Vegetation-plot data and databases in Europe: an overview

摘要: During the last decade many electronic databases of vegetation plots, mainly phytosociological releves, were established in different European countries. These contain information which is extremely valuable for both testing various macroecological hypotheses and nature conservation surveying or monitoring. The aim this paper to provide estimates number vegetation plots there are in Europe, how stored in an format to assess their distribution across countries and regions.We sent a questionnaire managers national or regional other prominent vegetation ecologists. Meta-data obtained way indicate that > 4,300,000 vegetation-plot records Europe, of 1,800,000 already electronically. Of the electronic plots, 60% TURBOVEG databases. Most plot probably exist Germany, Netherlands, France, Poland, Spain, Czech Republic, Italy, UK, Switzerland and Austria. largest numbers per unit area in the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark central Europe. most computerized country the Netherlands (600,000), followed by France, Republic and UK. Due its strong tradition, Europe has more than any part of the world. This wealth unique ecological information a challenge future biodiversity studies. With alarming loss environmental problems like global warming ongoing changes land use, urgent need wide-scale scientific applied research. Developments systems such as SynBioSys Europe and facilitation data flow between regional databases should make it easier use these vegetation-plot data.