Long-term monitoring of woody plants of Doñana shrublands (SW Spain) from 2008 to 2023.

Abstract

Background: The long-term monitoring of the plant cover of Doñana shrublands is part of a harmonised protocol for the Long-term Ecological Monitoring Programme of Natural Resources and Processes targeting Terrestrial Vegetation. The general aim of this protocol is to monitor and assess the dynamics and trends of shrubland plant communities in Doñana. For shrublands, percentage cover is recorded annually, starting in 2008, by the Doñana Long-Term Monitoring Team in one field sampling campaign per year during the flowering season (between March and May) across 21 permanent square plots (15 m x 15 m). Permanent plots were located according to stratified random sampling according to the topographic gradient defining the main shrubland species dominance in the Doñana Biological Reserve. Cover is measured using the line intercept method in three transects inside the plots of 15 m length, orientated from west to east and located at fixed points of 2.5, 7.5 and 12.5 metres on both sides of the plot. Using the line-intercept method, the coverage of each species per individual is measured with a measuring tape, recording its class age (adult or seedling) and canopy status (green or dry) as a living or dead specimen. The average plant height is recorded for every transect. This method enables the calculation of the total percentage cover per species and plant density for transects and plots, as well as the total percentage cover per class age and the total percentage cover of dry and green canopies and bare soil. The annual species richness and diversity of woody plants can also be calculated for every plot.

New information: This paper presents the latest published version of the standardised dataset of percent cover per woody plant species of Doñana long-term monitoring plots available at GBIF.org.