MOVECLIM-AZORES: plot based vascular plant cover along elevational gradients (2013).

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Botany
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Vascular plant and ground cover surveys were conducted in 2013 on four Azorean islands (São Miguel, Terceira, Pico, Flores) within the MOVECLIM project.
• Surveys followed an elevational transect in native or well-preserved vegetation patches.
• A standardized plot-based protocol used permanent 10 m × 10 m plots, subdivided into four 5 m × 5 m subplots, at ~200 m elevation intervals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a baseline for long-term monitoring of native Azorean vegetation.
• To assess the distribution and impact of invasive plant species.
• To evaluate native plant community responses to environmental pressures across islands.

Main Methods:

• Recorded all vascular taxa within subplots.
• Assigned plant cover using the Braun-Blanquet Ordinal Transform Value (OTV) scale (numeric values 1-9).
• Established 58 permanent plots, generating 232 subplot records and 2,539 occurrence records.

Main Results:

• Documented 109 species, 5 subspecies, 92 genera, and 58 families of vascular plants.
• Identified 44 Azorean endemic, 40 native non-endemic, and 30 introduced taxa, including 17 invasive species.
• The dataset spans diverse elevation ranges and disturbance histories across the four islands.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a foundational dataset for ecological research and conservation efforts in the Azores.
• Findings are critical for understanding the dynamics of native and invasive flora in island ecosystems.
• This baseline data supports future assessments of vegetation change and management strategies.