Vegetation Database Research Articles

Vegetation Database of Temperate Deciduous Forests of the Göttinger Wald

The Vegetation Database of Temperate Deciduous Forests of the Gottinger Wald (GIVD ID EU-DE-018) offers forest vegetation releves obtained from various research projects between 1955-2011 in the Gottinger Wald (S-Lower Saxony, Germany). Single surveys as well as repeated surveys are included. Beech forests ecosystems on limestone with variable fractions of other broadleaved trees (e.g. Acer pseudoplatanus, Fraxinus excelsior) are characteristic. The database comprises classical phytosociological data, experimental ecological data and additional data for population-biological analysis.

Vegetation Database of Strict Forest Reserves in NW-Germany

Strict forest reserves are forests without any direct anthropogenic influence such as management activities. They have been established all over Germany as well as in many other European countries to gain a substantial, representative network of protected areas. Strict forest reserves can be used as a reference for forestry and nature conservation in order to derive modern forestry practices including the main goals of sustainability and biodiversity. Besides this they offer valuable opportunities for fundamental research on forest biocoenoses. Our database comprises woodland releves from 17 strict forest reserves (permanent plots) in Lower Saxony and Hesse (Germany). Beside single surveys, mainly repeated surveys have been conducted (time series).The database offers good opportunities to evaluate changes in time (forest dynamics, succession), impact of management activities or environmental changes on forest ecosystems. This report describes the available content in the Vegetation Database of Strict Forest Reserves in NW-Germany (GIVD ID EU-DE-016).

VLAVEDAT – the vegetation database of Flanders (northern Belgium)

VLAVEDAT – the vegetation database of Flanders (northern Belgium)

Vegetation Database of Oak Forests of Romania

This report presents the content of a database with phytosociological releves of oak and mixed oak forests from Romania (Vegetation Database of Oak Forests of Romania, GIVD ID EU-RO-005). This includes vegetation-plots in which oak species (Quercus robur s.l., Q. petraea s.l., Q. cerris, Q. frainetto, Q. pubescens s.l.), hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) or lime (Tilia cordata, T. tomentosa) are dominants or co-dominants. So far, 4,398 releves are stored in TURBOVEG format, using 160 sources – published works, PhD thesis and records of research projects. It is estimated that this sources cover 70-75% of the total releves available of this kind. Except species data, 65-85% of relevees have basic environmental information and all have geographical coordinates – mostly derived from localities or toponyms. Its development started from the need of a unified classification of forest vegetation at a national level, but also with the hope that it could serve for a regional revision of syntaxonomy. So far, using the information from this database, two papers were published and other two are planned.

Estonian Vegetation Database

The main aim of the Estonian Vegetation Database (GIVD ID EU-EE-001) is to provide, as complete as possible, a synopsis of Estonian plant community types, to enable analysis of their species diversity on synusiae/microcoenoses, community and regional scale, to assess the management impact on vegetation and to study successional processes in plant communities. For example, in official Estonian forest site type classification interprets several types rather widely and habitats of some dispersed types (floodplain, hillock and klint/escarpment forests) having great value for biodiversity preservation have been overlooked. In 2011 the inventory of Estonian mire habitats (15,326 in total) was completed, partly including vegetation data, but the latter have not been analysed yet. The most serious shortcoming of the Estonian vegetation database is until now the disunion of grassland data.

