Global Index Of Vegetation-Plot Databases Research Articles

BOVEDA, the Bolivian Vegetation Ecology Database: first stage, the Chacoan forests

Bolivia is a country exceptionally rich in biodiversity and home to about 20,000 vascular plant species and 15 plant formations. Therefore, it is particularly important to document the biodiversity of this territory. The aim of the Bolivian Vegetation Ecology Database (BOVEDA; GIVD ID SA-BO-005) is to record floristic and ecological data of Bolivian vegetation. In the first stage, the database hosts 320 relevés from one of the most unique biogeographical units in the country, the Chaco. In total, 633 species belonging to 114 families have been recorded. Data on vegetation structure, soil, flooding regime and geomorphology have also been stored. The following nine vegetation structural types were identified: (1) deciduous forests of alluvial plains on well to moderately well drained soils; (2) deciduous to semideciduous Chaco forests transitional to the Andes; (3) deciduous and sclerophyllous Cerrado thorn-woodlands and shrublands transitional to the Chaco (Abayoy); (4) xeromorphic thorn shrubland and thickets on vertic, poorly drained soils; (5) woodlands and savannas on sand dunes and aeolian surfaces; (6) freshwater swamp forests; (7) saltwater swamp forests; (8) phreatophytic forests; (9) deciduous to semideciduous Chaco forests transitional to the Chiquitania. Further steps will be to incorporate new types of vegetation already recorded in the field such as Altiplano shrublands, Andean wetlands, Andean Polylepis forests, and vegetation of the dry inter-Andean valleys. Taxonomic reference: Jørgensen et al. (2015). Abbreviations: BOVEDA = Bolivian Vegetation Ecology Database; GIVD = Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases.

AMS-VegBank: a new database of vegetation plots for the Italian territory

The importance of collection, storage and exchange of georeferenced vegetation plot-based data has significantly grown in the recent decades, because of the new potentialities offered by ecoinformatics. In this article we introduce the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna vegetation database (AMS-VegBank; GIVD code EU-IT-021) compiling 17,505 georeferenced vegetation-plot observations within a time span of 90 years. This database includes 337,799 occurrence data of vascular plant species, belonging to many different habitat types. The historical relevance of the presented database is highlighted by the presence of some of the most ancient vegetation-plot observations in Europe (years 1930–1938). The geographic coverage of the database is mostly for Italian territory but it includes also data from other countries. The thematic focuses represented in the database are various, such as small Mediterranean islands, the Dolomite Mountains and the Italian National Parks. The large amount of historical plots available for the country not previously included in existing databases, combined with the constant action to improve the georeferencing of existing data and the addition of new data, highlight the uniqueness of this database. AMS-VegBank represents thus an important tool for studying plant biodiversity within the context of continental and global vegetation plot databases. Taxonomic reference: All plant names reported in this article follow the nomenclature by Pignatti et al. (2017–2019). Abbreviations: EVA = European Vegetation Archive; GIVD = Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases.

Syntaxonomy of steppe depression vegetation of Ukraine

Aims: To revise the syntaxonomy of the vegetation of steppe depressions (pody), in particular (1) to identify the associations and to reveal their environmental, structural and compositional peculiarities; (2) to assign the associations to higher syntaxa; and (3) to correct nomenclatural aspects according to the ICPN.Study area: Steppe zone of Ukraine, Left-Bank of the Lower Dnieper basin.Methods: 641 relevés were included in the final analysis in the PCOrd program integrated into Juice software. Two expert systems (EVC and EUNIS-ESy) were used to assign relevés to vegetation classes and to EUNIS units.Results: The analysis resulted in nine clusters, which were interpreted asFestuco-Brometea(two units),Molinio-Arrhenatheretea(three units),Isoёto-Nanojuncetea(three units) and one derivate community of theFestuco-Puccinellietea. Detailed characteristics of the species composition, structure, distribution, and environmental conditions are provided for each unit. According to the DCA ordination, the leading factors of the syntaxa differentiation are soil moisture and fluctuating water level.Conclusions: We could clarify the placement of steppe depression vegetation in the system of syntaxonomic units of Europe. The previously described syntaxa of the rank of alliance (Myosuro-Beckmannion eruciformis), suballiance (Galio ruthenici-Caricenion praecocis), and six associations are validated. Two associations and two subassociations are described as a new to science.Taxonomic references: Euro+Med PlantBase (https://www.emplantbase.org), except Mosyakin and Fedoronchuk (1999) forPhlomis scythicaKlokov & Des.-Shost. andTulipa scythicaKlokov & Zoz.Syntaxonomic references: Mucina et al. (2016) for syntaxa from alliance to class level; Dubyna et al. (2019) for associations.Abbreviations: DCA = Detrended Correspondence Analysis; DES = Didukh Ecological Scales; EUNIS = European Nature Information System; EVC = EuroVegChecklist; GIVD = Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases; ICPN = International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature.

