The International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB) revisited: Data availability and global ecological representativity
Shoudong Zhao
State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorNeil Pederson
Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts
Search for more papers by this authorLoïc D'Orangeville
Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts
Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada
Search for more papers by this authorJanneke HilleRisLambers
Biology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Search for more papers by this authorEmery Boose
Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts
Search for more papers by this authorCaterina Penone
Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Search for more papers by this authorBruce Bauer
National Centers for Environmental Information, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Asheville, North Carolina
Search for more papers by this authorYuan Jiang
State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Rubén D. Manzanedo
Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts
Biology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Correspondence
Rubén D. Manzanedo. Harvard Forest, Harvard University. 324 N Main St Petersham MA 01366.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorShoudong Zhao
State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorNeil Pederson
Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts
Search for more papers by this authorLoïc D'Orangeville
Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts
Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada
Search for more papers by this authorJanneke HilleRisLambers
Biology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Search for more papers by this authorEmery Boose
Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts
Search for more papers by this authorCaterina Penone
Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Search for more papers by this authorBruce Bauer
National Centers for Environmental Information, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Asheville, North Carolina
Search for more papers by this authorYuan Jiang
State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Rubén D. Manzanedo
Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts
Biology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Correspondence
Rubén D. Manzanedo. Harvard Forest, Harvard University. 324 N Main St Petersham MA 01366.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Aim
The International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB) is the most comprehensive database of tree growth. To evaluate its usefulness and improve its accessibility to the broad scientific community, we aimed to: (a) quantify its biases, (b) assess how well it represents global forests, (c) develop tools to identify priority areas to improve its representativity, and d) make available the corrected database.
Location
Worldwide.
Time period
Contributed datasets between 1974 and 2017.
Major taxa studied
Trees.
Methods
We identified and corrected formatting issues in all individual datasets of the ITRDB. We then calculated the representativity of the ITRDB with respect to species, spatial coverage, climatic regions, elevations, need for data update, climatic limitations on growth, vascular plant diversity, and associated animal diversity. We combined these metrics into a global Priority Sampling Index (PSI) to highlight ways to improve ITRDB representativity.
Results
Our refined dataset provides access to a network of >52 million growth data points worldwide. We found, however, that the database is dominated by trees from forests with low diversity, in semi-arid climates, coniferous species, and in western North America. Conifers represented 81% of the ITRDB and even in well-sampled areas, broadleaves were poorly represented. Our PSI stressed the need to increase the database diversity in terms of broadleaf species and identified poorly represented regions that require scientific attention. Great gains will be made by increasing research and data sharing in African, Asian, and South American forests.
Main conclusions
The extensive data and coverage of the ITRDB show great promise to address macroecological questions. To achieve this, however, we have to overcome the significant gaps in the representativity of the ITRDB. A strategic and organized group effort is required, and we hope the tools and data provided here can guide the efforts to improve this invaluable database.
Supporting Information
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