Tree Physiology, Traits, and Aspen Population Dynamics
Integrates dendrochronology, remote sensing, and plant trait databases to investigate how climate shapes tree physiology, cytotype variation, and aspen population decline across western landscapes.
Knowledge Graph (326 nodes, 939 connections)
Research Primer
Background
Trees in the mountains of the Gunnison Basin live at the edge of what is physiologically possible. Cold winters, short growing seasons, variable snowpack, and intense summer drought all shape which species persist, how fast they grow, and when their leaves emerge and senesce. Research in this area asks how the physical traits of trees and other plants — the size, chemistry, and structure of their leaves; the density of veins carrying water through those leaves; the timing of budbreak — translate climate into growth, survival, and reproduction. Because quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) is the dominant deciduous tree across the subalpine Rockies and a foundation species for wildlife, understory plants, and watershed function, much of the work converges on aspen biology.
Several key concepts recur throughout the findings that follow. A plant trait is any measurable feature — leaf thickness, nitrogen content, vein density — that mediates how a plant interacts with its environment; large compilations such as the TRY plant trait database have made it possible to compare these features globally. The leaf venation network is the branching system of veins inside a leaf, and its density (veins per millimeter) reflects the balance between water supply and demand. Energy balance theory explains why a leaf's temperature is often different from the surrounding air: incoming sunlight, wind, transpiration, and leaf size all interact so that a leaf may be warmer or cooler than its microclimate. Closely related is the idea of context dependency — the same trait or interaction can produce different outcomes depending on local conditions.
Two concepts are especially important for aspen. First, aspen reproduces largely by clonal reproduction, sending up genetically identical stems (ramets) from a shared root system to form a clone (genet). Second, aspen exhibits cytotype variation: individual clones carry either two sets of chromosomes (diploid) or three (triploid), and these cytotypes can differ in physiology and climate tolerance. Across the West, sudden aspen decline — rapid, synchronous mortality following drought — has raised concern about the long-term persistence of this species, motivating work on aspen regeneration, establishment success, and the role of genetic variation in drought response. Remote sensing observations from aircraft and satellites now allow researchers to map traits, cytotypes, and canopy damage at landscape scales.
Foundational work
Early work in this field established how tightly tree growth in the western United States is linked to climate. Using over a thousand tree-ring chronologies, researchers showed that 20th-century tree growth in the Southwest declined as droughts, insect outbreaks, and wildfires intensified, with pinon pine, ponderosa pine, and Douglas-fir each showing distinctive vulnerabilities (Williams et al., 2010). A companion study projected that most dominant tree species across the continental US, and southwestern trees in particular, would experience reduced growth under 21st-century warming (Williams et al., 2010). In the Gunnison region, tree-ring samples from RMBL confirmed that long chronologies — some extending back to the 1400s — could be cross-dated from local Douglas-fir and limber pine (Ferguson, 2005).
Parallel foundational work on aspen challenged the assumption of range-wide decline. A historical map comparison on the Grand Mesa showed that aspen cover was actually larger in the late 20th century than in 1898, persisting widely even without fire (Kulakowski et al., 2004), a pattern echoed on the Uncompahgre Plateau (Smith & Smith, 2005). At the same time, a trait-based research program took shape: global syntheses linked plant traits more tightly to temperature than precipitation (Moles et al., 2014), mapped functional diversity along latitudinal gradients (Lamanna et al., 2014), and built the TRY database that now anchors trait research worldwide (Kattge et al., 2020).
Key findings
A central thread across the research community is that small-scale environmental variation matters as much as broad climate. In montane and alpine meadows near RMBL, both the average and the heterogeneity of temperature and soil moisture predicted trait variation, and more than half of observed trait variation occurred at sub-meter scales (Stark et al., 2017). Building on this, a long-term demographic study of an alpine plant community showed that growth, survival, fecundity, and recruitment depend on interactions among traits, microenvironment, macroenvironment, and neighboring plants — context dependency is the rule, not the exception (Blonder et al., 2018). Neighboring plants themselves modify microenvironment by buffering temperature extremes and raising soil moisture, with consequences for demographic rates (Ray et al., 2023).
A second thread links leaf structure to climate and performance. In quaking aspen, the leaf economics spectrum — the global coordination of leaf traits — emerges even within individual clones, and vein density tracks summer temperature, precipitation, and elevation (Blonder et al., 2013). Methodological advances, including X-ray imaging of leaf veins (Blonder et al., 2012), enabled community-scale vein density data that can reconstruct past growing-season temperatures and CO2 concentrations with surprising accuracy (Blonder & Enquist, 2014). Energy balance work has shown that leaves can either track air temperature or diverge from it, depending on traits such as stomatal conductance and leaf size (Michaletz et al., 2016); (Blonder & Michaletz, 2018). However, across desert, montane, and alpine sites, the traits that control leaf temperature are only weakly predicted by common functional traits or climate gradients — site environment matters more (Blonder et al., 2020).
