Study Number: 

1029

Project Title:

Canopy gradient frass.

Investigator(s):

Barbara C. Reynolds  E-Mail | Tel. 706.542.1837 Biographical Sketch
 Mark D. Hunter  Biographical Sketch  (Retired)
Affiliated Institution(s): University of North Carolina - Asheville (Reynolds)
University of Georgia (Hunter)
Address: Department of Environmental Studies
University of North Carolina - Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina 28804 USA

Institute of Ecology
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia 30602  USA
Study Category: Terrestrial
Project Type: Coweeta Core Research
Study Period:

05/1996 - 09/1998
Data Type:

Type 1
Funding Source(s):

National Science Foundation, DEB-9632854 (Text Version) and DEB-0218001 (Text Version) to Coweeta LTER.
Abstract: Insect frass was collected for more than two years along an elevation gradient at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory.


 Resources for students about terms used in this study:
Canopy Herbivory - Source: Coweeta LTER
Frass Experiments in Costa Rica - Source: Polytech High School
Location(s), Described: Watershed 18, Canopy site 218; Watershed 27, Canopy sites 427 and 527 (photographs)).

See Project Summary Sheet 1048 and Terrestrial Gradient Sites: Characteristics (photographs) for detailed information about plot locations and physical descriptions, respectively.
Location(s), Download GPS: ArcView Shape Files (shp.):  UTM, NAD83, Zone 17 | Lat/Lon
Location(s), Online Map(s): USGS Topographic-based Maps of Research Sites
(Printable for fieldwork)
Methods/Experimental Design: Insect frass was collected in 20 small laundry baskets, lined with plastic bags, at 2 of the 3 canopy gradient sites. Frass collections were returned to the lab, where they were refrigerated until they could be sorted. Frass was sorted to separate it from leaves and other material which fell from the canopy. Sorted frass was dried at 60 degrees Celsius and weighed on a Mettler Analytical Balance.
Sampling Frequency: Frass was collected weekly during the growing season, for a 24 hour period, when it did not rain.
Data Columns: year - Year
site - Site number (see Locations, Described above)
month/day - Month and day
plot - Plot number
% Total N - Total percentage of nitrogen in insect frass
% Total C - Total percentage of carbon in insect frass
C/N - Ratio of carbon to nitrogen in insect frass
x %N/site - Average percentage of nitrogen per site
x %C/site - Average percentage of carbon per site
x C/N/site - Average ratio of carbon to nitrogen per site
Publications:

Hunter, Mark D., Catherine R. Linnen, and Barbara C. Reynolds. 2003. Effects of endemic densities of canopy herbivores on nutrient dynamics along a gradient in elevation in the southern Appalachians. Pedobiologia, 47: 231-244.

Hunter, Mark D. 2001. Insect population dynamics meets ecosystem ecology: effects of herbivory on soil nutrient dynamics. Agricultural and Forest Entomology, 3: 77-84.

Reynolds, Barbara, C. and Mark Hunter. 2001. Responses of soil respiration, soil nutrients, and litter decomposition to inputs from canopy herbivores. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 33: 1641-6152.

Reynolds, Barbara, C., Mark D. Hunter, and D.A. Crossley, Jr. 2000. Effects of Canopy Herbivory On Nutrient Cycling In A Northern Hardwood Forest In Western North Carolina. Selbyana, 21(1.2): 74-78.

Additional publications and research data from investigator(s) of this study:
Reynolds - Global search
Hunter - Global search
Data Restrictions: Users must adhere to the Coweeta LTER Data Policy.
Metadata: EML Format (XML Schema) | Information about EML
Data Downloads: Microsoft® Excel (.xls)
 Text Comma Delimited (.csv)
 DBase (.dbf)