DOI: 10.5285/8a75395f-7858-40a2-8364-eb3482aeaad1
title: Botanical data for calcareous grassland, heathland and woodland sites in Dorset, UK, 2017-2018

description: This dataset contains botanical data from 13 calcareous grassland, 13 heathland and 12 woodland sites within Dorset, UK. The sites were selected to represent a range of habitat types across a condition gradient as measured by levels of degradation from the original habitat. The original habitats were identified as being calcareous grassland, heathland or woodland from a survey conducted in the 1930s. Within heathland and calcareous grassland sites the percentage cover of all plant species were recorded within five 1m quadrat squares. Plants were recorded to species level where possible, or genus where species level was not possible. Covers of bare ground and litter were also recorded. Within woodlands plots, sampling was done slightly differently to enable recording of ground level plants and species within multiple canopy levels. Cover and presence of all herbaceous species were recorded in 2m quadrat squares, cover of tree seedlings (<1.5 m height) were recorded in 5m quadrat squares and ground-level cover of trunk of tree species if necessary were recorded in 10m quadrat squares. Heathland and calcareous grassland sites were visited in summer 2017 and woodland sites were visited in summer 2018.
description: Original sites were identified from work by Professor Ronald Good, an eminent Dorset botanist who undertook an extensive botanical survey of Dorset from 1931 to 1939. The archive is publically available through the Dorset Environmental Records Centre. Sites were selected from those sites identified by Good as being calcareous grassland, heathland or woodland in 1930s. The subsampling approach used a variety of data sources, to identify current habitat types, including the UK Land Cover Map 2007, Natural England’s Priority Habitat Inventory and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), survey data from Horsfall, the Dorset Heathland survey and information on the Higher Level Stewardship schemes.

Within heathland and calcareous grassland sites the percentage cover of all plant species were recorded within five 1m quadrat squares. These were taken at random points within a W walk over the 50m sample square. Within woodlands plots, sampling was done slightly differently to enable recording of ground level plants and species within multiple canopy levels. Five 10m x 10m quadrats for tree and shrub cover were set in a cross shape across the 50m x 50m sample area (figure 1) one in each corner & one in the centre. Within these 10m x 10m quadrats canopy cover and presence of each canopy tree species was recorded. Within the centre of each 10 x 10 m quadrat (positioning by eye) a single 5 x 5 m quadrat was set out. Within these 5m x 5m quadrats, canopy cover and presence of shrubs, understory trees & tree saplings (> 1.5 m height, < 10 cm dbh) was recorded. In each 5 x 5 m quadrat a single 2 x 2 m quadrat was then also set up. Cover and presence of all herbaceous species, cover of tree seedlings (<1.5 m height) and ground-level cover of trunk of tree species if necessary were recorded.

Data were collected by experienced field ecologists, the same ecologists carried out all surveys. Data are consistent and reliable. Data were recorded into a spreadsheet as recorded in the field. Data were checked for any anomalies.