g) * dry_mass: dry mass of wood sample (g) * drying_temp:
 temperature (deg C) that samples were dried under (used for correction of
 WD estimates as per Brown et al. 2022) Brown, A., D. W. Butler, J.
 Radford-Smith, and J. M. Dwyer. 2022. Changes in trait covariance along an
 orographic moisture gradient reveal the relative importance of light- and
 moisture-driven trade-offs in subtropical rainforest communities. New
 Phytologist 236:839-851. **"Julian_wood_density.csv"**: wood
 density measurements taken by Julian Radford-Smith (reported in
 Radford-Smith et al. 2024) * abbrev: eight letter species code used by
 Brown (first four letters of genus and first four letters of species) *
 individual: individual replicate number per species * fresh_vol: fresh
 volume of wood sample determined by water displacement (g) * dry_mass: dry
 mass of wood sample (g) * drying_temp: temperature (deg C) that samples
 were dried under (used for correction of WD estimates as per Brown et al.
 2022) Radford-Smith, J., Cathcart-van Weeren, E., Lai, H.R. & Dwyer,
 J.M. (2023) An ecophysiological basis for the assembly of Australian
 rainforest tree communities.
 PREPRINT.[[https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-3833899/v1](https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-3833899/v1)] **"GlobalWoodDensityDatabase.csv"**: A wood density database (Zanne et al., 2009) used for one species (Micromelum minutum). * number: Wood density sample number (1:16468) * family: Family * species: Binomial species name * wd: Wood density (oven dry mass/fresh volume; g/cm^3) * region: Region where the sample was collected. Values include "Africa (extratropical)", "Africa (tropical)", "Australia", "Australia/PNG (tropical)", "Central America (tropical)", "China", "Europe", "India", "Madagascar", "Mexico", "NorthAmerica", "Oceania", "South America (extratropical)", "South America (tropical)", "South-East Asia", "South-East Asia (tropical)" * ref_num: Number of the reference that the wood density estimate was extratected from (1:205) Zanne, A.E., Lopez-Gonzalez, G., Coomes, D.A., Ilic, J., Jansen, S., Lewis, S.L., Miller, R.B., Swenson, N.G., Wiemann, M.C. & Chave, J. (2009) Global wood density database. Dryad Identifier: [http://datadryad.org/handle/10255/dryad.235](http://datadryad.org/handle/10255/dryad.235). **"Ilic_et_al_wood_density_phase_1.csv"**: A wood density database (extracted from Ilic et al., 2000) used for one species (Dissiliaria baloghioides). * ** **abbrev: eight letter species code (first four letters of genus and first four letters of species) * current.taxon: Binomial species name * basic_density: Wood density in g/cm3 This file was compiled in 2008 by John Kanowski (formerly Griffith University, now Australian Wildlife Conservancy) from data published by: Ilic, J., Boland, D., McDonald, M., Downes, D. & Blakemore, P. (2000) Woody density phase 1 - State of knowledge. Australian Greenhouse Office, Canberra.