SALVIAS Data Sources
(updated 5 Sept. 2004)
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SALVIAS provides access to the following data sources:
Plots currently in SALVIAS database:
13688
- treeplots, vegetation cover plots
- compiled as a single relational database
- database structure accomodates individuals-based samples, counts of individuals per species, species cover,
and species presence-absence
- standardizations: all taxon names have been either standardized to match a world list of plant
names, or explicity flagged as morphospecies
- for reference, original names are preserved "as is" in separate fields
- Full collection information
(taxonomic identity, locality, specimen description) for specimens of individual plants housed in herbaria
- Information provided via a combination of web-based searches, direct server links, local caching, and stand-alone databases
- From on-line taxonomic information databases
- via a combination of web-based searches, direct server links, local caching, and stand-alone databases
See below for detailed information on the sources and format of each type of information. For the sake of completeness, we list all data sources currently accessible by our applications; however, some data sources may not be currently available over our website, pending permission for re-distribution.
Plant inventories
SALVIAS members login to plots database
SALVIAS currently manages a database of
13688
vegetation inventories from around the world,
with emphasis on the New World tropics. These include all 228 tenth ha plots from the Al Gentry forest transect dataset. Most inventories are one-time samples. However, SALVIAS also holds a growing number of permanent 1 ha plots, including some which have been censused more than once.
Methodologies used to collect these samples range from individuals-based samples, such as 0.1 ha and 1 ha forest plots, to cover- and density-based techniques, such as point-intercept. Anyone intending to combine different datasets for the purpose of an analysis should become familiar with the details of each methodology. For some analyses, it may not be appropriate to combine samples collected using different techniques.
Download format. Data are currently provided as downloads of comma-delimited text files. This format can be easily imported into any database or spreadsheet application. In the future, we will offer xml downloads as well. For detailed information on field names, data types, and pick-list field values of inventory data downloaded from SALVIAS, please see our SALVIAS Data Dictionary
The Alwyn H. Gentry Forest Transect Dataset
- 228 tenth hectare plots collected from forests around
the world by the late Al Gentry and colleagues. The original data are still available over the Missouri Botanical Garden's website in the form of individual spreadsheets and text files (go to http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Research/gentry/transect.shtml). The SALVIAS version has undergone extensive cleaning and standardization to ensure that names of taxa match to standard binomials from the Missouri Botanical Garden's own TROPICOS database. Plots can be downloaded either individually or as a single comma-delimited file. For more information on the history of the Gentry transects, see Gentry 1988 and Phillips and Miller 2002 . Our thanks to the Missouri Botanical Garden for their permission to re-distribute this important legacy dataset.
- Default access level=3 (public)
- Methodology: 0.1 ha total area, with a 2.5 cm dbh minimum size cutoff. Sample unit: species (stems). Lists species in each subplot, with counts of individuals in a separate column. Dbh values are for stems, and do not map directly to individuals (for a more detailed explanation, see Supplementary notes on the Gentry transect dataset. Also review references mentioned previously, especially Gentry 1988 . Finally, be sure to review the SALVIAS Data Dictionary before working with downloads of these data.
Brad Boyle altitudinal gradient data set.
- 37 tenth hectare forest plots from altitudinal gradients
of wet tropical forest in each of the following regions: Sierra Norte, Oaxaca, Mexico (11 plots), Braulio Carrillo National Park, Costa Rica (15 plots), Carchi Province, NW Ecuador (11 plots). Elevations covered range from 2750 m down to 750 m (500 m in Costa Rica). See Boyle 1996 for more information.
- Default access level=2 (can view summary data; species searchable via specDQ; full data by request)
- Methodology: Modified Gentry transect. 0.1 ha total area, with 2.5 cm minimum size cutoff. Sample unit: individuals. See Boyle 1996 , or download a brief description
OTS Costa Rican tenth hectare transect data set.
- 20 tenth hectare forest plots collected at various
locations throughout Costa Rica by OTS (Organization for Tropical Studies) Tropical Plant Systematics and Tropical Biology field courses, under the direction of Brad Boyle.
