Data from: Links between leaf morphology and ecological strategy across secondary succession in a temperate deciduous forest (North Carolina, USA): Implications for the fossil record

<p>The fossil record offers important opportunities to reconstruct plant community responses to past disturbance events. Yet, reconstructions are hindered by limited empirical evidence of successional variation in functional traits measurable on fossil leaves, including leaf morphology and δ13C. In addition, the role the leaf economic spectrum (LES) plays across succession within temperate deciduous forests is unresolved. Lastly, it is unclear to what degree disturbance confounds the leaf morphology-climate relationships utilized in paleoclimate proxies. We utilize a chronosequence spanning forest stands varied by time since logging (4, 21, 44, 94 years old), and one old-growth stand, in North Carolina. Leaf traits of woody non-monocot angiosperms (WNMA) leaves, including all trees and prominent understory plants, were measured to document patterns relating to the LES (e.g., leaf mass per area [LMA]), patterns of leaf morphology and δ13C, and the confounding influence on climatic estimates using the digital leaf physiognomy proxy.</p>