SALVIAS Data Sources

(updated 18 Feb. 2013)

Plant inventories

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SALVIAS currently manages a database of 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

Click on the folder icons below for more information:

 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

© The SALVIAS Project 2004