Plot Based biodiversity monitoring of trees on island ecosystems (Terceira, Tenerife, and Réunion)

Sampling event Observation
Latest version published by Universidade dos Açores on May 8, 2025 Universidade dos Açores
Publication date:
8 May 2025
Published by:
Universidade dos Açores
License:
CC-BY 4.0

Download the latest version of this resource data as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) or the resource metadata as EML or RTF:

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Description

This study was conducted between 2012 and 2013 to analyze the biodiversity of woody plants across three oceanic islands (Terceira, Tenerife, and Réunion) with distinct geographical characteristics. The research aimed to investigate patterns of variation in the structure of the vegetative community within the native forests of each island. A standardized methodology was applied across the three islands, focusing on native forests that were little anthropogenic disturbance. Ten plots (50 m × 50 m) were established on each island, within which a 5 m × 5 m square was demarcated (see Borges et al., 2018a). The study generated 30 event records and 402 occurrence records

Data Records

The data in this sampling event resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 30 records.

1 extension data tables also exist. An extension record supplies extra information about a core record. The number of records in each extension data table is illustrated below.

Event (core)
30
Occurrence 
402

This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.

Versions

The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.

How to cite

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

Morgado L N, Gabriel R, Elias R B, Ah-Peng C, Fernández-Palacios J M, Strasberg D, Borges P A V (2025). Plot Based biodiversity monitoring of trees on island ecosystems (Terceira, Tenerife, and Réunion). Version 1.6. Universidade dos Açores. Samplingevent dataset. http://ipt.gbif.pt/ipt/resource?r=biomoni_trees&v=1.6

Rights

Researchers should respect the following rights statement:

The publisher and rights holder of this work is Universidade dos Açores. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) License.

GBIF Registration

This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: eab982cf-81df-4d08-b9f4-c2f5c56b8ad3.  Universidade dos Açores publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by GBIF Portugal.

Keywords

Occurrence; Monitoring; Native forest; Species; Reunion Island; Tenerife Island; Terceira Island; Woody plants.

Contacts

Leila Nunes Morgado
  • Originator
  • Researcher
Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c)/Azorean Biodiversity Group, CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability Institute
  • School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d´Ávila, Pico da Urze
9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo
Azores
PT
  • 295402200
Rosalina Gabriel
  • Originator
  • Associate Professor
Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c)/Azorean Biodiversity Group, CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability Institute
  • School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d´Ávila, Pico da Urze
9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo
Azores
PT
  • 295402200
Rui B. Elias
  • Originator
  • Associate Professor
Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c)/Azorean Biodiversity Group, CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability Institute
  • School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d´Ávila, Pico da Urze
9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo
Azores
PT
Claudine Ah-Peng
  • Originator
  • Researcher
UMR PVBMT, Université de la Réunion
  • 7 chemin de l’IRAT
97410 Saint-Pierre
La Réunion
FR
José María Fernández-Palacios
  • Originator
  • Full Professor
Biology Faculty La Laguna University
  • Ecology Department, Biology Faculty La Laguna University
38206 La Laguna
Canary islands
ES
Dominique Strasberg
  • Originator
  • Full Professor
UMR PVBMT, Université de La Reunion
  • 15 Avenue René Cassin, CS92003
97744 Saint Denis
La Réunion
FR
Paulo A. V. Borges
  • Editor
  • Associate Professor
Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c)/Azorean Biodiversity Group, CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability Institute
  • School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d´Ávila, Pico da Urze
9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo
Azores
PT
  • +351968933212
Paulo A. V. Borges
  • Editor
Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c)/Azorean Biodiversity Group, CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability Institute
9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo
Azores
PT

Geographic Coverage

This study was conducted in native, humid forest ecosystems with minimal anthropogenic influence across three oceanic islands of volcanic origin: Terceira, Tenerife, and Reunion

Bounding Coordinates South West [-21.341, -27.773], North East [39.266, 55.802]

Taxonomic Coverage

No Description available

Kingdom Plantae
Phylum Pteridophyta, Magnoliophyta, Pinophyta
Class Pinopsida, Magnoliopsida, Polypodiopsida, Liliopsida
Order Dipsacales, Crossosomatales, Asterales, Aquifoliales, Arecales, Ericales, Pandanales, Fagales, Laurales, Malpighiales, Asparagales, Myrtales, Malvales, Lamiales, Rosales, Piperales, Sapindales, Pinales, Gentianales, Magnoliales, Oxalidales, Cyatheales, Apiales
Family Pentaphylacaceae, Calophyllaceae, Monimiaceae, Malvaceae, Araliaceae, Pittosporaceae, Myrtaceae, Loganiaceae, Aquifoliaceae, Aphloiaceae, Rhamnaceae, Myrsinaceae, Sapindaceae, Meliaceae, Rosaceae, Rutaceae, Stilbaceae, Cunoniaceae, Arecaceae, Oleaceae, Cupressaceae, Asparagaceae, Piperaceae, Chrysobalanaceae, Connaraceae, Phyllanthaceae, Melastomataceae, Ericaceae, Rubiaceae, Lauraceae, Moraceae, Myricaceae, Adoxaceae, Primulaceae, Sapotaceae, Apocynaceae, Pandanaceae, Cyatheaceae, Asteraceae, Salicaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Annonaceae

Temporal Coverage

Start Date / End Date 2012-09-25 / 2013-07-24

Project Data

The aim of this study was to investigate the patterns of variation in the diversity of woody plants across three oceanic islands, which are representative of different geographical regions: Terceira Island (temperate climate - Azores), Tenerife Island (subtropical climate - Canary Islands), and Reunion Island (tropical climate - Mascarene). Comparable methodologies were employed on all three islands to examine patterns in community structure.