A third thread focuses specifically on aspen demography and genetics. Near Crested Butte, live aspen density dropped 32% between 1994 and 2010 (Lindroth & Boyce, 2014), and regional work has linked decline to drought, temperature stress, and altered fire regimes (Kulakowski, 2015). Cytotype turns out to be a major axis of variation: triploid aspen have higher leaf nitrogen and canopy water content but suffer more canopy damage in hot, dry years, with 68% of damaged canopy pixels being triploid (Blonder et al., 2022). Across 503 Colorado plots, triploids experienced higher mortality on drought-prone sites, and cytotype-by-environment interactions — not environment alone — were needed to explain where aspen are dying and where they are recruiting (Blonder et al., 2021).
Current frontier
Early work in the 1990s and 2000s established climate–growth relationships and aspen distribution trends; research since 2015 has shifted toward integrating genetics, microclimate, and remote sensing at landscape scales. Airborne hyperspectral imaging can now classify aspen cytotype at 1-meter resolution across hundreds of square kilometers (Blonder et al., 2020); (Blonder et al., 2022), opening the door to mapping genetic mosaics without intensive ground sampling. Building on these maps, recent work shows that aspen phenology — when canopies green up and senesce — is shaped by snowmelt, soil moisture, and air temperature with lags of up to three years, is 31–61% heritable, and differs systematically between diploids and triploids (Blonder et al., 2023). Intraspecific trait work has also revealed that the classic leaf economics spectrum weakens within aspen, with herbivory and cytotype further reshaping trait coordination (Rieksta et al., 2025).
In alpine plant communities around RMBL, the frontier has moved toward the fine-grained consequences of plant clumping and microclimate. Spatial clumping of alpine plants can cool leaf surfaces and buffer soil-to-leaf temperature differences, though effects are species-specific (Ramsey, 2025), and clumped plants flower roughly ten days later than isolated individuals, while overall phenology on Mt. Baldy has advanced two to three weeks in a decade (Xu, 2025). Wind-driven seed dispersal studies show that vegetation structure and seed traits jointly determine where seeds are trapped and retained (Ray et al., 2026). Complementary methodological work demonstrates that high-resolution microclimate data yield meaningfully different niche estimates than coarse climate grids (Wells, 2021).
Open questions
Several important questions remain. How will the interaction between cytotype, genotype, and a warmer, drier climate reshape aspen range and clonal turnover over the coming decades, especially given apparently contradictory signals that triploids recruit well but suffer more drought damage? Can remotely sensed traits and cytotypes be combined with lagged climate predictors to forecast where aspen forests will persist, contract, or shift? How do microclimate modification, facilitation, and dispersal limitation together determine whether alpine and subalpine communities track climate change, reassemble into novel combinations, or lose species? And as phenology advances and trait relationships relax within species, how will the coupling between plants, pollinators, herbivores, and soil processes change in ways that affect ecosystem function in the Gunnison Basin?
References
Blonder, B., & Enquist, B. J. (2014). Inferring climate from angiosperm leaf venation networks. New Phytologist. →
Blonder, B., & Michaletz, S. T. (2018). A model for leaf temperature decoupling from air temperature. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. →
Blonder, B., et al. (2012). X-ray imaging of leaf venation networks. New Phytologist. →
Blonder, B., et al. (2013). Assessing the causes and scales of the leaf economics spectrum using venation networks in Populus tremuloides. Journal of Ecology. →
Blonder, B., et al. (2018). Microenvironment and functional-trait context dependence predict plant community dynamics. Journal of Ecology. →
Blonder, B., et al. (2020). Low predictability of energy balance traits and leaf temperature metrics in desert, montane and alpine plant communities. Functional Ecology. →
Blonder, B., et al. (2020). Remote sensing of ploidy level in quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.). Journal of Ecology. →
Blonder, B., et al. (2021). Cytotype and genotype predict mortality and recruitment in Colorado quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides). Ecological Applications. →
Blonder, B., et al. (2022). Remote sensing of cytotype and its consequences for canopy damage in quaking aspen. Global Change Biology. →
Blonder, B., et al. (2023). Climate lags and genetics determine phenology in quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides). New Phytologist. →
Ferguson, G. (2005). Tree-ring resources of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. →
Kattge, J., et al. (2020). TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access. Global Change Biology. →
Kulakowski, D. (2015). Altered fire regimes and the persistence of quaking aspen in the Rocky Mountains: a literature review. →
