scholarly journals A New and Improved Online Catalogue of all Extant Vascular Plant Names Available

Taxon ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 223-223
Author(s):  
Martin Freiberg ◽  
Marten Winter ◽  
Alessandro Gentile ◽  
Alexander Zizka ◽  
Alexandra Nora Muellner‐Riehl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Plant Names ◽  
Online Catalogue

scholarly journals Lessons Learned from Managing Millions of Records to Create the World Flora Online

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Ulate
Keyword(s):  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Botanical Garden ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Technical Documentation ◽  
Plant Names ◽  
The World ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Actual Change ◽  
Royal Botanic Gardens

In 2013, the World Flora Online (WFO) Consortium Council decided to use version 1.1 of the The Plant List (TPL) to initially populate the WFO taxonomic backbone. TPL is a collaboration between the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Missouri Botanical Garden and other stakeholders to create a comprehensive list of Vascular plant (flowering plants, conifers, ferns and their allies) and of Bryophytes (mosses and liverworts). By combining multiple checklist held by these institutions, TPL 1.1 contained 1,064,035 scientific plant names of species rank, 350,699 of which were accepted species names. TPL provides the Accepted Latin names linked to Synonyms by which that species has been known. It also includes Unresolved names for which the contributing data sources did not contain sufficient evidence to decide whether they were Accepted or Synonyms. Fortunately, TPL keeps track of the provenance of names and links back to the International Plant Names Index (IPNI) repository. This provenance trace has proven crucial when giving proper credit, as well as implementing a reliable curating process in WFO that supports the incorporation of potential new content, updates and further improvements contributed by the source. We will see some examples in WFO where duplication of names is originated from combining different providers and different sources, but also cases where duplication was caused within the same provider and even within a single source. The WFO Council also decided to adopt the software used by eMonocot.org to display and harvest the information of plants. This decision made it possible to take advantage of the efforts previously done by the Monocots group in using already defined standards and existing tools to create and validate the input files harvested. Unfortunately, no technical documentation nor support was available for the eMonocot software and adapting the software code was not an option then. Therefore, a process of reverse engineering was implemented to determine what input was expected, which harvested values were actually stored in the database and what impact, if any, they could have on the Portal function. For example, the eMonocot software always harvests content under a particular hierarchy where an authority, in this case corresponding to a family taxon, holds ownership of the taxa underneath. We will explain how this may become an issue when incorporating new endemic taxa. To ensure a convenient quality control, processes of validation and data curation were implemented. WFO assigns a unique ID to each name in its taxonomic backbone. The guarantee of uniqueness and permanence of such IDs is essential to support a process of cumulative improvement. To obtain this ID, a tool that matches Names was developed, allowing providers to contribute revisions to the taxonomy and descriptive content associated to a taxon. The origin of changes needs to be considered when tracing and correcting errors, implementing modifications or rolling back them later. A report about the result of requested changes in the taxonomy needs to be approved by the provider before any actual change is implemented in the taxonomic backbone. Programmatically, any process that performs quality assessment or makes data modifications must be implemented as parameterized algorithms to allow replication of the process whenever new or updated data is available from the source. Single-use scripts are quick but not very scalable. Finally, having defined a schema to use when providing content doesn’t necessarily imply that the values provided in each field are correct. Even with standardized values, the semantics associated could cause unforeseen behavior in the process implemented by the software. When possible, an additional step was required to convert harvested data from different localized vocabularies for standardized fields. Examples in Portuguese and Turkish will be given.