Title BIOMONI_ISLAND-BIODIV project: Biodiversity monitoring of Trees on Island ecosystems
Identifier BIOMONI PLOTS
Funding The Data acquisition was supported by the ERA-Net Net‑Biome research framework, financed through the: Canary Islands Government ACIISI grants SE-12/02, SE-12/03, SE-12/04 co-financed by FEDER; Portuguese FCT-NETBIOME grant 0003/2011; French ANR-NETBIOME grant n°11-EBIM-001-01; Région Reunion council for research activities, Université de La Reunion contract DGADD/PE/20120585. Darwin Core Database was implemented under the scope of the project Biodiversa+ project BioMonI – Biodiversity monitoring of island ecosystems and the Portuguese funding FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, BiodivMon/0003/2022.
Study Area Description This study was conducted in native, humid forest ecosystems with minimal anthropogenic influence across three oceanic islands of volcanic origin: Terceira, Tenerife, and Reunion. Terceira Island is located in the Atlantic Ocean, Central Group of the Azores archipelago, lies at 38° 43′ 0″ N and 27° 12′ 0″ W. The island spans about 29 km in length and 18 km in width, with a perimeter of 90 km, covering an area of approximately 402.2 km². Its highest point, located in the Santa Bárbara mountain range on the western side, reaches an elevation of 1021 m a.s.l. above sea level (Forjaz 2004). The island is characterized by high relative humidity and mild temperatures with minimal seasonal fluctuations (Azevedo 2001). In the Santa Bárbara Mountain, the average annual rainfall exceeds 3400 mm, and the mean temperature is 9°C (Azevedo et al. 2004). Tenerife Island is located in the Atlantic Ocean on the northwest coast of Africa, at 28.28° N, 16.15° W, and is the largest island in the Canary Islands archipelago. The island's climate is influenced by the northeast trade winds, which generate a cloud layer over the northern part of the island. This results in a climatic contrast, with the northern areas being more humid and temperate, while the southern regions are characterized by hotter and more arid conditions. At the island's center lies the plateau of the Las Cañadas volcanic caldera, situated at an altitude of approximately 2000 m a.s.l. above sea level, with Mount Teide summit reaching 3718 m a.s.l. above sea level (Fernández-Palacios 1992). Reunion Island is part of the Mascarene archipelago, situated in the Indian Ocean (21°06'31.2012" S; 55°31'34.1904" E), approximately 800km East of Madagascar. It experiences a humid tropical climate characterized by two relatively distinct seasons (Réchou et al. 2019). The hot and rainy season (summer), influenced by cyclonic resulting in intense rainfall, and cooler and relatively drier season (winter). Temperatures are moderate, with the average maximum temperature along the coast reaching 32.4°C during summer and the minimum in winter around 16°C. Temperature decreases with altitude, and the higher regions of the island (above 1800–2000 m a.s.l. above sea level) are prone to frequent night frosts (Badré and Cadet 1978; Réchou et al. 2019). The average annual rainfall shows a significant dissymmetry between eastern and western sides of the Island due to the topography and high elevation (Réchou et al. 2019), reaching 3070 m a.s.l. above sea level (Thébaud et al. 2009). The zones on the three islands were selected based on their vegetative composition, which was predominantly comprised of endemic and native species from humid and relatively undisturbed forests. The study sites were essentially pristine on two of the islands (Terceira and Reunion), while on Tenerife, the sites consisted of a mix of pristine and historically anthropogenically altered forests. The dominant species Terceira included Juniperus brevifolia (Hochst. ex Seub.) Antoine subsp. brevifolia, Laurus azorica (Seub.) Franco, Myrsine retusa Aiton, Vaccinium cylindraceum Sm.; on Tenerife, they were Erica canariensis Rivas-Mart., M. Osorio & Wildpret, Erica platycodon (Webb & Berthel.) Rivas-Mart. & al., Laurus novocanariensis Rivas-Mart., Lousa, Fern. Prieto, E. Días, J.C. Costa & C. Aguiar, Morella faya (Aiton) Wilbur, Prunus lusitanica L.; and on Reunion, they wereDanais fragrans (Lam.) Pers., Gaertnera vaginata Poir., Molinaea alternifolia Willd., and Phyllanthus phillyreifolius Poir. (Borges et al., 2018b).
Design Description This study constitutes an inventory of woody plant species in native forests across three geographically distinct oceanic islands: Terceira Island (Atlantic Ocean), Tenerife Island (Atlantic Ocean), and Réunion Island (Indian Ocean). The research was conducted in 2012 and 2013 with the aim of investigating patterns in the taxonomic diversity of woody plants on these islands. A standardized protocol was employed to identify the tree species present in ten 50 m × 50 m plots within native forests on each island (Borges et al. 2018a; 2018b).

