Vegetation Database Research Articles

Vegetation Database of Slovenia

The Vegetation Database of Slovenia (GIVD ID EU-SI-001) is held at the Institute of Biology ZRC SAZU, Ljubljana, Slovenia. It contains all available published releve material from the territory of Slovenia. All registered plant communities are covered. Releves originate from published sources and grey literature (theses, survey reports). The database is used for archiving releve material, for preparation of classifications and other analyses of vegetation of Slovenia and neighbouring countries.

BERGWALD – the vegetation database of mountain forests in the Bavarian Alps

The database BERGWALD (GIVD ID EU-DE-002), an electronic repository for vegetation plot data from forests and related vegetation in the Bavarian Alps (Germany), is presented. Created in 1995, the database has been intensively used for the classification and mapping of vegetation and site types, for calibrating and evaluating plant indicator values, and for analysing patterns of plant species richness. Hosted at the University of Applied Sciences in Freising, Bavaria, the data are available for collaborative re-

Swiss Forest Vegetation Database

The Swiss Forest Vegetation Database (GIVD ID EU-CH-005) contains roughly 14,800 releves located in all parts of Switzerland, and ranging from 200 to 2,480 m a.s.l. Releves were assessed between 1904 and 1995 by 320 different activities with one or more persons involved. A majority of the releves were published in papers, monographs or served for regional mapping projects. A first consistent classification into 71 Swiss forest communities derived from 2,533 of these releves (17%) and equalled the starting point of this collection. During the 1980s and ‘90s, the database was largely extended in order to establish a basis for a revised classification. Meanwhile, many cantons of Switzerland commissioned local forest classifications, which also resulted in an evolution of local expertise on the one hand, and in the difficulty of synthesizing this expertise by means of formal analyses. Eventually, the revision of Ellenberg & Klotzli’s old classification failed. To date, there is no new analysis-based classification of Swiss forests. In contrast, a pragmatic system was established that largely corresponds to the old Ellenberg & Kloztli numbers and may translate between the differing cantonal forest community systems.

Colombian Páramo Vegetation Database (CPVD) – the database on high Andeanpáramovegetation in Colombia

The Colombian Paramo Vegetation Database (CPVD; GIVD ID SA-CO-001) originates from the rush of phytosociological studies developed during the second half of the last century. The efforts of Spanish, Dutch and Colombian botanists have allowed almost the entire territory of the country where this natural region (paramo) is present to be covered. The database currently has records of approximately 1,000 plots representing at least 327 different physiognomic types such as shrubs, Espeletia stem rosettes and bunchgrasses established in localities of the three Andean Cordilleras and in the Caribbean massifs, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and Serrania de Perija. The Eastern Cordillera, which is the most explored mountain range, contains the highest diversity and richness in vegetation types. The construction of the database has allowed us to start the delimitation and syntaxonomical classification of vegetation units, as can be seen in the most recent phytosociological treatments of the paramo vegetation of the Western Cordillera and the massifs of the Caribbean region. The database provides information for programs on conservation of associated flora and fauna species and restoration – recovery of vegetation types under imminent risk due to habitat loss. Also relevant are its applications in spatial delimitation of conservation reserves, development of thematic cartography, and precise definition of altitudinal limits of the paramo region for land use purposes.

Vegetation Database of Guaramacal, Andes, Venezuela

The Vegetation Database of Guaramacal, Andes, Venezuela (GIVD ID SA-VE-001) includes a set of releves gathered from montane rainforest vegetation. Ramal de Guaramacal is a mountain range extending approximately 30 kilometres northeast towards the eastern end of the Venezuelan Andes; between 9° 05’21’’ N and 70° 00’20’’ W. The data were collected within the framework of a project aiming to study the floristic and vegetation diversity of the Guaramacal National Park. The forest data contains a total of 44 samples, collected by the author from 1995 to 2006. They are located at different altitudes between 1,300 and 3,000 m, distributed throughout the different Park sectors. The data were used to characterize the montane rainforest vegetation of Ramal de Guaramacal and to establish a syntaxonomic scheme which represents the first attempt to classify the vegetation phytosociologically based on a quantitative data set from an entire mountain range in the Venezuelan Andes. An analysis of forest functional diversity changes with altitude has also been performed based on the forest database.

UK Environmental Change Network – Vegetation Database

This paper describes the vegetation database of the UK Environmental Change Network (ECN - http://www.ecn.ac.uk; GIVD ID EU-GB-002). ECN is the UK's long-term environmental monitoring programme. A wide range of integrated physical, chemical and biological variables which drive and respond to environmental change are collated, quality controlled and made freely available for scientific research. Vegetation data recording forms part of the suite of ECN measurements. Data are recorded at regular time intervals at twelve sites located around the UK. The vegetation data, along with the wider information resource available for the ECN sites, are available through a licensing system.