Kulakowski, D., et al. (2004). The persistence of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) in the Grand Mesa area, Colorado. Ecological Applications. →
Lamanna, C., et al. (2014). Functional trait space and the latitudinal diversity gradient. PNAS. →
Lindroth, R. L., & Boyce, M. S. (2014). Aspen (Populus tremuloides) stand dynamics and understory plant community changes over 46 years near Crested Butte, Colorado, USA. →
Michaletz, S. T., et al. (2016). The energetic and carbon economic origins of leaf thermoregulation. Nature Plants. →
Moles, A. T., et al. (2014). Which is a better predictor of plant traits: temperature or precipitation? Journal of Vegetation Science. →
Ramsey, A. (2025). Alpine plant spatial clumping modifies leaf surface temperature. →
Ray, C., et al. (2023). Linking microenvironment modification to species interactions and demography in an alpine plant community. Oikos. →
Ray, C., et al. (2026). Wind-driven seed dispersal differentially promotes seed trapping and retention across alpine plants. American Journal of Botany. →
Rieksta, J., et al. (2025). Relaxation of the leaf economics spectrum within and across quaking aspen Populus tremuloides genotypes. Oikos. →
Smith, A. E., & Smith, F. W. (2005). Twenty-year change in aspen dominance in pure aspen and mixed aspen/conifer stands on the Uncompahgre Plateau, Colorado, USA. Forest Ecology and Management. →
Stark, J., et al. (2017). Does environmental heterogeneity drive functional trait variation? A test in montane and alpine meadows. Oikos. →
Wells, E. (2021). How does incorporating microclimate data into ecological niche models change our estimates of the climatic niche of vascular plant species? →
Williams, A. P., et al. (2010). Forest responses to increasing aridity and warmth in the southwestern United States. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. →
Williams, A. P., et al. (2010). Using tree rings to predict the response of tree growth to climate change in the continental United States during the twenty-first century. Earth Interactions. →
Xu, J. (2025). Alpine plants of Mt. Baldy: modeling phenology and documenting biodiversity. →
Concept (20) →
cytotype variation
Differences in chromosome copy number among individuals, specifically diploid (two copies) versus triploid (three copies) chromosome sets
sudden aspen decline
Rapid, synchronous mortality of aspen across large areas characterized by gradual sudden aspen decline associated with recent drought and temperature ...
remote sensing observations
context dependency
Variation in the strength or direction of ecological effects depending on environmental conditions or organism characteristics
clonal reproduction
Vegetative reproduction producing genetically identical individuals, characteristic of quaking aspen forming cohesive clones with limited spatial inte...
energy balance theory
Process-based framework for understanding drivers of thermal offsets and thermal coupling strengths in leaves based on energy budget parameters
age-detrended growth
Growth measurements adjusted to remove the effect of age-dependent growth patterns, allowing isolation of environmental factors on growth
leaf venation network
The branching network of veins within a leaf that transports water and nutrients, characterized by vein density measurements
partial least squares regression
Statistical modeling approach using spectral reflectance measurements to extrapolate functional trait values
establishment success
The ability of young trees to successfully establish and survive in a given environment
Show 10 more concepts
Neutral Theory of Biodiversity
Theory asserting that plant-pollinator interactions are neutral, random processes based on species abundances without considering traits or competitiv...
cytotype
diameter at breast height
enemy release hypothesis
error model
functional divergence
plant trait database
aspen regeneration
Growth of new aspen trees through sexual reproduction (seeds) or asexual reproduction (suckering from root systems)
BSF
canopy cover effects
Influence of forest canopy openness on understory light availability and bee community composition
Protocol (31) →
Mantel test (Plantae)
Meta-analytical approach to synthesize population-level climate sensitivities across multiple species using structured population models and standardi...
ARSTAN chronology development
Wood samples are sectioned into sub-annual increments and cellulose is extracted for oxygen and carbon isotope analysis to assess seasonal water sourc...
increment core sampling
Standard increment boring technique to extract tree cores for measuring annual ring widths, then calculating basal area increment over specific time p...
partial least squares regression (PLSR) (Salicaceae)
PLSR modeling approach using leaf spectral reflectance measurements to extrapolate functional trait values from subset of direct measurements to large...
Partial Least Squares Regression
Uses hyperspectral imaging (400-1000 nm) combined with Partial Least Squares Regression to correlate spectral signatures with measured leaf traits lik...
Flow cytometry nuclear DNA content analysis (Salicaceae)
Cytotype inference using twelve multinational microsatellites with 97% correct classification for cytotype. Individual plants defined as diploid or tr...
