Title:

30 years of litterflow biomass from the Bisley Experimental Watersheds in the Luquillo Experimental Forest

Author(s):

Rodríguez-Cardona, Bianca M.; Heartsill-Scalley, Tamara

Publication Year:

2026

How to Cite:

These data were collected using funding from the U.S. Government and can be used without additional permissions or fees. If you use these data in a publication, presentation, or other research product please use the following citation:

Rodríguez-Cardona, Bianca M.; Heartsill-Scalley, Tamara. 2026. 30 years of litterflow biomass from the Bisley Experimental Watersheds in the Luquillo Experimental Forest. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2026-0018

Abstract:

This data publication reports litterflow biomass or coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM) that was collected from two headwater streams in the Bisley Experimental Watersheds Bisley 1 (Q1) and Bisley 2 (Q2), within the Río Mameyes Watershed in the Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF), also known as El Yunque National Forest, in northeast Puerto Rico. Leaf litter was collected every 2 weeks for over 30 years from July 1987 through December 2018 from 12.7×12.7-millimeter metal mesh placed across the width of the channel in two of the study streams and captures all coarse material that travels downstream. All collected material was dried at 65°Celsius for at least 2 weeks and sorted as leaves, small wood (<2.5 centimeter diameter), large wood (>2.5 centimeter diameter), and miscellaneous parts (flowers, fruits, and other plant parts or unidentifiable organic material) and weighed. The data file includes the biweekly weights of each compartment (leaves, large wood, small wood, and miscellaneous). Throughout the study period, various largescale natural disturbances affected the region, from tropical storms and hurricanes to intense droughts.

Keywords:

environment; inlandWaters; Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment; Hydrology, watersheds, sedimentation; organic matter; coarse particulate organic matter; CPOM; drought; hurricane; leaf litter; tropical stream; Luquillo Experimental Forest; Puerto Rico; Bisley Experimental Watersheds

Related publications:

• Rodríguez-Cardona, Bianca M.; Heartsill-Scalley, Tamara. 2026. 30 years of coarse particulate organic matter exports from tropical montane watersheds. Earth System Science Data. [In press].
• Heartsill-Scalley, Tamara; Scatena, Frederick N.; Moya, Samuel; Lugo, Ariel E. . 2012. Long-term dynamics of organic matter and elements exported as coarse particulates from two Caribbean montane watersheds. Journal of Tropical Ecology. 28(2): 127-139. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266467411000733 https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/41610

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