The personnel involved in the project:

Sampling Methods

In each plot, a 5 m × 5 m square was demarcated at each corner for a specific plant survey. Within each corner subplot (5 m × 5 m), all woody species with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 1 cm were counted, and the results were expressed as the total number of shoots per species per 100 m². In Reunion, due to the high local alpha diversity, 20 square plots measuring 5 m × 5 m were surveyed (ten along the upper limit and ten along the lower limit of the quadrat) to inventory woody plants with DBH ≥ 1 cm, instead of the four 5 m × 5 m plots at each plot corner (see Borges et al. 2018a).

Study Extent This study established ten 50 m × 50 m square plots on each island, maximizing the distance between plots within the same mountain range or continuous forest patch.
Quality Control All specimens were identified by taxonomic experts

Method step description:

  1. For the species nomenclature we followed the most recent data available in AZORES BIOPORTAL (for Azores), BIOTA CANARIAS (for Canary Islands) and GBIF (for Réunion)

Bibliographic Citations

  1. Azevedo EB 2001 Condicionantes dinâmicas do clima do arquipélago dos Açores. Elementos para o seu estudo. Açoreana 9: 309‑317.
  2. Azevedo EB, Rodrigues MC, Fernandes JF 2004 O Clima dos Açores. Climatologia: Introdução. In: Forjaz VH (Ed.) Atlas básico dos Açores. 1. OVGA, Ponta Delgada, 25-4 pp. ISBN 972-97466-4-8
  3. Badré F, Cadet T. 1978 The pteridophytes of Reunion Island. Fern Gazette, 11 (6): 349-366. https://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-03970982v1
  4. Borges PAV, Cardoso P, Kreft H, Whittaker RJ, et al. 2018a A Global Island Monitoring Scheme (GIMS) for the long-term coordinated survey and monitoring of forest biota across islands. Biodiversity and Conservation, 27: 2567–2586. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-018-1553-7
  5. Borges PAV, Cardoso P, Fattorini S, Rigal F, et al. 2018b Community structure of woody plants on islands along a bioclimatic gradient. Frontiers of Biogeography, 10:3-4, e40295. https://doi.org/10.21425/F5FBG40295
  6. Fernández-Palacios, J.M. 1992 Climatic responses of plant species on Tenerife, the Canary Islands. Journal of Vegetation Science, 3: 595–603. https://doi.org/10.2307/3235826
  7. Forjaz V. H. 2004 Atlas básico dos Açores. OVGA, Ponta Delgada, 108 pp. ISBN9729746648
  8. Oehler J-F, Lénat J-F, Labazuy P. 2008 Growth and collapse of the Reunion Island volcanoes. Bull Volcanol, 70:717–742. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-007-0163-0
  9. Réchou A, Flores O, Jumaux G, Duflot V, Bousquet O, Pouppeville C, Bonnardot F (2019) Spatio-temporal variability of rainfall in a high tropical island: Patterns and large-scale drivers in Reunion Island. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society 145: 893–909. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.3485
  10. Thébaud C, Warren B, Cheke A, Strasberg D 2009 Mascarene Islands, Biology. In: Gillespie RG, Clague DA (eds), Encyclopedia of Islands. University of California Press, California, United-State, pp 612–619. https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520943728-146

Additional Metadata

Acknowledgements The Data acquisition was supported by the ERA-Net Net‑Biome research framework, financed through the: Canary Islands Government ACIISI grants SE-12/02, SE-12/03, SE-12/04 co-financed by FEDER; Portuguese FCT-NETBIOME grant 0003/2011; French ANR-NETBIOME grant n°11-EBIM-001-01; Région Reunion council for research activities, Université de La Reunion contract DGADD/PE/20120585. Darwin Core Database was implemented under the scope of the project Biodiversa+ project BioMonI – Biodiversity monitoring of island ecosystems and the Portuguese funding FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, BiodivMon/0003/2022
Introduction A standardized methodology was applied across the three islands, focusing on native forests that were little anthropogenic disturbance.
Getting Started Ten plots (50 m × 50 m) were established on each island, within which a 5 m × 5 m square was demarcated (see Borges et al., 2018a). The study generated 30 event records and 402 occurrence records.
Purpose This study was conducted between 2012 and 2013 to analyze the biodiversity of woody plants across three oceanic islands (Terceira, Tenerife, and Réunion) with distinct geographical characteristics. The research aimed to investigate patterns of variation in the structure of the vegetative community within the native forests of each island.
Alternative Identifiers eab982cf-81df-4d08-b9f4-c2f5c56b8ad3
http://ipt.gbif.pt/ipt/resource?r=biomoni_trees