LI-COR gas exchange measurements (Asteraceae)
Comprehensive measurement of leaf morphological, physiological, and chemical traits including stomatal conductance, leaf mass per area, nitrogen conte...
NEON AOP Airborne Remote Sensing
National Ecological Observatory Network Airborne Observation Platform flights acquiring LiDAR, imaging spectroscopy, and high-resolution camera imager...
ASD FieldSpec3 spectroradiometry
Collection of VSWIR field spectra at leaf- and mineral-levels using an Analytical Spectral Devices FieldSpec 3 spectroradiometer with contact probe an...
NEON Airborne Observation Platform (Salicaceae)
Airborne hyperspectral imaging (380-2500 nm) and LiDAR data collection at 1 m resolution, followed by machine learning algorithms to produce aspen cov...
Show 21 more protocols
Systematic grid demographic monitoring of aspen
Systematic establishment of gridded plots across watersheds followed by long-term monitoring of tagged individual trees for mortality and recruitment ...
Pika occupancy sign surveys (Mammalia)
Standardized searches for fresh pika sign including visual and auditory detection of individuals and fresh food caches (haypiles) to determine current...
line-intercept technique
Systematic point sampling along transects to quantify vegetation composition and forage quality metrics. Modified from standard methods described in W...
Hyperspectral data validation
Collection of site spectra to validate airborne hyperspectral data acquired by NEON Aerial Observation Platform.
Multi-factor abiotic site characterization
Comprehensive measurement of soil nutrients, moisture, pH, topographic aspect, and interpolated climate variables to characterize abiotic conditions a...
Palmer Drought Severity Index (Salicaceae)
Integration of gridMET temperature data, MODIS snowmelt timing, and PARFLOW-CLM soil moisture simulations to create multi-temporal environmental predi...
TRY plant trait database (Plantae)
Systematic compilation and cleaning of plant trait records from multiple databases to create a comprehensive tundra plant trait dataset. Combined TRY ...
Leaf trait measurement (Plantae)
Measurement of leaf traits including nitrogen concentration, phosphorus concentration, specific leaf area, and tensile strength in African woody speci...
vegetation sampling with digital forms
Field observations of vegetation samples collected using tablet computers and digital forms targeting different vegetation types.
UAV multispectral canopy imaging
Unmanned aerial vehicle flights with multispectral camera to capture georeferenced imagery of forest canopy in five spectral bands, with radiometric c...
Leaf clearing and vein density microscopy
A standardized protocol for preparing plant leaves through chemical clearing and measuring vein density using microscopy and stochastic line-intersect...
Contact probe measurements
Endmember spectral measurements using contact probe attachment with internal bulb illumination for close-contact surface measurements.
G-matrix analysis (Plantae)
Compilation and analysis of published plant population divergence data paired with evolvability estimates to test macroevolutionary predictions. Uses ...
Leaf thermal response characterization from field observations
Field measurement of leaf temperature and air temperature relationships across multiple species and ecosystems to characterize thermal response slopes...
ImageJ ellipsis tool analysis
Photographic analysis using ImageJ software with ellipsis tool to quantify percent vegetation coverage around each sampling point as a fraction of tot...
Flow cytometry (Plantae)
Laboratory technique to determine ploidy level, validated against Hordeum vulgare standards.
SNP genotyping (Plantae)
Genotyping using a panel of 384 candidate-gene single nucleotide polymorphisms putatively associated with adaptive traits.
standardised experimental burns
Standardised experimental burns on three types of leaf material (fresh, dried and senesced) to measure flammability parameters.
nested cross-validation
Statistical validation approach for model selection and parameter optimization to ensure robust performance.
CRU TS3.1 climate dataset processing (Plantae)
Processing of gridded climate data from the CRU TS3.1 dataset with lapse rate adjustment for elevation differences between grid cells and actual study...
Elemental analysis by combustion
Laboratory analysis of plant samples for nitrogen content using elemental CHNSO analyzer and water content determination through oven-drying weight lo...
Stakeholder (1)
San Juan National Forest
Publication (48) →
TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access
Spatial patterns and climate relationships of major plant traits in the New World differ between woody and herbaceous species
Scaling from traits to ecosystems: Developing a general trait driver theory via integrating trait-based and metabolic scaling theories
Differences in Evolutionary History and Ploidy Type Shape the Interactions of <i>Populus tremuloides</i> Michx. with Climate
Disintegration of the leaf economic spectrum within and across Quaking aspen (<i>Populus tremuloides</i>) genotypes
Which is a better predictor of plant traits: temperature or precipitation?