- Default access level=3 (public)
- Methodology: Modified Gentry transect. See Brad Boyle altitudinal gradient data set.
RAINFOR 0.1 ha Madre de Dios, Peru forest transects.
- 102 tenth hectare forest plots from the Madre de Dios Department of Amazonian Peru. Contributed by RAINFOR collaborator Percy Nuñez.
- Default access level=3 (public)
- Methodology: 0.1 ha total area, with 2.5 cm minimum size cutoff. Sample unit: individuals. For more details, see RAINFOR website
RAINFOR - 1 ha Peru permanent plots.
- 28 one hectare permanent forest plots from Amazonian Peru. All plots have been re-censused at least once. Data on SALVIAS is currently only from first census of each plot.
- Default access level=3 (public)
- Methodology: 1 ha total area, with 10 cm minimum size cutoff. For more details, see RAINFOR website
Madidi Permanent Plots
- 6 one hectare permanent forest plots from the Madidi region of Bolivia. All trees >= 10 cm dbh, permanently marked. Contributed by Peter Jorgensen (Missouri Botanical Garden) and collaborators. Click here for an overview of the project in Spanish.
- Default access level=2 (can view summary data; species searchable via specDQ; full data by request)
- Methodology: 1 ha total area (100 m x 100 m), 10 cm dbh minimu size cutoff. Sampling unit: individuals. Click here for more details (Spanish only).
Madidi Transects
- 100 tenth hectare Gentry-methodology forest surveys from the Madidi region of Bolivia. Trees, shrubs, and lianas >= 2.5 cm dbh in 1000 m2 belt transects. Contributed by Peter Jorgensen (Missouri Botanical Garden) and collaborators. Click here for an overview of the project in Spanish.
- Default access level=2 (can view summary data; species searchable via specDQ; full data by request)
- Methodology: 0.1 ha total area (2 m x 500 m, done as ten 2 m x 50 m subplots), 2.5 cm dbh minimu size cutoff. Sampling unit: individuals. See references cited under the Gentry transect dataset, above, for a general discussion of this sampling technique. Click here for methodological details specific to this dataset (Spanish only).
Noel Kempf Forest Plots
- 29 one hectare permanent forest plots from Noel Kempff National Park, Bolivia. All trees >= 10 cm dbh, permanently marked. Most plots have been re-censused. Contributed by Tim Killeen and collaborators.Default access level=3 (public)
- Methodology: 1 ha total area (100 m x 100 m), 10 cm dbh minimum size cutoff. Sampling unit: individuals. Click here for more details.
Noel Kempf Savanna Plots
- 9 point-intercept plots in savanna vegetation, from Noel Kempff National Park, Bolivia. Contributed by Tim Killeen and collaborators.
- Default access level=3 (public)
- Methodology: Point-intercept. Click here for more details.
INW Vegetation Plots
- 3,127 vegetation cover plots from upland areas
of the interior northwestern United States. Plot area 20 m x 20 m. Includes plot biomass estimates using
the BIOME-BCG model, and extensive climate data for each sampling locality estimated using
Daymet climate model. climate
model. This dataset was compiled and standardized by Michael Jennings. The field work is from many different
government and nongovernmental institutions.
- Default access level=3 (public)
- Methodology: 20 m x 20 m total area. Sampling unit: species, with percent cover. See metadata file for more details.
- Additional plot-level data. Click here to download plot-level attributes, productivity, and climate data.
Cam Webb Borneo Forest Plots
- Twenty eight 0.01 ha tree plots from tropical lowland forest, Kalimantan, Indonesia. Contributed by Cam Webb.
- Default access level=3 (public)
- Methodology: 0.01 ha total area (10 m x 10 m), 10 cm dbh minimu size cutoff, trees only. Sampling unit: individuals. Click here for more details. Also see Webb & Peart (2000) (1.1 MB).
