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Vegetation database of the Working Group on Dry Grasslands in the Nordic and Baltic Region

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Abstract

This paper describes the structure and content of the vegetation database of the Working Group on Dry Grasslands in the Nordic and Baltic Region (code EU-00-001 of the World Metadatabase on Vegetation Databases). The Working Group on Dry Grasslands in the Nordic and Baltic Region has been founded in 2005 and is now a subgroup of the European Dry Grassland Group (EDGG). It aims at collecting all available phytosociological relevés of dry grasslands and related communities (basically the phytosociological classes Festuco-Brometea, Koelerio-Corynephoretea, and Trifolio-Geranietea sanguinei) from the study region (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, NW Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, N Poland, and NE Germany). Presently, 7,675 of an estimated total of 20,000 relevés are available in the database, which is run offline with the program SORT 4.0. The data are mainly used by the members of the Working Group for large-scale consistent classifications, but external proposals for joint analyses are welcome. Overlap(s): EU-DE-001 (3,000); EU-DE-005 (3,200) Countries: DE (45%), DK (2%), EE (16%), FI (2%), LT (2%), LV (8%), NO (4%), PL (5%), RU (1%), SE (14%) Sources: 233 Published: 27% Grey: 22% Synoptic tables: 19% Unpublished: 32% Guilds: Woody: 100% Herbaceous: 100% Bryophytes: 80% Lichens: 80% "Algae": 40% Non-terricolous: 10% Plot sizes: 1-100 m²
In: Dengler, J., Oldeland, J., Jansen, F., Chytrý, M., Ewald, J., Finckh, M., Glöckler, F., Lopez-Gonzalez, G., Peet, R.K., Schaminée, J.H.J. (2012)
[Eds.]: Vegetation databases for the 21st century. Biodiversity & Ecology 4: 319320. DOI: 10.7809/b-e.00114.
319
Short Database Report
Database Dry Grasslands in the Nordic and Baltic
Region
Jürgen Dengler & Solvita Rūsiņa
Abstract: The Database Dry Grasslands in the Nordic and Baltic Region (GIVD ID EU-00-002) is an initiative of the respective
regional subgroup of the European Dry Grassland Group (EDGG). Its aim is to compile the available published and unpublished
vegetation-plot data of dry grasslands and related syntaxa (mainly vegetation classes Koelerio-Corynephoretea, Festuco-Brometea,
and Trifolio-Geranietea) from the study region (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, NW Russia, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
N Poland, and NE Germany). The only requirement for inclusion is that the plot size is between 1 and 100 m². The database is
managed under Sort 4.0, but shall be transferred to TURBOVEG soon. Presently, 7,675 vegetation plots of the estimated 20,000 that
exist within the scope are included. The strength of the database is that data from ten countries (no data available from Belarus yet)
have been harmonised to one plant taxonomic view and that 70% of the plots have data on bryophytes and lichens alongside the
vascular plants. The major aim of the originators of the database is to use it for consistent large-scale classifications. However, the data
are also available for other research purposes upon specific agreement. Finally, EU-00-002 is one of the founding databases of the
emerging European Vegetation Archive (EVA) as it contributes valuable data from a part of Europe where most countries do not have
a national vegetation-plot database.
Keywords: bryophyte; dry grassland; European Dry Grassland Group (EDGG); European Vegetation Archive (EVA); Festuco-
Brometea; Koelerio-Corynephoretea; lichen; Trifolio-Geranietea; vascular plant; vegetation plot; vegetation classification.
GIVD Database ID: EU-00-002
Last update: 2012-07-08
Database Dry Grasslands in the Nordic and Baltic Region
Scope: All available relevés with plot sizes 1-100 m² of dry grasslands and related communities (basically the phytosociological classes Festuco-
Brometea, Koelerio-Corynephoretea, and Trifolio-Geranietea sanguinei) from the study region (Denmark, Faroer, Iceland, Norway, Sweden,
Finland, NW Russia, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, N Poland, NE Germany)
Status: ongoing capture
Period: 1922-2009
Database manager(s): Jürgen Dengler (dengler@botanik.uni-hamburg.de); Solvita Rūsiņa (rusina@lu.lv)
Owner: Working Group on Dry Grasslands in the Nordic and Baltic Region, a subgroup of the European Dry Grassland Group (EDGG)
Web address: http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/bzf/syst/wg_dry_grasslands_nordic/wg_dgnb1_eng.htm
Availability: according to a specific agreement
Online upload: no
Online search: no
Database format(s): Sort 4.0, to be transferred to TURBOVEG soon
Export format(s): Excel
Publication: Dengler, J., Rusina, S., Boch, S., Bruun, H. H., Diekmann, M., Dierßen, K., Dolnik, C., Dupré, C., Golub, V. B., Grytnes, J.-A., Helm,
A., Ingerpuu, N., Löbel, S., Pärtel, M., Rašomavi?ius, V., Tyler, G., Znamenskiy, S. R., Zobel, M. (2006): Working group on dry grasslands in the
Nordic and Baltic region Outline of the project and first results for the class Festuco-Brometea. Ann. Bot. N. S. 6: 128, Rome.
Plot type(s): normal plots
Plot-size range: 1-100 m²
Estimate of existing plots: 20,000
Completeness: 38%
Number of sources: 125
Valid taxa: 1,750
Countries: DE: 45.2%; DK: 2.3%; EE: 16.2%; FI: 1.7%; LT: 1.6%; LV: 8.0%; NO: 4.4%; PL: 5.4%; RU: 1.4%; SE: 13.5%
Forest: 0% Non-forest: aquatic: 0%; semi-aquatic: 0%; arctic-alpine: 0%; natural: 0%; semi-natural: 100%; anthropogenic: 0%
Guilds: all vascular plants: 100%; bryophytes (terricolous or aquatic): 71%; lichens (terricolous or aquatic): 71%; algae (terricolous or aquatic):
71%; non-terricolous taxa (epiphytic, saxicolous, lignicolous): 4%
Environmental data: altitude: 8%; slope aspect: 62%; slope inclination: 57%; microrelief: 3%; surface cover other than plants (open soil, litter,
bare rock etc.): 13%; soil pH: 17%; other soil attributes: 19%; land use categories: 3%
Performance measure(s): cover: 100%
Geographic localisation: small grid (not coarser than 10 km): 75%; political units or only on a coarser scale (>10 km): 25%
Sampling periods: 1920-1929: 1.9%; 1930-1939: 0.1%; 1940-1949: 2.4%; 1950-1959: 1.0%; 1960-1969: 4.4%; 1970-1979: 6.0%; 1980-1989:
2.6%; 1990-1999: 54.7%; 2000-2009: 24.7%
Information as of 2012-07-12; further details and future updates available from http://www.givd.info/ID/EU-00-002
Jürgen Dengler* (dengler@botanik.uni-hamburg.de)
Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology of Plants (BEE), Biocentre Klein Flottbek and Botanical Garden, University of Hamburg,
Ohnhorststr. 18, 22609 Hamburg, GERMANY
Biodiversity & Ecology 4 2012
320
Solvita Rūsiņa (rusina@lu.lv)
Department of Physical Geography, Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia, 19 Raina blvd., 1586 Riga,
LATVIA
*Corresponding author
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