A unified plant ecology database for Spain

Abstract

We present a new database providing spatial data to support plant ecological research and conservation throughout mainland Spain. It integrates high-resolution spatial data of four main categories: (I) plant occurrence data, (II) environmental variables, (III) species distribution models, and (IV) thematic maps for conservation and management. The occurrence dataset includes georeferenced records for 81 tree and 101 shrub native species, and atlas data for 6,456 vascular plants and 1,252 bryophytes. Environmental variables include climatic, edaphic, hydrological, and solar, factors influencing plant distribution. Species distribution models are available for all the trees and shrubs (182 species). Thematic maps include species richness for woody and protected plants, distribution of vegetation types, and forest connectivity. All climatic variables, models, and thematic maps are projected under current and four future climate scenarios (2070–2100). The database is openly available on Zenodo.