Vegetation Database East Africa

Since 1991, nearly 1800 plots in all vegetation formations of East Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania with focus on the Kilimanjaro) were established using the method of Braun-Blanquet (1964). Inside the highly complex und structered montane forests the study included for the first time in tropical regions all vegetation layers (herbs, shrubs, trees, lianas and epiphytes). On the mountains of Tanzania these plots are equipped with data loggers recording climatic parameters. Aim of the database: classification and vegetation map of East Africa (a detailed map of Kilimanjaro is already prepared); reconstruction of vegetation and climate history of East Africa (in collaboration with studies of flightless Saltatoria and palaeobotany); analysis of diversity patterns along altitudinal gradients; providing baseline data for the DFG research unit KiLi (FOR 1246). This report describes the available content in the vegetation-plot database of the Vegetation Database East Africa (GIVD ID AF-00-004).

Vegetation Database of Eurasian Tundra

The Vegetation Database of Eurasian Tundra (GIVD ID EU-FI-001) consists of vegetation plots from different parts of the Eurasian tundra. The sample plots represent high altitude vegetation on the northwestern Scandes both on siliceous and calcareous soil substrates, arctic tundra/polar semi-desert vegetation sampled along elevation and meso-topography gradients from 16 sites in total. The database is under development to include vegetation plots from tundra and mountain tundra vegetation published in the literature.

Vegetation Database of the Volga and the Ural Rivers Basins

In 2004, researchers from the Department of phytodiversity of the Institute of the Ecology of the Volga River Basin of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Togliatti), the chair of botany of Samara State Academy of Social Sciences and Humanities (Samara) and the Department of the biogeography and biodiversity monitoring of the Institute of Steppe UB RAS (Orenburg) started working on the development of the Vegetation Database of the Volga and the Ural Rivers Basins (GIVD ID EU-RU-003). This database uses TURBOVEG. At present the database contains data on plant communities of forest-steppe and steppe zones within Ulyanovsk, Samara, Saratov, Orenburg, Saratov and Astrachan regions. Information is collected in two groups with separate data on geobotanical releves and on the syntaxa uniting these releves. In the first case, each geobotanical releve includes the following parameters: the species composition with projective cover for each species of plants; total projective cover; plot size; ecotope and location, where the releve was made; information on publication of the releve (the reference, table number, releve number in the table); syntaxon which the releve belongs to; its position in the SynBioSys Europe syntaxa system; geographical coordinates. In the second case, each syntaxon is provided with its name, position in the SynBioSys Europe syntaxa system, number of releves and the permanence of each species. Currently, the database has information of halophytic (Thero-Salicornietea, Festuco-Puccinellietea), steppe (FestucoBrometea), meadow (Phragmito-Magnocaricetea, Molinio-Arrhenetheretea) vegetation and karst relief vegetation (Festuco-Brometea, Querco-Fagetea, Galio-Urticetea, Trifolio-Geranietea sanguinei) in the Volga and the Ural River Basins within forest-steppe and steppe zones, and includes results of our own research activities (since 1994) and data from literature sources (since 1968). The data is collected in each of the institutions mentioned above, and then the data is exchanged and summarized. The database is connected toEuropean Syntaxonomical Biological System SynBioSys Europe (http://www.synbiosys.alterra.nl/synbiosyseu) where the data on 917 published releves and 127 syntaxa has been currently sent to.

Vegetation Database of Pine Forests on Acidic Soils in Germany

The Vegetation Database of Pine Forests on Acidic Soils in Germany (GIVD ID EU-DE-019) of ± acidophytic pine forests (mainly Dicrano-Pinion and plantations at deciduous forest sites and Pulsatillo-Pinetea) in Germany comprises 3327 releves, about two thirds from the Northern German lowlands and one third from the hilly regions up to approximately 800 m a.s.l. (mainly Bavaria). Besides Dicrano-Pinion, also small amounts of Vaccinio uliginosi-Pinetea and montain scree forest releves (Betulo carpaticaeSorbetum) are included. The database was created in the early 1990s and finished in 2005 in order to re-evaluate the syntaxonomy of acidophytic pine forests of Germany based on ± all available vegetation data. Only original releves (Braun-Blanquet method) from 73 sources, published in local ecological journals or monographs, or unpublished material e.g. from diploma theses, are included. Plots sizes, complete structural data and exact georeference are mostly not included in the electronic repository, but may be retrieved 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, performance of indicator plants and the influence of pollution and land-use change 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.