Kew's Medicinal Plant Names Services (MPNS) enable effective information retrieval and communication

Planta Medica ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
EA Dauncey ◽  
J Irving ◽  
N Black ◽  
SE Edwards ◽  
K Patmore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information Retrieval ◽  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Plant Names

Differentiation of new coenomorph in context of the Belgard’s ecomorph system development

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 28-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. A. Baranovski
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
System Development ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Tabular Form ◽  
Ecological Scales ◽  
The One ◽  
Different Levels

Nowadays, bioecological characteristics of species are the basis for flora and vegetation studying on the different levels. Bioecological characteristics of species is required in process of flora studying on the different levels such as biotopes or phytocenoses, floras of particular areas (floras of ecologically homogeneous habitats), and floras of certain territories. Ramensky scale is the one of first detailed ecological scales on plant species ordination in relation to various environmental factors; it developed in 1938 (Ramensky, 1971). A little later (1941), Pogrebnyak’s scale of forest stands was proposed. Ellenberg’s system developed in 1950 (Ellenberg, 1979) and Tsyganov’s system (Tsyganov, 1975) are best known as the systems of ecological scales on vascular plant species; these systems represent of habitat detection by ecotopic ecomorphs of plant species (phytoindication). Basically, the system proposed by Alexander Lyutsianovich Belgard was the one of first system of plant species that identiified ectomorphs in relation to environmental factors. As early as 1950, Belgard developed the tabulated system of ecomorphs using the Latin ecomorphs abbreviation; he also used the terminology proposed in the late 19th century by Dekandol (1956) and Warming (1903), as well as terminology of other authors. The article analyzes the features of Belgard’s system of ecomorphs on vascular plants. It has certain significance and advantages over other systems of ecomorphs. The use of abbreviated Latin names of ecomorphs in tabular form enables the use shortened form of ones. In the working scheme of Belgard’s system of ecomorphs relation of species to environmental factors are represented in the abbreviated Latin alphabetic version (Belgard, 1950). Combined into table, the ecomorphic analysis of plant species within association (ecological certification of species), biotope or area site (water area) gives an explicit pattern on ecological structure of flora within surveyed community, biotope or landscape, and on environmental conditions. Development and application by Belgrard the cenomorphs as «species’ adaptation to phytocenosis as a whole» were completely new in the development of systems of ecomorphs and, in this connection, different coenomorphs were distinguished. Like any concept, the system of ecomorphs by Belgard has the possibility and necessity to be developed and added. Long-time researches and analysis of literature sources allow to propose a new coenomorph in the context of Belgard’s system of ecomorphs development: silvomargoant (species of forest margin, from the Latin words margo – edge, boundary (Dvoretsky, 1976), margo – margin, ad margins silvarum – along the deciduous forest margins). As an example of ecomorphic characterization of species according to the system of ecomorphs by Belgard (when the abbreviated Latin ecomorph names are used in tabular form and the proposed cenomorph is used), it was given the part of the table on vascular plants ecomorphs in the National Nature Park «Orelsky» (Baranovsky et al). The Belgard’s system of ecomorphs is particularly convenient and can be successfully applied to data processing in the ecological analysis of the flora on wide areas with significant species richness, and the proposed ecomorph will be another necessary element in the Belgard’s system of ecomorphs. 

Lithostratigraphy of the Kweekvlei Formation (Witteberg Group), Cape Supergroup

2017 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Browning ◽  
M. Reid
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Transition Zone ◽  
Distal Part ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Trace Fossil ◽  
Plant Debris ◽  
Lower Carboniferous ◽  
Fossil Assemblage ◽  
Low Diversity ◽  
Storm Wave

AbstractThe Lower Carboniferous, probably Tournaisian, Kweekvlei Formation is part of the Witteberg Group (Cape Supergroup) of South Africa. Together with the overlying Floriskraal Formation, it forms an upward-coarsening succession within the Lake Mentz Subgroup. Sedimentary features of the Kweekvlei Formation suggest deposition in a storm-wave dominated marine setting, within the storm-influenced, distal part of an offshore transition zone environment. This predominantly argillaceous formation preserves a low diversity trace fossil assemblage. Reworked vascular plant debris (including the problematic genus Praeramunculus sp.) and a shark spine have been reported for the Kweekvlei Formation. There are no known stratigraphic equivalents in South Africa.