Dewalt Bolivia Forest Plots
- Two 1 ha and two 0.1 ha forest inventories from lowland moist forest in Bolivia. Collected as part of an ethnobotanical survey of the Tacana (DeWalt et al. 1999). Contributed by Saara Dewalt.
- Default access level=3 (public)
- Methodology: click here for more details. Also see DeWalt et al. 1999 .
La Selva Secondary Forest Transects
- Three 0.1 ha forest inventories in regenerating forest near La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. Contributed by Susan G. Letcher, University of Connecticut.
- Default access level=3 (public)
- Methodology: click here for more details. .
Bonifacino Forest Transects
- 0.1 ha forest inventories from subtropical forests in Uruguay. Data contributed by Mauricio Bonifacino, Laboratorio de Botánica, Facultad de Agronomía, Montevideo, Uruguay. Data collected by M. Bonifacino, María Puppo and Jerónimo Pardiñas
- Default access level=3 (public)
- Methodology: Modified Gentry transect. See Brad Boyle altitudinal gradient data set for details. .
To view maps showing the geographic locations of
these inventories, click on the following links (currently only Gentry and
Boyle plots shown; n = 265):
South America 
World
Herbarium specimens
SALVIAS members login to specimen query engine
SALVIAS has access to numerous specimen databases, linking to herbarium specimen by
taxonomy. Several of these are maintained as static local databases, while others are
dynamically updated through our specimen.dq application.
Currently SALVIAS has redistribution permission only for specimens
obtained from Tropicos; however, we are currently negotiating with other
data providers for permission to re-distribute specimen information.
- Tropicos - Operated by
the Missouri Botanical Garden , the w3Tropicos database
is the premiere on-line source for taxonomy and specimen data. The SALVIAS application
specimen.dq
exhaustively searches Tropicos for specimen data. Use of data from Tropicos data taken from
SALVIAS applications is subject to MOBOT policies and limitations, and Tropicos must be
acknowledged and should be cited when used from any source.
- University of Arizona Herbarium - SALVIAS users
can now search the collections of the University of Arizona herbarium through the SpecDQ interface.
This is one of world's largest collections of vascular plant specimens from the arid Southwestern
United States and northwestern Mexico.
- REMIB - SALVIAS has on-line access
to the REMIB database, which accesses more than 6 million herbarium specimen housed in 20 collections
(including the Tropicos database above). REMIB focuses on Mexican specimen, but searches collections
outside Mexico (e.g., New York Botanical Garden). SALVIAS does not have permission to
house nor redistribute REMIB data , therefore the REMIB database can be accessed only by the
specimen.dq development team.
- OTHER HERBARIUM DATABASES - SALVIAS can currently access over 30
additional herbarium databases worldwide. These databases are currently accessible only to the SALVIAS
development team. Over the next few months, we will be making many of these sources available to SALVIAS
members as we obtain redistribution permission.
Plant taxonomy
SALVIAS members login to taxonomic query engine
SALVIAS retrieves taxonomic information from the following sources.
- Tropicos - Operated by the Missouri Botanical Garden, The w3Tropicos Database is the premiere on-line source for taxonomy and specimen data. SALVIAS has permission to redistribute data from Tropicos, and the SALVIAS application specimen.dq exhaustively searches Tropicos for taxonomic information. Use of data from Tropicos data taken from SALVIAS applications is subject
to MOBOT policies and limitations, and Tropicos must be
acknowledged and should be cited when used from any source.
- IPNI - International Plant Names Index. SALVIAS does not have permission to house or redistribute data obtained from IPNI, therefore taxonomic information from IPNI can be accessed only
by the specimen.dq development team. IPNI itself is a distributed query engine which consults the following sources of nomenclatural information:
- IK - Index Kewensis. Global in coverage; lists names from the first edition of
Linnaeus's Species Plantarum to those being published now.
- GCI - Gray Card Index. New World taxa published on or after January 1886.
- APNI - Australian Plant Names Index. Australian vascular plants.