First vegetation-plot database of woody species from Huíla province, SW Angola

Angola is a country in south-central Africa, particularly rich in biodiversity. Despite the efforts recently made to document its biodiversity, there is a need for standardized sampling methods to document and compare the variety of ecosystems and plants occurring in the country. With this database report we aim to document the abundance and diversity of woody species in the woodlands of Huíla province. The database hosts the results of a standardised plot-based vegetation survey, consisting of 448 vegetation plots distributed throughout the 14 municipalities and Bicuar National Park. In total, 40,009 individuals belonging to 44 plant families were recorded and measured, belonging to 193 woody species. Species richness per municipality ranged from 32 to 126. The mean stem diameter (DBH) was 10.9 cm ± 7.5 cm. Small-size classes are increasingly dominated by few species, while the largest trees come from a wider range of species; miombo key-species dominated almost all size classes. Our study represents the first plot-based vegetation survey of any Angolan province and constitutes a useful source of information for conservation and management. Additionally, may constitute a powerful dataset to support future studies on biodiversity patterns and vegetation change over time and facilitate the elaboration of vegetation maps. Taxonomic reference: Checklist of Angolan Plants (Figueiredo and Smith 2008), The African Plant Database (version 3.4.0) and A new classification of Leguminosae (LPWG 2017). Abbreviations: DBH = Diameter at Breast Height; GIVD = Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases; LUBA = Acronym of the Herbarium of Lubango

Syntaxonomy of the xero-mesophytic oak forests in the Republic of Tatarstan (Eastern Europe)

Aims: To develop a syntaxonomic classification of the xero-mesophytic broad-leaved oak forests of the Republic of Tatarstan with a preliminary analysis of their unique ecological features. Study area: The Republic of Tatarstan (European part of the Russian Federation). Methods: A total of 91 relevés were processed. Most of them (73.6%) were sampled in Tatarstan during 2016 and 2017, the remaining ones (26.4%) were historical published data. They were classified by means of a modified TWINSPAN algorithm using total inertia as a heterogeneity measure. Diagnostic, constant, and dominant species were identified using analytical tools in the JUICE 7.0 program. Results: The xero-mesophytic forests of the study area were assigned to four clusters. We describe two of them as new associations: Astragalo ciceri-Quercetum roboris ass. nova and Sanguisorbo officinalis-Quercetum roboris ass. nova. We classify them within the class Quercetea pubescentis. Conclusions: Our study is the first attempt to classify thermophilous and xero-mesophytic oak forests of the Republic of Tatarstan using the Braun-Blanquet system. Taxonomic reference: Czerepanov (1995). Syntaxonomic reference: Mucina et al. (2016) unless stated otherwise in the text. Abbreviations: GIVD = Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases; NMDS = Non-metric multidimensional scaling.