Vegetation Database of Québec (MRNF)

An ecological forest inventory was conducted from 1986 to 2000 in the portion of the Quebec province south of the 52nd parallel. The resulting database contains data from 28,425 ecological releves located throughout the different bioclimatic domains of Quebec. For each releve, information was gathered on both the vegetation composition and physical environment. Vegetation composition is described by several variables including tree species composition, floristic composition and species cover of different height strata for woody vascular plants as well as cover of herbaceous vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens. Variables describing the physical environment include altitude, slope inclination and aspect, microrelief, bedrock geology and surficial deposit, drainage, humus type, stoniness and soil texture. Data from these releves form the basic structure underlying the hierarchal ecological classification system of the Ministere des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune (MRNF). The data was also used to develop ecological classification field guides specific to each of the province’s ecological regions, providing detailed ecological knowledge to forest managers throughout the province. Finally, data from ecological releves were used to develop Canadian National Vegetation Classifications (CNVC) vegetation associations. This report describes the available content in the Vegetation Database of Quebec (MRNF) (GIVD ID NA-CA-002).

Socotra Vegetation Database

The Socotra Vegetation Database (GIVD ID AS-YE-001) contains 396 releves (including 500 species). Ten percent of the releves come from the scientific literature; the remaining 90% have been collected by the authors during several field campaigns carried out between 2007 and 2009. Phytosociological investigation was performed according to the methods described by Westhoff & van der Maarel and Braun-Blanquet. The location of the releve was selected in relation to the homogeneity of physical features, vegetation structure and species dominance. According to these criteria forest, woodland, shrubland, grassland and halophytic communities were sampled. Plot sizes ranged from 200 m2 to 4 m2 depending on the plant community. Cover/abundance data for all vascular plants were recorded in the field using the Braun-Blanquet scale. The database was created in TURBOVEG. A classification analysis was performed to identify the main vegetation communities of the islands and the results are included in the database.

Vegetation Database Forests of the Oldenburg Region

The Vegetation Database Forests of the Oldenburg Region (GIVD ID EU-DE-010) contains numerous forest releves from the surrounding area of Oldenburg within a radius of ca. 50 km. These releves originate from several studies conducted by scientists and students of Oldenburg University since 1990. A high proportion of releves includes information on pH and humus form. The releves are mostly unpublished but the results have led to several publications especially on the role of pH in shaping floristic patterns of forest communities.

Natural Heritage Vegetation Database for West Virginia

The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program maintains a database of vegetation plots sampled across the state, the Natural Heritage Vegetation Database for West Virginia (GIVD ID NA-US-013). Data includes information on vegetation structure, plant species composition, and environment in plots of specified area and location. The purpose of this database is to facilitate classification and characterization of natural and semi-natural vegetation in the state to serve as a tool for conservation of biological diversity in all kingdoms.

Phytobase C2005 – vegetation database of Swiss floodplains (Braun-Blanquet plots)

Alluvial zones are dynamic habitats which are very rich in species. As they are highly endangered, the Swiss Federal Council has recorded them in an inventory, as required under the article 18a of the Federal Act on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage (NCHA; SR 451). The alluvial zones vegetation database (Phytobase C2005; GIVD ID EU-CH-008) contains 1,241 releves from whole Switzerland, ranging from 200 to 3,000 m. Releves were assessed between 1987 and 2008 from 20 different people. These releves were done using the classical Braun-Blanquet method.

The Alps Vegetation Database – a geo-referenced community-level archive of all terrestrial plants occurring in the Alps

Mountain ranges are biodiversity hotspots worldwide and provide refuge to many organisms under contemporary climate change. Gathering field information on mountain biodiversity over time is of primary importance to understand the response of biotic communities to climate changes. For plants, several long-term observation sites and networks of mountain biodiversity are emerging worldwide to gather field data and monitor altitudinal range shifts and community composition changes under contemporary climate change. Most of these monitoring sites, however, focus on alpine ecosystems and mountain summits, such as the global observation research initiative in alpine environments (GLORIA). Here we describe the Alps Vegetation Database, a comprehensive community level archive (GIVD ID EU-00-014) which aims at compiling all available geo-referenced vegetation plots from lowland forests to alpine grasslands across the greatest mountain range in Europe: the Alps. This research initiative was funded between 2008 and 2011 by the Danish Council for Independent Research and was part of a larger project to compare cross-scale plant community structure between the Alps and the Scandes. The Alps Vegetation Database currently harbours 35,731 geo-referenced vegetation plots and 5,023 valid taxa across Mediterranean, temperate and alpine environments. The data are mainly used by the main contributors of the Alps Vegetation Database in an ecoinformatics approach to test hypotheses related to plant macroecology and biogeography, but external proposals for joint collaborations are welcome.