Effects of microclimate, dispersal, species interactions, and environmental stochasticity on demography
Microenvironment and functional-trait context dependence predict plant community dynamics
Cytotype and genotype predict mortality and recruitment in Colorado quaking aspen (<i> Populus tremuloides </i>)
Remote sensing of cytotype and its consequences for canopy damage in quaking aspen
Show 38 more publications
Relaxation of the leaf economics spectrum within and across quaking aspen Populus tremuloides genotypes
Remote sensing of ploidy level in quaking aspen (<i>Populus tremuloides</i> Michx.)
Climate lags and genetics determine phenology in quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)
Does environmental heterogeneity drive functional trait variation? A test in montane and alpine meadows
Linking microenvironment modification to species interactions and demography in an alpine plant community
Assessing the causes and scales of the leaf economics spectrum using venation networks in <i>Populus tremuloides</i>
Forest responses to increasing aridity and warmth in the southwestern United States
Functional trait space and the latitudinal diversity gradient
Low predictability of energy balance traits and leaf temperature metrics in desert, montane and alpine plant communities
Aspen (<i>Populus tremuloides</i>) stand dynamics and understory plant community changes over 46 years near Crested Butte, Colorado, USA
Alpine plants of Mt. Baldy: modeling phenology and documenting biodiversity
Determinants of pika population density vs. occupancy in the Southern Rocky Mountains
Using tree rings to predict the response of tree growth to climate change in the continental United States during the twenty-first century
Wind-driven seed dispersal differentially promotes seed trapping and retention across alpine plants
On the generality of a climate-mediated shift in the distribution of the American pika (<i>Ochotona princeps</i>)
Inferring climate from angiosperm leaf venation networks
Effects of Microclimate on the regeneration of Quaking Aspens, <i>Populus tremuloides</i>
Alpine plant spatial clumping modifies leaf surface temperature
The effect of cytotype on radial growth rate in quaking aspen (<i> Populus tremuloides </i>) across environmental gradients
Effects of Light Availability on Aspen Understory Species
Does the seedbank reflect the composition of the metacommunity for alpine plants?
Patterns of selective caching behavior of a generalist herbivore, the American Pika (<i>Ochotona princeps</i>)
A model for leaf temperature decoupling from air temperature
How does incorporating microclimate data into ecological niche models change our estimates of the climatic niche of vascular plant species?
Ecology of aspen in Gunnison County, Colorado
The energetic and carbon economic origins of leaf thermoregulation
How an environment's moisture heterogeneity affects a community's traits
Factors Influencing Ungulate Barking Patterns of <i>Populus tremuloides</i>
Potential Effect of Nutrient on Native/Invasive Plants in Disturbed Road-cuts.
Tree-Ring Resources of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory
The Effects of Declining Aspen Forest Health on Rocky Mountain Birds
Remote sensing strategies for surface mineral and contaminant detection
Altered Fire Regimes and the Persistence of Quaking Aspen in the Rocky Mountains: A Literature Review
Populations of aspen (<i>Populus tremuloides</i> Michx.) with different evolutionary histories differ in their climate occupancy
THE PERSISTENCE OF QUAKING ASPEN (POPULUS TREMULOIDES) IN THE GRAND MESA AREA, COLORADO
What abiotic and biotic factors predict the shapes of plant diversity-productivity relationships?
X-ray imaging of leaf venation networks
Twenty-year change in aspen dominance in pure aspen and mixed aspen/conifer stands on the Uncompahgre Plateau, Colorado, USA
Dataset (88) →
Cytotype and genotype predict mortality and recruitment in Colorado quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)
Species responses to climate change depend on environment, genetics, and interactions among these factors. Intraspecific cytotype (ploidy level) varia...
CHESS 2025: Field-collected vegetation attributes and site photos
This dataset represents field observations of vegetation samples collected as part of the Colorado Headwaters Ecological Spectroscopy Study (CHESS) du...
Spectral data for quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) clones of different ploidy levels
Data comprise measurements of spectral reflectance for quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) trees at a range of sites in southwestern Colorado n...
Appendix 1 (GRI)
Kriged maps of microenvironment variables in global coordinates (Arc Grid format).
Appendix 4 (CSV)
Complete census data in all plots for years 2014-2017, transformed into format suitable for demographic regression (CSV format with text metadata).
Appendix 2 (CSV)
Functional trait values (means and standard deviations) for species occurring in the plots (CSV format with text metadata).
CHESS 2025: Location data for field observations and sampling
This dataset represents geolocation data associated with field observations and sampling from the Colorado Headwaters Ecological Spectroscopy Study (C...