Grassland with tradition: sampling across several scientific disciplines

The traditional, low-input use of grassland in Central and Eastern Europe has provided high-quality food, clothing and manure for millennia. As an outcome of sustainable low-intensity agriculture, some rural areas have globally significant species richness. Traditional farming is still well preserved in several regions of the Carpathian Mountains. This is a unique opportunity to use the wisdom of our ancestors to keep grassland biodiversity for our descendants. We present a sampling methodology to survey traditionally managed grassland ecosystems holistically, including abiotic, biological and cultural phenomena, and reflect thus the multidimensionality of traditional farming. Our main objective was to reveal the connection between particular management practices and precisely measured plot plant diversity. Our motivation was to identify traditional farming approaches that result in both high biodiversity and sustainable grassland utilization in particular region, and confirm their impact also using statistical tests. The multitaxon vegetation sampling at seven spatial scales combined with soil analyses, detailed land-use information derived from interviews with the land parcel owners, satellite pictures and historical materials provide potentially valuable data for several scientific disciplines including syntaxonomy, plant ecology, environmental anthropology and ethnology. Examples of grassland management practices based on traditional ecological knowledge can serve as an inspiration for developing modern biodiversity conservation strategies applicable for rural regions. The database Grassland with Tradition is registered in Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD) with the identifier ID EU-00-032. To date it contains data from 31 study sites in 7 countries (Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Ukraine). Syntaxonomic reference: Mucina et al. (2016).

Database of anthropogenic vegetation of the Urals and adjacent territories

The main data on the geobotanical database – Database of antropogenic vegetation of Urals and adjacent territories registered in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases and the European Vegetation Archive are presented. The database includes more than 4,000 complete geobotanical relevés made between 1984 and 2020. The database contains the territories of 3 subjects of the Russian Federation (the Republic of Bashkortostan, Orenburg, Chelyabinsk regions) and 1 - the Republic of Kazakhstan (Aktobe region). For each relevés, a complete list of species with indication of abundance in points on the Braun-Blanquet scale. The main indicators (total cover, average height of the grass, etc.). For most descriptions, GPS coordinates and location are given. The ecological conditions were assessed with use of average values of E. Landolt scale. In the J. Braun-Blanquet classification system, all communities included in the database belong to nine vegetation classes (7 anthropogenic and 2 semi-natural), 75 associations and various types of communities. Geobotanical relevés with the dominance of such aggressive invasive species (Acer negundo, Ambrosia psylostachya, Echinocystis lobata, Elodea canadensis, Solidago canadensis, Heracleum sosnowskyi, Hordeum jubatum, Xanthium albinumetc.) are also included in the database.

SIVIM Alpine – Database of high-mountain grasslands in the Iberian Peninsula

SIVIM Alpine (GIVD ID: EU-00-034) is a thematic database focused on vegetation plots from alpine grasslands of the Iberian Peninsula. The main aim of the database is to centralize historical and new vegetation plots of grassland-like communities above the treeline from Spanish mountains, the Pyrenees (including France and Andorra) and Serra da Estrela (Portugal). The database was registered in GIVD in December 2020, and it is currently available in EVA under semi-restricted regime. SIVIM Alpine includes both digitized relevés from the literature and unpublished data. Most of digitized relevés overlap with SIVIM (GIVD ID EU-00-004) but the header data and the geographical coordinates of SIVIM Alpine have been improved when possible. The database is routinely updated with new surveys conducted with GPS and detailed ecological data. Nowadays, SIVIM Alpine contains 6,420 vegetation plots corresponding to all phytosociological alliances described in the Iberian Peninsula for high-mountain grassland vegetation, 85% of them also classified at the association level. Plot size is available for 80% of the relevés. Plant taxonomy keeps the names provided by the original authors of the relevés, with an additional correspondence to Euro+Med and The Plant List, when possible. The database is continuously updated by revisiting the original sources. Different versions of the database have been used to vegetation analysis at national at continental scales. Abbreviations: EVA = European Vegeation Archive; GIVD = Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases; SIVIM = Iberian and Macaronesian Vegetation Information System.