Vegetation Database of South-Western Kyrgyzstan – the walnut-wildfruit forests and alpine pastures

The following factsheet provides a brief overview of the Vegetation Database of South Western Kyrgystan (GIVD ID ASKG-001) of the project “The Impact of the Transformation Process on Human-Environmental Interactions in Southern Kyrgyzstan”. Within the framework of this project phytosociological releves of the walnut-fruit forest and adjacent subalpine and alpine pastures has been sampled since 2001. Currently, there are 698 releves available from the walnut-wildfruit forest region (Arslanbob, Bazaar Korgon Rayon, Jalalabad Oblast, Kyrgyzstan). At present the dataset is used by the members of the study group for analysing quantitative and qualitative effects of varying grazing pressure with respect to site-ecological conditions, vegetation patterns, productivity and grazing impact.

Polish Vegetation Database

The Polish Vegetation Database (GIVD ID EU-PL-001) was created in 2007 at the Department of Biodiversity and Plant Cover Protection, University of Wroclaw. Its aim is to collect all the phytosociological data from the territory of Poland. The database includes mainly vegetation records collected during the last century using the Central European phytosociological method. The sources of the Polish Vegetation Database are mainly published records from regional studies carried out in the territory of Poland. The database also contains unpublished data, mainly from South-western Poland. The largest group of data represents the vegetation of dry and wet grasslands, 40.6% of the total sources of the database, followed by forest and shrub communities (25.6%), anthropogenic vegetation (24.4%), water and peat bogs (8.6%), and other types of vegetation (0.8%). The database aims to support the regional and national synthesis for the classification of vegetation, and studies of biodiversity and vegetation transformation in the Polish plant communities. Data collected in the database is also an important source of information about the distribution of plant communities and valuable habitats of the Natura 2000 Project. Information stored in the database is the basis for assessing the habitat preferences and large-scale patterns of plant species richness or geographical distribution. It will also become the basis for testing new research methods and techniques used in the nature conservation and monitoring of environmental changes.

Vegetation Database of Observatory Woods, Wisconsin – mapped vegetation

Shortly after Observatory Woods (an oak-hickory forest) was purchased by the University of Wisconsin in 1956, Robert Burgess conducted a detailed vegetation inventory via a grid system of 30.5x30.5m contiguous stands within 4 hectares. In his Master’s Thesis (1959) he provides maps of species distributions of 16 tree species and 138 herbaceous species. In the summer of 2007 I resampled the understory and tree layers of Observatory Woods to investigate changes in local species distributions, and to determine which species are microhabitat specialists and which are microhabitat generalists. Following Burgess 1959, I established a grid of thirty-eight stands, each slightly less than 1/4 acre, in total encompassing about 8 acres. The corners of some of these stands are marked with a permanent stake. Within each stand, I placed fifteen 1 m quadrats, totalling 544 throughout the entire forest (property lines cut off some edges). I collected vegetation data on the ground, shrub, and canopy layers, as well as environmental data throughout the forest. This report describes the available content in the Vegetation Database of Observatory Woods, Wisconsin (GIVD ID NA-US-009).

Italian National Vegetation Database (BVN/ISPRA)

The BVN project aims to develop a Georeferenced National Vegetation Database, by digitizing and compiling vegetation plot data, from published and unpublished sources. The aim is to provide data for vegetation mapping projects and/or nature conservation and research programs (NATURA 2000, land planning, biodiversity studies, etc.). This geodatabase is an initiative of the National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), a public body reporting to the Ministry of Environment, performing technical, scientific and research activities on environmental issues. A key tool in the activity of the Institute is the “Nature Map” Project, the vegetation map of Italy at the scale 1:50.000 using the Corine Biotopes/Palaearctic/EUNIS classifications. In order to complete the project, since 2004 a large number of vegetation-floristic data have been collected on the national territory (currently the project has covered half of the territory) on ground control points and from literature sources and managed in a Geographic Information System. This geodatabase constitutes the core of the project; the final format will be available online for consultation and upon request for scientific purposes. The BVN is developed using TURBOVEG, in agreement with the activities of the European Vegetation Survey. The geodatabase currently comprises 4400 releves and it is growing rapidly. This report describes the available content in the Italian National Vegetation Database (BVN/ISPRA; GIVD ID EU-IT-010).