Appendix 1 (GRD)
Kriged maps of microenvironment variables in global coordinates (Arc Grid format).
Appendix 1 Metadata (CSV)
Appendix 2 Metadata (CSV)
Show 78 more datasets
Appendix 3 Metadata (CSV)
Appendix 3 (CSV)
Complete plant census data in all plots for years 2014-2017, transformed into format suitable for spatial analyses (CSV format with text metadata).
Appendix 4 Metadata (CSV)
Data from: Microenvironment and functional-trait context dependence predict alpine plant community dynamics
Predicting the structure and dynamics of communities is difficult. Approaches linking functional traits to niche boundaries, species co‐occurrence and...
Data from: Three keys to the radiation of angiosperms into freezing environments
Leaf trait data
Leaf wet weight (g), dry weight (g) and area (square cm) used to calculate leaf traits.
Data from: Burn or rot: leaf traits explain why flammability and decomposability are decoupled across species
In fire-prone ecosystems, two important alternative fates for leaves are burning in a wildfire (when alive or as litter) or they get consumed (as litt...
Data from: Size-related scaling of tree form and function in a mixed-age forest
Many morphological, physiological and ecological traits of trees scale with diameter, shaping the structure and function of forest ecosystems. Underst...
Plant census and microenvironment dataset from Mt. Baldy, Colorado, USA, 2014-2017
The data comprise a long-term study of alpine plant community dynamics in the Gunnison National Forest of Colorado. The data comprise annual census da...
Low predictability of energy balance traits and leaf temperature metrics in desert, montane, and alpine plant communities
Leaf energy balance may influence plant performance and community composition. While biophysical theory can link leaf energy balance to many traits an...
Site and endmember spectra of terrestrial vegetation and soils for the Colorado Headwaters Ecological Spectroscopy Study, June-July 2025
This dataset provides site and endmember spectra collected during the 2025 Colorado Headwaters Ecological Spectroscopy Study (CHESS) campaign. The sit...
Data from: Environmental controls on canopy foliar N distributions in a neotropical lowland forest
Distributions of foliar nutrients across forest canopies can give insight into their plant functional diversity and improve our understanding of bioge...
Plant height and species information
Soil moisure values
Data from: Linking microenvironment modification to species interactions and demography in an alpine plant community
Individual plants can modify the microenvironment within their spatial neighborhood. However, the consequences of microenvironment modification for ...
Data from: Globally, functional traits are weak predictors of juvenile tree growth, and we do not know why
1. Plant functional traits, in particular specific leaf area (SLA), wood density and seed mass, are often good predictors of individual tree growth ra...
Foliar element determination from field survey in association with an Analytical Spectral Device Fieldspec3 survey, East River, CO 2023
Foliar elements were determined for samples collected in the field during a 2023 survey in Gunnison County, CO that also included paired data collecti...
Data from: Species-specific responses of foliar nutrients to long-term nitrogen and phosphorus additions in a lowland tropical forest
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Old-growth temperate rainforests are, per unit area, the largest and most long-lived stores of carbon in the terrestrial biosphere, but their carbon d...
Data from: Accuracy of genomic selection models in a large population of open-pollinated families in white spruce
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Temperature data
Half-hour resolution temperature data (degrees C) collected by iButtons
Data from: Evidence of local adaptation to fine- and coarse-grained environmental variability in Poa alpina in the Swiss Alps
In the alpine landscape, characterized by high spatiotemporal heterogeneity and barriers, divergent selection is likely to lead to local adaptation of...
Data from: Genomic and phenotypic architecture of a spruce hybrid zone (Picea sitchensis x P. glauca)
Interspecific hybridization may enhance the capacity of populations to adapt to changing environments, and has practical implications for reforestatio...
Aspen ploidy level and cover maps from NEON Airborne Observation Platform, 2018, Crested Butte, Colorado
Maps of aspen ploidy (diploid or triploid) developed using National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Airborne Observation Platform visible to sho...
Data from: Leaf traits of African woody savanna species across climate and soil fertility gradients: evidence for conservative vs. acquisitive resource use strategies
1. Establishing trade-offs among traits and the degree to which they co-vary along environmental gradients has become a key focal point in the effort ...
Data from: Relative impacts of environmental variation and evolutionary history on the nestedness and modularity of tree-herbivore networks.
Nestedness and modularity are measures of ecological networks whose causative effects are little understood. We analyzed antagonistic plant–herbivore ...