SIVIM Deciduous Forests – Database of deciduous forests from the Iberian Peninsula

“SIVIM Deciduous Forests” is a thematic database established in 2015, focused on forest vegetation from the Iberian Peninsula and southern France. It was registered in the Global Index of Vegetation Databases (GIVD ID: EU-00-023) in January 2016. All types of temperate and submediterranean non-riparian deciduous forests of the phytosociological classes Carpino-Fagetea sylvaticae, Quercetea pubescentis and Quercetea robori-petraeae (formerly combined in the class Querco-Fagetea) are represented in the database. Currently, it contains 6,642 published vegetation plots of beech, birch, ash, lime and other deciduous mixed forests, as well as forests dominated by different species of deciduous and marcescent oaks, 100% of them classified at association level. Data are stored in TURBOVEG format, and are available upon request from the international vegetation-plot databases EVA and sPlot in semi-restricted regime. The relevés have also been included in SIVIM database, and thus they are freely available online. However, in SIVIM Deciduous Forests geolocation accuracy has been improved and the taxonomy and syntaxonomy unified. Plot size is available for 73% of the relevés, of which 82% are between 100 and 400 m2. Plant taxonomy is standardized to Flora iberica. During the last four years, data of SIVIM Deciduous Forests were requested via EVA and sPlot for different projects, and have been used for several studies with various objectives, from floristic, vegetation and habitat-related topics to macroecological studies, and from local to global scales. Abbreviations: EVA = European Vegetation Archive; GIVD = Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases; SIVIM = Iberian and Macaronesian Vegetation Information System.

DUMIRA – a management related vegetation plot database of Dutch military ranges

In this paper we describe the historical background and contents of the DUMIRA vegetation plot database (GIVD-code EU-NL-003). It contains 13,046 relevés, collected between 1995 and 2018 at military ranges in the Netherlands, and it is updated regularly with new data. Historical circumstances led to the placement of military ranges at the most nutrient poor, dry, sandy soils, and as a result, the database is built up mainly by plots of Calluno-Ulicetea and Nardetea heathlands, Koelerio-Corynephoretea grasslands, and Quercetea robori-petraeae woodlands. These classes account for more than 50% of the database. Coastal communities (e.g. from the Juncetea maritimae and the Therosalicornietea) and scrubs (e.g. the Lonicero-Rubetea plicati and Salicetea arenariae) are other important sources. Notably, throughout the database, Rubus species are identified to species level. Although the DUMIRA database was initially used for management related vegetation mapping projects, the data gave rise to several more scientific studies and papers. Taxonomic reference: Van der Meijden (2005) for vascular plants; Van de Beek et al. (2014) for Rubus; Kleukers et al. (2004) for Orthoptera. Syntaxonomic reference: Mucina et al. (2016). Abbreviations: DUMIRA = Vegetation plot database of Dutch Military Ranges; GIVD = Global Index of Vegetation-plot Databases; MoD = Ministry of Defence.

SIVIM Floodplain Forests – Database of riverine forests and scrubs from the Iberian Peninsula

“SIVIM Floodplain Forests“ (GIVD ID: EU-00-024) is a thematic database focused on vegetation plots of riverine forests and scrubs from the Iberian Peninsula and the Pyrenees (Spain, Portugal and southern France). It was registered in the GIVD in February 2016. The data are available both from EVA and sPlot in semi-restricted regime. The database includes both digitized relevés from the literature and unpublished data. Many digitized relevés were derived from SIVIM (GIVD ID EU-00-004) and BIOVEG (GIVD ID EU-00-011), with which SIVIM Floodplain Forests thus partly overlaps. Currently it contains 4,736 vegetation plots of floodplain forests, alder carrs, willow scrubs, and tamarisk and oleander thickets, 99% of them classified at association level. Plot size is available for 94.6% of the relevés. Plant taxonomy is standardized to Flora Iberica. The database has been used for studies on vegetation classification at Iberian and European level, as well as studies on plant invasion, fine-grain plant diversity and macroecological analyses, most of them via EVA. Abbreviations: BIOVEG = Vegetation-Plot Database of the University of the Basque Country; EVA = European Vegeation Archive; GIVD = Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases; SIVIM = Iberian and Macaronesian Vegetation Information System.