Vegetation Database of the Colombian Caribbean Region

Dry and humid forests around wetlands at the department of Cordoba, Caribbean region of Colombia Fragment forests around swamp complexes in several localities at the department of Cordoba were sampled with 77 plots. In each plot all individuals with height up to 1.5 m were censused, measuring their diameter at breast height, coverage and individual height. Inside each area, the herbaceous layer was inventoried with 5 plots of 2x2 m. Observations about disturbance (intervention class, grade, matrix and contrast type) were taken and physical-chemical soil conditions were characterized to complement the characterization with basis on floristic composition and structure. Using the Twinspan program (PC Ord ver. 4) global tables of group segregation were obtained with which a group differentiation was found. These groups showed a floristic composition closely related with the patterns observed on the field. Around the swamps, vegetation is grouped in the class Craveto tapieae-Astronietea guianensis, order Bursero simauroubaeCavanillesietalia platanifoliae characterized by the dominance of Cavanillesia platanifolia. In this humid forest formation (26 Lev), characterized by large-size individuals of Cavanillesia platanifolia, are included the association of Cratevo tapiae-Cavanillesion platanifoliae alliance like forests of Cordietum protacto-panamensis, Cappari odoratissimatis-Cavanilletum platanifoliae and the mixed palm Sabali mauritiformis-Cavanillesietum platanifoliae. There are also other plant communities that can be assigned to the dry forest formation (51 Lev) characterized by the dominance of tree or shrub size individuals principally Cochlospermum vitifolium, Apeiba aspera, Trichilia acuminata, Attalea butyraceae and Guazuma ulmifolia. Among the characterized associations are Cinnamomo triplinervis-Apeibetum asperae, Cochlospermo vitifoli-Attaleetum butyraceae, Cordia alliodorae-Attaleetum butyraceae and Adenocalymno inundati-Astronietum graveolentis. In this group, forests around the swamps in flooded and non-flooded areas (related to the tropical dry forest formation) have two formation types, one with vigorous elements, height up to 18 meters as the associations of the Dialio guinensis-Mataybion elegantis alliance that include the mixed palm Viticis capitatae-Acrocomietum aculeatae and the Xilopio aromaticae-Tapiretum guianensis. The Phillanto elsiae-Tabebuion roseae alliance includes low rise vegetation, woods and residual forests, as the Annono punicifoliae-Pithecellobietum lanceolati and the shoreline Symmerio paniculatae-Bactrietum guieenensis mangrove thickets in flooded areas. Another forest and thicket in flooded areas (5 Lev) are the “campanales” of Caseario tremulae-Samaneetum samanensis and the forests of the Coccolobo costatae-Acacietum huilanae association and the thickets dominated by Montrichardia arborescens. The structural arrangement, particularly classes distribution is related with type and degree of perturbation of the characterized communities; logging and grazing distort the disetaneo behaviour of natural forests where the higher’ percentage of individuals should be distributed in the first classes. The Caseario tremulae – Samaneetum samanensis association is a representative case where the intensive grazing has driven this flooded forest to degradation; this is observable in the height classes’ distribution, with the higher individuals’ percentage (31%) in class III. The intervention grade of the humid and dry tropical forests characterized in this study can be classified from low (26%) to high (13%) predominating the mid degree (61%) making evident the current pressure to which this ecosystems are subjected mainly due to land use change for animal breeding, agriculture or mining .However there are still fragmented forests with acceptable characteristics for conservation which will be a starting point for the formulation of ecological restoration models. This report describes the available content in the Vegetation Database of the Colombian Caribbean Region (GIVD ID SA-CO-002).

Vegetation Database of Deciduous Forests on Acidic Soils in NW Europe

The database of mixed oak and beech forests (Quercion roboris, Luzulo-Fagion) in NW Europe (DE, B, NL, PL) comprises 4,430 releves, both from the lowlands and the adjacent hilly regions up to approximately 800 m a.s.l. It was created in the early 1990s in order to re-evaluate the syntaxonomy of deciduous forests of acidic soils in the lowlands of NW and Central Europe based on ± all available vegetation data. Only original releves (Braun-Blanquet method) from 75 sources, published in local ecological journals or monographs, or unpublished material from diploma theses, are included. Plot sizes, complete structural data and exact geographic localisation are mostly not included in the electronic repository, but may be gained from the original publications in many cases. Beyond phytosociological classification and analysis of large-scale geographic patterns within plant communities, parts of the database have been intensively used to evaluate site characteristics of plant communities and the influence of historical land use patterns on present-day vegetation. Hosted by the department of biodiversity research and botany of the University of Potsdam, the data are available for collaborative research. This report describes the available content in the Vegetation Database of Deciduous Forests on Acidic Soils in NW Europe (GIVD ID EU-00-008).