Data from: Tropical trees in a wind-exposed island ecosystem: height-diameter allometry and size at onset of maturity
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Data from: Pinus ponderosa alters nitrogen dynamics and diminishes the climate footprint in natural ecosystems of Patagonia
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Data from: The mechanical defence advantage of small seeds
Seed size and toughness affect seed predators, and size-dependent investment in mechanical defence could affect relationships between seed size and pr...
Data from: Plasticity in plant functional traits is shaped by variability in neighbourhood species composition
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Analytical Spectral Device Fieldspec3 foliar and soil reflectance survey, East River, CO 2023
Foliar and soil spectra colleted during a 2023 metal hotspot survey in Gunnison County, CO.
Data from: Functional traits in parallel evolutionary radiations and trait-environment associations in the Cape Floristic region of South Africa
Data from: Determinants of flammability in savanna grass species
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Data from: Trait-mediated community assembly: distinguishing the signatures of biotic and abiotic filters
Conflicting hypotheses predict how traits mediate species establishment and community assembly. Traits of newly establishing individuals are predicted...
Site and endmember spectra of terrestrial vegetation and soils for the Colorado Headwaters Ecological Spectroscopy Study, June-July 2025
This dataset provides site and endmember spectra collected during the 2025 Colorado Headwaters Ecological Spectroscopy Study (CHESS) campaign. The sit...
Site and endmember spectra of terrestrial vegetation and soils for the Colorado Headwaters Ecological Spectroscopy Study, June-July 2025
This dataset provides site and endmember spectra collected during the 2025 Colorado Headwaters Ecological Spectroscopy Study (CHESS) campaign. The sit...
Data from: Carbon content of tree tissues: a synthesis
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Many invasive species can respond opportunistically to favorable growing conditions. In a previous work, we found that invasive species in the family ...
Does environmental heterogeneity drive functional trait variation? A test in montane and alpine meadows
While community-weighted means of plant traits have been linked to mean environmental conditions at large scales, the drivers of trait variation withi...
Data from: Growth and carbon relations of mature Picea abies trees under 5 years of free-air CO2 enrichment
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Data from: Evolutionary radiations of Proteaceae are triggered by the interaction between traits and climates in open habitats
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Data from: Seed size predicts community composition and carbon storage potential of tree communities in rainforest fragments in India’s Western Ghats
Fragmentation is ubiquitous across tropical forests and drives marked shifts in tree community composition by differentially affecting species’ disper...
Data from: Are leaf functional traits “invariant” with plant size, and what is “invariance” anyway?
Studies of size-related plant traits have established a suite of mathematical functions describing whole plant investment and allocation. In parallel,...
Data from: Interspecific functional convergence and divergence and intraspecific negative density dependence underlie the seed-to-seedling transition in tropical trees
The seed-to-seedling transition constitutes a critical bottleneck in the life history of plants and represents a major determinant of species composit...
Data from: Relationships between resprouting ability, species traits, and resource allocation patterns in woody species in a temperate forest
Many woody plants resprout to restore above-ground biomass after disturbances or to survive in stressful environments. Resprouting requires carbohydra...
Data from: Transgenes for insect resistance reduce herbivory and enhance fecundity in advanced generations of crop-weed hybrids of rice
Gene flow from transgenic crops allows novel traits to spread to sexually compatible weeds. Traits such as resistance to insects may enhance the fitne...
Data from: Closing a gap in tropical forest biomass estimation: taking crown mass variation into account in pantropical allometries
Accurately monitoring tropical forest carbon stocks is an outstanding challenge. Allometric models that consider tree diameter, height and wood densit...
Data from: Evolution of the leaf economics spectrum in herbs: evidence from environmental divergences in leaf physiology across Helianthus (Asteraceae)
The leaf economics spectrum (LES) describes a major axis of plant functional trait variation worldwide, defining suites of leaf traits aligned with re...
Data from: Deciphering the adjustment between environment and life history in annuals: lessons from a geographically-explicit approach in Arabidopsis thaliana
The role that different life-history traits may have in the process of adaptation caused by divergent selection can be assessed by using extensive col...
Data from: Vegetation as self-adaptive coastal protection: reduction of current velocity and morphologic plasticity of a brackish marsh pioneer
By reducing current velocity, tidal marsh vegetation can diminish storm surges and storm waves. Conversely, currents often exert high mechanical stres...
Data from: Genome-wide scans reveal cryptic population structure in a dry-adapted eucalypt
Genome-wide DArTseq scans of 268 individuals of Eucalyptus salubris, distributed along an aridity gradient in southwestern Australia, revealed cryptic...
NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - Woodhouse and Lukas 2004 TreeFlow Colorado Streamflow Reconstructions
This archived Paleoclimatology Study is available from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), under the World Data Service (W...
bblonder/aspen_neon: Code supporting Blonder et al., "Remote sensing of cytotype and its consequences for canopy damage in quaking aspen"
No description provided.