A new Vegetation-Plot Database for the Coastal Forests of Kenya

Biodiversity data based on standardised sampling designs are key to ecosystem conservation. Data of this sort have been lacking for the Kenyan coastal forests despite being biodiversity hotspots. Here, we introduce the Kenyan Coastal Forests Vegetation-Plot Database (GIVD ID: AF-KE-001), consisting of data from 158 plots, subdivided into 3,160 subplots, across 25 forests. All plots include data on tree identity, diameter and height. Abundance of shrubs is presented for 316 subplots. We recorded 600 taxa belonging to 80 families, 549 of which identified to species and 51 to genus level. Species richness per forest site varied between 43 and 195 species; mean diameter between 13.0 ± 9.8 and 30.7 ± 20.7 cm; and mean tree height between 5.49 ± 3.99 and 12.29 ± 10.61 m. This is the first plot-level database of plant communities across Kenyan coastal forests. It will be highly valuable for analysing biodiversity patterns and assessing future changes in this ecosystem. Taxonomic reference: African Plant Database (African Plant Database version 3.4.0). Abbreviations: DBH = diameter at breast height; GIVD = Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases; KECF-VPD = Kenyan Coastal Forests Vegetation Plot Database.

Vegetation classification goes open access

With this inaugural editorial, we introduce Vegetation Classification and Survey (VCS), the new gold open access (OA) journal of the International Association for Vegetation Science (IAVS). VCS is devoted to vegetation classification at any spatial and organisational scale and irrespective of the methodological approach. It welcomes equally case studies and broad-scale syntheses as well as conceptual and methodological papers. Two Permanent Collections deal with ecoinformatics (including the standardised Database Reports published in collaboration with GIVD, the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases) and phytosociological nomenclature (edited in collaboration with the respective IAVS Working Group). We discuss the advantages of OA as well as challenges and drawbacks caused by the way it is currently implemented, namely “pay for flaws” and publication impediments for scientists without access to funding. Being a society-owned journal, editorial decisions in VCS are free from economic considerations, while at the same time IAVS offers significant reductions to article processing charges (APCs) for authors with financial constraints. However, it is recognised that sustainable OA publishing will require that payment systems are changed from author-paid APCs to contracts between the science funding agencies and publishers or learned societies, to cover the production costs of journals that meet both quality and impact criteria. Abbreviations: APC = article processing charge, GIVD = Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases, IAVS = International Association for Vegetation Science, JVS = Journal of Vegetation Science, OA = open access, VCS = Vegetation Classification and Survey.

European Boreal Forest Vegetation Database

The European Boreal Forest Vegetation Database (EBFVD, GIVD ID: EU-00-027) is a repository for vegetation-plot data from the forests of the boreal and hemiboreal zones of Europe. In this report, we describe its structure, current content and future perspectives opened up by the database. In February 2019, the database contained 13 037 vegetation-plot records from Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Russia and Sweden that are not yet stored in the databases of the European Vegetation Archive (EVA). Consequently, this database significantly improves the availability of forest plant community data from Northern Europe. The database is managed by the Vegetation Science Group, Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Brno (Czech Republic), in the TURBOVEG 2 program. It is registered in the Global Index of Vegetation Plot Databases (GIVD) and included in EVA. The whole database, or a subset of it, can be requested via EVA, or directly from the database custodian.

European Weed Vegetation Database – a gap-focused vegetation-plot database

This report presents the European Weed Vegetation Database, a new database of vegetation plots documenting short-lived vegetation of arable and ruderal habitats from Europe and Macaronesia. The database comprises the phytosociological classes Papaveretea rhoeadis, Sisymbrietea, Chenopodietea and Digitario sanguinalis-Eragrostietea minoris. It is a gap-focused database containing mainly plots of this vegetation from the areas not yet represented in the European Vegetation Archive (EVA), to facilitate its accessibility for researchers to answer various questions. As of the end of 2018, it contained 24,734 plots, predominantly from Southern Europe. The data can be used for phytosociological studies, various kinds of interdisciplinary research as well as for studies for agronomy, nature management and biodiversity conservation. Syntaxonomic reference: Mucina et al. (2016) Abbreviations: EVA = European Vegetation Archive; GIVD = Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases.