Oak-Hornbeam Forest Database of the Transylvanian Basin

The report presents the structure and contents of a vegetation database of oak-hornbeam forests from the North-Western part of Romania (Transylvanian Basin). The Oak-Hornbeam Forest Database of the Transylvanian Basin (GIVD ID EU-RO-003) was developed to assemble published and unpublished releves from the class Querco-Fagetea, mainly the Carpinion group from the study area. Currently it contains 524 releves.

Vegetation Database of Great Britain: Countryside Survey

This paper describes the vegetation database created as part of the Countryside Survey (CS) of Great Britain (GIVD ID EU-GB-003) which was established to monitor ecological and land use change in 1978 (http://www.countrysidesurvey.org.uk). The sample design is based on a series of stratified, randomly selected 1 km squares, which numbered 256 in the 1978 survey, 500 in the 1990 survey, 569 in the 1998 survey and 591 in the 2007 survey. Stratification of sample squares was based on predefined strata (called land classes) which have been derived from a classification of all 1 km squares in Britain based on their topographic, climatic and geological attributes obtained from published maps. A series of vegetation plots were located within each 1 km square using a restricted randomisation procedure designed to reduce aggregation. Linear features (road verges, watercourse banks, hedges, arable margins and field boundaries) and areal features (fields, unenclosed land and small semi-natural biotope patches) were sampled. Linear plots were 1 x 10 m laid out along a feature whilst unenclosed land and small biotopes were sampled using 2 m x 2 m plots. Larger randomly-placed plots were nested 14 m² plots with an inner nest of 2 m x 2 m. Within each 1 km Countryside Survey sample square the land cover and all landscape features were mapped and each parcel of land (and vegetation plot) has been assigned to a Broad Habitat/EUNIS habitat type. This database of vegetation plots is a very useful resource. The data is freely available from the website, however, there are restrictions on the release of the spatial location of the plots. There is now a considerable time-series of plots within the database going back to 1978 representing different habitat types and landscape features that can be analysed to determine changes in vegetation metrics (e.g. Ellenberg scores) and individual species. Vegetation changes can be linked to environmental drivers and the spatial scale (across GB) is sufficiently large to analyse gradients in most driving variables.

Vegetation Database of Sudost-Desna Interfluve Area

The Vegetation Database of Sudost-Desna Interfluve Area (GIVD ID EU-RU-008) contains releves collected in 2002-2009 in the interfluve area of Sudost and Desna rivers in the Bryansk region. This territory is situated on the central part of the Russian plain in South-Western Nechernozemje. The releves present broad-leaved, spruce-broad-leaved and pine forests, grasslands and marshland vegetation. The database is developed by the Department of Botany of Bryansk State University (Bryansk, Russia).

Vegetation Database of the Shahdag Region, Azerbaijan

The outstanding phytodiversity of the Caucasus region is partly threatened by livestock grazing. In the study Proper Utilisation of Grasslands in Azerbaijan’s Steppe and Mountains: an Ecological and Socio-Economic Assessment to Avoid Overgrazing and to Ensure Sustainable Rural Development funded by the Volkswagen Foundation, we assessed on 222 plots in the years 2007 and 2008 the effects of grazing on high mountain grassland vegetation, species composition and the productivity. The releves have been assigned to 13 unranked communities in four main groups: five xerophytic subalpine communities (mainly innermontane/ southern slopes), three mesophytic subalpine communities (mainly northern slopes), one community of nitrophilous camp site lawns and four alpine communities (publication in prep.). This report describes the available content in the Vegetation Database of the Shahdag Region, Azerbaijan (GIVD ID EU-AZ-001).