Data from: Shifts and disruptions in resource-use trait syndromes during the evolution of herbaceous crops
Trait-based ecology predicts that evolution in high-resource agricultural environments should select for suites of traits that enable fast resource ac...
Data from: Radial changes in wood specific gravity of tropical trees: inter- and intra-specific variation during secondary succession
Variation in wood specific gravity (WSG) within and across species of tropical trees is poorly studied in relation to vegetation change during tropica...
Data from: Modeling intraspecific adaptation of Abies sachalinensis to local altitude and responses to global warming, based on a 36-year reciprocal transplant experiment
Intraspecific adaptation in Abies sachalinensis was examined using models based on long-term monitoring data gathered during a reciprocal transplant e...
Data from: Does one model fit all? patterns of beech mortality in natural forests of three European regions
Large uncertainties characterize forest development under global climate change. Although recent studies have found widespread increased tree mortalit...
Fruit/seed traits and phenology of trees in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar
This dataset contains information on fruit/seed traits of plants in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar as well as a summary of their fruiting phenol...
Data from: High genetic variation and moderate to high values for genetic parameters of Picea abies resistance to Pissodes strobi
Genetic parameters of Picea abies resistance to the white pine weevil (Pissodes strobi Peck) were estimated from 193 full-sib and 166 half-sib familie...
Data from: Effects of soil resources on expression of a sexual conflict over timing of stigma receptivity in a mixed-mating plant
While environmental factors strongly influence plant growth and reproduction, less is known about environmental effects on sexual selection and sexual...
Data from: Evidence for enemy release and increased seed production and size for two invasive Australian acacias
Invasive plants are hypothesized to have higher fitness in introduced areas due to their release from pathogens and herbivores and the relocation of r...
NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - Woodhouse and Lukas 2004 TreeFlow Colorado Streamflow Reconstructions
This archived Paleoclimatology Study is available from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), under the World Data Service (W...
Data from: Effects of tree architecture on pollen dispersal and mating patterns in Abies pinsapo Boiss. (Pinaceae)
Plant architecture is crucial to pollination and mating in wind pollinated species. We investigate the effect of crown architecture on pollen dispersa...
Data from: Systematics of the lizard family Pygopodidae with implications for the diversification of Australian temperate biotas
We conducted a phylogenetic study of pygopodid lizards, a group of 38 species endemic to Australia and New Guinea, with two major goals:to reconstruct...
Data from: Genetic parameters in subtropical pine F1 hybrids: heritabilities, between-trait correlations and genotype-by-environment interactions
Growth and stem straightness traits of 29 Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis × Pinus tecunumanii (PCH × PTEC) and 26 P. caribaea var. hondurensis × Pinus...
Data from: Anthropogenic changes in sodium affect neural and muscle development in butterflies
The development of organisms is changing drastically because of anthropogenic changes in once-limited nutrients. Although the importance of changing m...
NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - Woodhouse - Cochetopa Dome - PIPO - ITRDB CO594
This archived Paleoclimatology Study is available from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), under the World Data Service (W...
NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - Woodhouse - Cochetopa Dome - PIPO - ITRDB CO594
This archived Paleoclimatology Study is available from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), under the World Data Service (W...
NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - Woodhouse - Cochetopa Dome - PIPO - ITRDB CO594
Tree ring data from the International Tree Ring Data Bank and World Data Center for Paleoclimatology archives. Most data sets include raw treering mea...
Data from: Networks, trees, and treeshrews: assessing support and identifying conflict with multiple loci and a problematic root
Multiple unlinked genetic loci often provide a more comprehensive picture of evolutionary history than any single gene can, but analyzing multigene da...
Data from: Modelling short-rotation coppice and tree planting for urban carbon management – a city-wide analysis
1. The capacity of urban areas to deliver provisioning ecosystem services is commonly overlooked and underutilized. Urban populations have globally in...
Data from: Evolution of specialization: a phylogenetic study of host range in the red milkweed beetle (Tetraopes tetraophthalmus)
Specialization is common in most lineages of insect herbivores, one of the most diverse groups of organisms on earth. To address how and why specializ...
Field data for the Vegetation Mapping Inventory Project of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park - Open Format Data Package
These data were converted from the originally delivered Microsoft Access PLOTs database from the Vegetation Mapping Inventory Project of Black Canyon ...
NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - Woodhouse - Cochetopa Dome - PIPO - ITRDB CO594
Tree ring data from the International Tree Ring Data Bank and World Data Center for Paleoclimatology archives. Most data sets include raw treering mea...