GrassPlot v. 2.00 – first update on the database of multi-scale plant diversity in Palaearctic grasslands

GrassPlot is a collaborative vegetation-plot database organised by the Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) and listed in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD ID EU-00-003). Following a previous Long Database Report (Dengler et al. 2018, Phytocoenologia 48, 331–347), we provide here the first update on content and functionality of GrassPlot. The current version (GrassPlot v. 2.00) contains a total of 190,673 plots of different grain sizes across 28,171 independent plots, with 4,654 nested-plot series including at least four grain sizes. The database has improved its content as well as its functionality, including addition and harmonization of header data (land use, information on nestedness, structure and ecology) and preparation of species composition data. Currently, GrassPlot data are intensively used for broad-scale analyses of different aspects of alpha and beta diversity in grassland ecosystems.

GrassPlot – a database of multi-scale plant diversity in Palaearctic grasslands

GrassPlot is a collaborative vegetation-plot database organised by the Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) and listed in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD ID EU-00-003). GrassPlot collects plot records (releves) from grasslands and other open habitats of the Palaearctic biogeographic realm. It focuses on precisely delimited plots of eight standard grain sizes (0.0001; 0.001;... 1,000 m(2)) and on nested-plot series with at least four different grain sizes. The usage of GrassPlot is regulated through Bylaws that intend to balance the interests of data contributors and data users. The current version (v. 1.00) contains data for approximately 170,000 plots of different sizes and 2,800 nested-plot series. The key components are richness data and metadata. However, most included datasets also encompass compositional data. About 14,000 plots have near-complete records of terricolous bryophytes and lichens in addition to vascular plants. At present, GrassPlot contains data from 36 countries throughout the Palaearctic, spread across elevational gradients and major grassland types. GrassPlot with its multi-scale and multi-taxon focus complements the larger international vegetationplot databases, such as the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and the global database sPlot. Its main aim is to facilitate studies on the scale-and taxon-dependency of biodiversity patterns and drivers along macroecological gradients. GrassPlot is a dynamic database and will expand through new data collection coordinated by the elected Governing Board. We invite researchers with suitable data to join GrassPlot. Researchers with project ideas addressable with GrassPlot data are welcome to submit proposals to the Governing Board.

The Romanian Grassland Database (RGD): historical background, current status and future perspectives

This report describes the Romanian Grassland Database (RGD), registered under EU-RO-008 in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD). This collaborative initiative aims to collect all available vegetation-plot data (releves) of grasslands and other open habitats from the territory of Romania to provide them for science, nationally and internationally, e.g. via the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and the global database sPlot. The database mainly contains vegetation-plots from not only wet, mesic, dry, saline, alpine and rocky grasslands, but also other vegetation types like heathlands, mires, ruderal, segetal, aquatic and cryptogamdominated vegetation. Currently, 21,685 releves have mainly been digitised from literature sources (90%), while the remainder comes from individual unpublished sources (10%). We report on the background and history of the RGD, explain its Data Property and Governance Rules under which data are contributed and retrieved, and outline how the RGD can contribute to research in the fields of vegetation ecology, macroecology and conservation.

Achievements and challenges in the integration, reuse and synthesis of vegetation plot data

