Calcium oxalate concentration, soluble elements, free polyamines, and amino acid data extracted seasonally from the foliage of conifer and hardwood trees in New Hampshire

These data are from a study that evaluated the seasonal differences in the amount of calcium oxalate (CaOx) that was extracted in the third sequential fraction with 5% perchloric acid (PCA) after the extractions in water and acetic acid from foliage of red spruce, white pine, black oak, and sugar maple trees. Data are provided in absolute concentrations and also as a percent of total calcium. This study included three sites in New Hampshire, all within the Seaboard Lowlands section of the New England Physiographic Province. Foliar samples were collected from the same four replicate trees, six times for conifers and four times for hardwoods over the course of a little more than one calendar year (which equates to two growing seasons). Samples were collected in June and September 2014, and February, April, July and September 2015. Also included are data providing concentrations of potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), phosphorous (Ph), aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) in sequential fractions (in water, 2N acetic acid, 5% PCA), direct extraction (in 5% PCA) and total inorganic elements extractions in hot acid, as well as amino acids and polyamine levels in direct 5% PCA extracts of foliage of red spruce, white pine, black oak, and sugar maple.
The production of CaOx crystals is a dynamic and reversible process. However, the role of CaOx within plants is still debatable. Some believe that they are produced just to shed off excess Ca while other believe they perform critical functions within plant. When Ca concentrations in the plant are below the critical level these crystals may dissolve assuring normal functioning of the plant, including stress alleviation such as in drought. In order to settle this debate, we first need to not only have a reliable method of extracting pure CaOx, but to see how its concentrations fluctuate with seasons within species and across species relative to total Ca. Thus, the main purpose of our data collection was to evaluate the seasonal changes in CaOx concentrations in the foliage of conifer and hardwood trees: a potentially bioavailable fraction of cellular calcium.
These data were originally published on 07/21/2022. Minor metadata updates were made on 01/06/2025. For more information about this study and these data, see Minocha et al. (2015) as well as Minocha and Long (2023).