Post-Mining Vegetation Database Eastern Germany

In eastern Germany, surface mining of lignite led to the destruction of entire landscapes and the interlinked ecosystems. After the German reunification in 1990, the majority of mining sites across eastern Germany were closed. During the last two decades, post-mining landscapes offered a unique chance to observe primary succession and have been subject to scientific research on spontaneous and assisted site recovery of heavily disturbed sites. Beginning in 1993, several research projects in surface-mined land have collected comprehensive vegetation data. The main objective was to gain knowledge about spatial and temporal processes of vegetation recovery and to derive guidelines for further restoration planning. Up to now, the post-mining vegetation database contains more than 5,000 vegetation releves that have been compiled over the last two decades. The majority of the plots investigated are located in the post-mining landscapes of the Central German lignite mining district. Also, releves were collected in the Lusatian mining region. Some of the plots were regularly revisited. Usually, the metadata of each releve includes information on plot location (GPS coordinates) and abiotic conditions (exposition, pH and other soil attributes). This report describes the available content in the Post-Mining Vegetation Database Eastern Germany (GIVD ID EU-DE-023).

Vegetation Database of the Cilento National Park

A TURBOVEG database, including both original and published phytosociological releves from the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park (Southern Italy), was compiled to support environmental monitoring, landscape planning and vegetation classification. Approximately 2,300 releves were stored in the database including all the natural and semi-natural vegetation types, ranging from sand dunes (Cakiletea maritimae) to dwarf shrub subalpine vegetation (Pino-Juniperetea). Data span from 1970 to nowadays, updated with the most recent research project. We considered for inclusion in the database phytosociological releves or any other vegetation plots containing records of species composition (of at least vascular plants) and an estimate of species cover. We extended the standard structure of the database by adding extra fields to fit particular needs, such as including the accuracy of the data location (i.e. a crucial issue for environmental monitoring). A reference check-list of the taxa was set up mostly following Conti et al. (2005) including several largely adopted synonymous to facilitate the correct input of releve data. Ecological databases are linked to the vascular species using Ellenberg indicator values and including life forms or chorotypes. The database contains useful information to test several ecological hypotheses and to perform wide-scale vegetation classifications. Furthermore it facilitates the use of vegetation-plot data for biodiversity and habitat monitoring and also for land use/cover changes evaluation. This report describes the available content in the Vegetation Database of the Cilento National Park (GIVD ID EU-IT-002).

Vegetation Database of Mountain Wetlands of Iran

There is a wide range of wetland vegetation in the steppic mountain areas of Iran particularly on the two largest ranges of Iran, the Zagros in the West and the Alborz in the North. The wetland habitats are sharply embedded within vegetation of the IranoTuranian steppes that are more characteristic of this region and are of interest both in themselves and for wider comparison with EuroSiberian wetlands. There is little knowledge regarding these wetlands in Iran. We planned to collect all releve data on these wetlands. At first, data on the wetland vegetation of Alborz were collected. Up to now, more than 1,000 releves have been collected. This report describes the available content in the Vegetation Database of Mountain Wetlands of Iran (GIVD ID AS-IR-002).

The West African Vegetation Database

The West African Vegetation Database (http://www.westafricanvegetation.org; GIVD ID AF-00-001) is an online database that has been designed to securely store, edit and manage phytosociological and dendrometrical releves from West Africa to provide data for research projects dealing with, but not limited to, plant communities, biogeography, population structure, and vegetation dynamics. An integrated access management system allows data owners to keep data private, to grant selected users access or to make data sets available to the general public. Data entry is possible online or in a local offline database that can be synchronized with the online database. The database allows the calculation of biodiversity indices and has several export options.

VegDunes – a coastal dune vegetation database for the analysis of Italian EU habitats

In this paper we illustrate VegDunes (GIVD ID EU-IT-005), a vegetation database of Italian coastal dune EU habitats (sensu 92/43/EEC Habitats Directive). We explore general features of the data collected, in particular variation in plot size, time range of the releves and geographical position accuracy. Then, we characterise and explore the spatial distribution of the different coastal dune habitats in the database, evidencing major biodiversity “hotspots” (areas with the highest number of habitats) at the national level. We collected previously published phytosociological information (2,666 phytosociological releves) concerning Italian coastal dune vegetation (10 different EU habitats) that ranged from 1967 to 2011. Most releves were recorded with a medium to high accuracy (from the exact GPS coordinates to a coastal length up to 5 km) and the plot size did not exceed 100 m2. Habitats close to the sea-line were much more widespread along Italian coasts compared to more inland ones, possibly in relation with habitat loss caused by the intensification of human impact in back dune communities. Even though phytosociological databases are affected by preferential sampling issues, this kind of data is an important source of information for nature conservation, especially for threatened coastal environments. Overall, this information may be a powerful instrument for the future management of EU habitats from a conservation perspec-

