Understory and canopy phenology, I/Io, solar radiation, and temperature related to Trelease Woods, Urbana, IL, USA from 1995–2022

This study used phenological field observations made year-round for 15 dominant canopy tree species (1995-2022), understory saplings of three species (1995-2022), and 33 herb species (1995-2017) in Trelease Woods, a mature old-growth deciduous forest remnant near Urbana, Illinois, USA. The phenological data sets are paired with basal-area data, mid-day light transmission data from 21 days in 2002, daily solar radiation data from a NOAA (SURFRAD) site at Bondville, Illinois, and daily temperature data from a nearby weather station in Champaign, Illinois. These datasets were used to parameterize models of canopy light transmittance and understory plant light interception.

These data sets were used to test the mismatch hypothesis, viz, whether canopy trees or understory plants are more sensitive to climate change, thus changing through time the relative amount of transmitted light understory species intercept. We estimated how four factors (understory phenology, cold temperatures, canopy phenology, and sunlight) individually limit the potential light interception of each understory species.