Abstract
Trees play a key role in the structure and function of many ecosystems worldwide. In the Mediterranean Basin, forests cover approximately 22% of the total land area hosting a large number of endemics (46 species). Despite its particularities and vulnerability, the biodiversity of Mediterranean trees is not well known at the taxonomic, spatial, functional, and genetic levels required for conservation applications. The WOODIV database fills this gap by providing reliable occurrences, four functional traits (plant height, seed mass, wood density, and specific leaf area), and sequences from three DNA-regions (rbcL, matK, and trnH-psbA), together with modelled occurrences and a phylogeny for all 210 Euro-Mediterranean tree species. We compiled, homogenized, and verified occurrence data from sparse datasets and collated them on an INSPIRE-compliant 10 × 10 km grid. We also gathered functional trait and genetic data, filling existing gaps where possible. The WOODIV database can benefit macroecological studies in the fields of conservation, biogeography, and community ecology.
Highlights
Background & SummaryThe forests of the Euro-Mediterranean Basin are home to 245 indigenous tree taxa, 44 of which are cryptic, and a high number of endemics
The native or introduced status of a species in each location is provided. This information combined with the number of considered taxa and sources of data, the inclusion of Mediterranean islands, and its resolution (10 × 10 km reference grid), result in a database of high significance and interest for macroecological studies in the Euro-Mediterranean area in the fields of conservation, biogeography, and community ecology
When aggregated at the species level, the WOODIV database lacks only the occurrences of 3 of the 210 species from the Médail et al.[1] checklist (n = 207; Table 2; Supplementary Table 2): Pyrus elaeagrifolia Pall., which occurs in Albania and Macedonia, P. syriaca Boiss. and Tamarix passerinoides Desv., which occur in Cyprus and in Sardinia, respectively
Summary
The forests of the Euro-Mediterranean Basin are home to 245 indigenous tree taxa (species and subspecies), 44 of which are cryptic (as defined by Médail et al.[1] i.e. trees commonly considered as bushes with poorly defined multicolous stems but which can form true trees under certain environmental conditions), and a high number of endemics. Critical for biogeographical and conservation applications, data on the occurrence, functional traits, and phylogeny of the tree species of the Euro-Mediterranean region (as defined by Médail et al.[1] from Portugal to Greece, including islands) are still sparse, not readily available, and present heterogeneous spatial and taxonomic coverage and resolution. The native or introduced status of a species in each location is provided This information combined with the number of considered taxa and sources of data, the inclusion of Mediterranean islands, and its resolution (10 × 10 km reference grid), result in a database of high significance and interest for macroecological studies in the Euro-Mediterranean area in the fields of conservation, biogeography, and community ecology
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