AbstractAimsI aim to review vegetation plot data discovery, the major international efforts to integrate these data, some of the remaining barriers to data integration, reuse and synthesis and how they can be overcome, and some of the emergent issues associated with data attribution and acknowledgement for data providers, users and aggregators.ResultsVegetation plot data from 231 databases containing over three million plot records can be discovered via the metadata catalogue of the Global Index of Vegetation‐Plot Databases (GIVD). Major efforts to integrate data at national and international scales are well underway, including the North American VegBank, the European Vegetation Archive, the Botanical Information and Ecology Network (BIEN) and sPlot. Barriers to data reuse and synthesis remain: the most important are missing or incorrect geographic coordinates (geo‐coordinates) and inconsistencies in plant names. Many scientific journals now require the data underpinning published results to be archived in a publically accessible location via a digital object identifier (DOI). Such policies may be at odds with those of vegetation plot databases and funding agencies. The linkage between the New Zealand National Vegetation Survey Databank and an institutional data repository illustrates one solution to satisfying journal requirements to make data publically available, while retaining a direct linkage to the source data archive.ConclusionsAlthough further progress needs to be made in digitising, publishing and integrating vegetation plot data, many once insurmountable barriers are rapidly being overcome. Developing effective solutions to the problems posed by changing taxonomic concepts in space and time is likely the most urgent requirement. Although changing journal requirements may result in vegetation plot data being archived in some form for a specific publication, this does not provide the integration required to enable data reuse and synthesis. For vegetation scientists, a recommended best practice is to archive plot data in an established vegetation plot repository as a first step, and when required, provide versioned data or summaries to meet journal requirements in a suitable repository with a clear linkage to the vegetation plot repository. The concepts outlined in this paper have wide‐ranging implications for other types of ecological data.

Сообщества с доминированием тростника (Phragmites australis agg.) в долине Нижней Волги

Plant communities with reed domination (Phragmites australis agg.) occupy the large areas in the Lower Volga Valley and especially in the river delta. We have set the task to reveal the diversity of these communities in the Lower Volga Valley. For this purpose, we applied the database that is registered in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD) under the EU-RU–002 index (http://www.givd.info/) and includes 14871 relevés made during the period from 1924 to 2013. Communities with the dominance of reed were defined as such, if the coverage of this plant was more than 50 %. We have found 375 such relevés in the database. At first, one basal community, 3 associations and 3 subassociations with domination of Phragmites australis agg. were distinguished in the Lower Volga Valley. All processing and analysis of relevés were performed using the software package JUICE 7.0. (Tichý, 2002). The «Cocktail» method was applied to establish the sociological groups that indicate environmental conditions (Bruelheide, 2000). The expert system for selection from the database of relevés by means of these groups was created. It is allowed us to ascribe relevés to earlier distinguished associations, subassociations and basal community. 171 relevés have been identified by the expert system and they were assigned to association, subassociation or the basal community. 204 relevés were not referred to any association, subassociation or the basal community. We wanted to answer the question: are there among these 204 relevés, which could be interpreted as the new syntaxa, giving them the proper ecological characteristics? For this purpose, the cluster analysis of 204 relevés has been carried out. The optimal level of clustering was determined by calculating the index of “crispness of classification” (Botta-Dukát et al., 2005). The greatest “crispness of classification” was reached at allocation of 13 clusters. Consideration of the floristic composition of allocated groups had shown that 11 of them were the transitional plant communities among the earlier established syntaxa. Only two clusters were differed in rather original structure that we could explain by the influence of environment factors. We have identified them as new associations Rubio tataricae-Phragmitetum australis and Cynancho acuti-Phragmitetum australis. All associations with the dominance of Phragmites australis agg. distinguished in the Lower Volga Valley were included in the alliance Phragmition communis Koch 1926, order Phragmitetalia communis Koch 1926. In literary sources from the ecological point of view these syntaxa are defined as the wetland communities, which are closely linked to water bodies (Šumberová et al., 2011; Ermakov, 2012). However, in many cases this definition does not correspond to the ecology of plant communities with the dominance of reed in the lower reaches of the Volga River. Ecotops of these communities are flooded for up to 2–3 months in a year and then they dry out. In the autumn, the ground water level can drop to a depth of one meter (Golub et al., 2011). The plant satellites of the reed here are often mesophytic plants such as Rubus caesius, Calamagrostis epigeios, Phalaris arundinacea, Rubia tatarica, Althaea officinalis, and Rumex stenophyllus. Therefore, the inclusion of phytocoenosises with domination of the reed in the lower reaches of the Volga River in the alliance Phragmition communis is rather relative. A correct placement of these plant communities in the system of vegetation syntaxa of the arid areas can be made only if it is based on original data obtained from much bigger territory than the Lower Volga Valley. In future geobotanical studies, it is desirable to divide the aggregation of Phragmites australis agg. into smaller species taxa.