Karnataka Biodiversity Sampling Plots, Western Ghats, India.

This data set reports woody plant species abundances in a network of 96 sampling sites spread across 22000 km² in central Western Ghats region, Karnataka, India . The database stores abundance and girth data for 76813 trees and lianas of 446 species collected in 96 sampling sites during 1996-1997. A total of 61965 individuals >10 cm girth at breast height (gbh) were recorded in 96 1-ha macroplots, while 14848 individuals <10 cm gbh but >1 m height were sampled in three 0.1-ha microplots located within each macroplot. Additional data regarding the stand structure (average canopy height, percent canopy cover, number of strata) and the level of degradation are available for the macroplots, along with environmental data derived from other sources and analyses, such as soil types, rainfall, length of the dry season, and altitude. These data have been used to produce ecological research papers as well as to elaborate conservation value maps and recommendations toward sustainable management of the forests of the central Western Ghats region. We have migrated the initial database available at http://esapubs.org/Archive/ecol/E091/216/default.htm to DataManager during the Pl@ntGhats project.