Bulgarian Vegetation Database: historic background, current status and future prospects

For geographical and historical reasons, the Bulgarian vegetation is quite diverse. In the past and up to the beginning of the new millennium, vegetation studies have been conducted in the country basically following the dominance approach. At the end of the 1990s, however, an initiative was started to collect new field data according to European floristic-ecological standards. In 1999, the Bulgarian Vegetation Database (GIVD ID EU-BG-001) was established to collect available data for getting a better insight in the diversity of Bulgarian vegetation. The database uses TURBOVEG software and is located in the Working Group for Vegetation and Habitats in the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia. In September 2010, this database contained 5,901 releves, most of them related to grasslands. The major part of the data has been collected after 2000. The geographic distribution of the field data over the country is uneven. Most of the data are derived from particular projects and gathered at locations with a relatively undisturbed environment. Altogether, thirty authors have contributed to the field sampling. Some 25.5% of the releves were taken from the literature. It has been estimated that some additional 2,900 releves can be derived from the literature and unpublished sources. For the purposes of the database, a full list of expected syntaxa for Bulgaria has been prepared.

Kuwait Vegetation Database

The Kuwait Vegetation Database (GIVD ID AS-KW-001) was initiated by L. Mucina during his brief (2-year) stay with the Kuwait University. The primary aim of this database has been to collect and collate all vegetation plot data onto one electronic database platform conform with the formatting standards of the global TURBOVEG community of users. The plant checklist assisting the data capture of the Kuwaiti vegetation plot data is based on an unpublished document (L. Mucina, Annotated Checklist of the Flora of Kuwait, version 1999). The database also serves as data depository of unpublished releves made by the author during his stay in Kuwait (1998–2000).

German Vegetation Reference Database (GVRD)

The German Vegetation Reference Database (GVRD; GIVD ID EU-DE-014) was established in 2008 as a reference vegetation database for vegetation records of the German Biodiversity Exploratories (http://www.biodiversity-exploratories.de/). Initially, the database had a focus on forest and grassland vegetation but is currently undergoing a continuous broadening of scope. Releves were digitized and compiled from published and unpublished sources and from various thematic, regional or local databases with the ambition to cover the whole territory of Germany. The database is hosted at the Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg at the Institute of Biology in the Department of Geobotany and is one of the database platforms of the German Centre of Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv, http://www.idiv-biodiversity.de). The functionality of the database is increasingly enhanced, currently comprising links to Germany’s trait databases and GIS. At present, the database is used to test current theories in community assembly rules (http://www.biodiversity-exploratories.de/1/projects/weitere-projekte/botany-related-studies/berich/). Further current analyses are the temporal and geographical distribution of species and of vegetation types and the assessment of biodiversity.

Taxonstand: An r package for species names standardisation in vegetation databases

Summary1. Compilation of vegetation databases has contributed significantly to the advancement of vegetation science all over the world. Yet, methodological problems result from the use of plant names, particularly in data that originate from numerous and heterogeneous sources. One of the main problems is the inordinate number of synonyms that can be found in vegetation lists.2. We present Taxonstand, an r package to automatically standardise plant names using The Plant List (http://www.theplantlist.org). The scripts included in this package allow connection to the online search engine of the Plant List and retrieve information from each species about its current taxonomic status. In those cases where the species name is a synonym, it is replaced by the current accepted name. In addition, this package can help correcting orthographic errors in specific epithets.3. This tool greatly facilitates the preparation of large vegetation databases prior to their analyses, particularly when they cover broad geographical areas (supranational or even continental scale) or contain data from regions with rich floras where taxonomic problems have not been resolved for many of their taxa. Automated workflows such as the one provided by the taxonstand package can ease considerably this task using a widely accessible working nomenclatural authority list for plant species names such as The Plant List.