Database Report

Database of Masaryk University`s Vegetation Research in Siberia and adjacent areas

Milan Chytrý

GIVD Database ID: 00-RU-002	Last update: 2026-03-02
Database of Masaryk University`s Vegetation Research in Siberia and adjacent areas	Web address:
Database manager(s): Milan Chytrý (chytry@sci.muni.cz)
Owner: Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
Scope: The database contains records from vegetation plots collected since 1991 during research expeditions of Masaryk University in Siberia and adjacent areas, namely the Southern Urals (Bashkortostan), Kazakhstan, the West Siberian Plain, the Altai-Sayan Mountains, Buryatia, and Central Yakutia. Most of these plots were sampled in forest, steppe, and mountain tundra vegetation. Plot records are supplemented with various measurements, including soil properties and biomass.
Abstract: The database contains records from vegetation plots collected since 1991 during research expeditions of Masaryk University Siberia and adjacent areas, namely the Southern Urals (Bashkortostan), Kazakhstan, the West Siberian Plain, the Altai-Sayan Mountains, Buryatia, and Central Yakutia. Most plots were recorded in forest, steppe, and alpine tundra vegetation. Each plot contains a full record of vascular plants, terricolous bryophytes, and macrolichens. Some plots also contain data on soil properties, biomass, and hemispheric canopy photographs. In some plots, modern pollen deposition and molluscan community composition were measured. The database is used for biodiversity studies, with a focus on palaeoecology and modern vegetation-environment relationships.
Availability: according to a specific agreement	Online upload: no	Online search: no
Database format(s): TURBOVEG	Export format(s): TURBOVEG
Plot type(s): normal plots	Plot-size range (m²): 0.25 to 400
Non-overlapping plots: 2684	Estimate of existing plots: 2684	Completeness: 100%	Status: ongoing capture
Total no. of plot observations: 2684	Number of sources (biblioreferences, data collectors): 0	Valid taxa: 0
Countries (%): RU: 90; KZ: 10
Formations: Forest: 15% = Semi-aquatic: 1%; Terrestrial: 14%
Guilds: all vascular plants: 100%; bryophytes (terricolous or aquatic): 100%; lichens (terricolous or aquatic): 100%
Plot size categories (%): < 1 m2: 3%; 1-10 m2: 114%; 10-100 m2: 371%; 100-1000 m2: 2195%; 1000-10000 m2: 0%; >= 10000 m2: 0%; unknowmn: 1%;
Environmental data (%): altitude: 100; slope aspect: 100; slope inclination: 100; microrelief: 100; surface cover other than plants (open soil, litter, bare rock etc.): 100; other soil attributes: 100; soil pH: 100; land use categories: 100; soil depth: 100; other attributes: soil electrical conductivity for all plots; total N, P, K, Ca, Mg and organic C in soil for a subset of plot; C, N, P, K and Ca in herbaceous biomass for a subset of plots
Performance measure(s): cover: 100%; measurements like diameter or height of trees: 35%; biomass: 48%
Geographic localisation: GPS coordinates (precision 25 m or less): 100%
Sampling periods:
Information as of 2026-06-14; further details and future updates available from http://www.givd.info/ID/00-RU-002

Milan Chytrý* (chytry@sci.muni.cz)
Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlárská 2, CZ-61137 Brno, CZECH REP.
* corresponding author