In memory of Vera Antonovna Martynenko (1936-2018)

2018 ◽  
pp. 149-154
Keyword(s):  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Ussr Academy ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Komi Republic ◽  
Great Contribution ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Natural Flora

Vera Antonovna Martynenko (17.02.1936–06.01.2018) — famous specialist in the field of studying vascular plant flora and vegetation of the Far North, the Honored worker of the Komi Republic (2006), The Komi Republic State Scientific Award winner (2000). She was born in the town Likhoslavl of the Kali­nin (Tver) region. In 1959, Vera Antonovna graduated from the faculty of soil and biology of the Leningrad State University and then moved to the Komi Branch of USSR Academy of Science (Syktyvkar). From 1969 to 1973 she passed correspondence postgraduate courses of the Komi Branch of USSR Academy of ­Science. In 1974, she received the degree of candidate of biology (PhD) by the theme «Comparative analysis of the boreal flora at the Northeast European USSR» in the Botanical Institute (St. Petersburg). In 1996, Vera Antonovna received the degree of doctor of biology in the Institute of plant and animal ecology (Ekaterinburg) «Flora of the northern and mid subzones of the taiga of the European North-East». The study and conservation of species and coenotical diversity of the plant world, namely the vascular plants flora of the Komi Republic and revealing its transformation under the anthropogenic influence, was in the field of V. A. Martynenko’ scientific interests. She made great contribution to the study of the Komi Republic meadow flora and the pool of medi­cinal plants. She performed inventorying and mapping the meadows of several agricultural enterprises of the Republic, revealed the species composition and places for harvesting medicinal plants and studied their productivity in the natural flora of the boreal zone. The results of her long-term studies were used for making the NPA system and the Red Book of the Komi Republic (1998 and 2009). Vera Antonovna participated in the research of the influence of placer gold mining and oil development on the natural ecosystems of the North, and developed the method of long-term monitoring of plant cover. Results of these works are of high practical value. V. A. Martynenko is an author and coauthor of more than 130 scientific publications. The most important jnes are «Flora of Northeast European USSR» (1974, 1976, and 1977), «Floristic composition of fodder lands of the Northeast Europe» (1989), «The forests of the Komi Republic» (1999), «Forestry of forest resources of the Komi Republic» (2000), «The list of flora of the Yugyd va national park» (2003), «The guide for vascular plants of the Syktyvkar and its vicinities» (2005), «Vascular plants of the Komi Republic» (2008), and «Resources of the natural flora of the Komi Republic» (2014). She also was an author of «Encyclopedia of the Komi Republic» (1997, 1999, and 2000), «Historical and cultural atlas of the Komi Republic» (1997), «Atlas of the Komi Republic» (2001, 2011). V. A. Martynenko made a great contribution to the development of the botanical investigations in the North. Since 1982, during more than 10 years, she was the head of the Department of the Institute of Biology. Three Ph. D. theses have been completed under her leadership. Many years, she worked actively in the Dissertation Council of the Institute of biology Komi Scientific Centre UrB RAS.  The death of Vera Antonovna Martynenko is a heavy and irretrievable loss for the staff of the Institute of Biology. The memory of Vera Antonovna will live in her numerous scientific works, the hearts of students and colleagues.

Additions and clarifications to the flora of “Castel” nature reserve (the Southern Coast of the Crimea)

2020 ◽  
pp. 112-127
Author(s):  
L. E. Ryff
Keyword(s):  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Southern Coast ◽  
Crimean Peninsula ◽  
Annotated List ◽  
The Crimea ◽  
Protected Natural Area ◽  
Biological Flora

The aim of the work is to supplement and clarify the annotated list of vascular plants of “Castel” nature reserve on the Southern coast of the Crimea. Methods. The work is based on the results of long standing field research, which was carried out by the traditional route-reconnaissance method, analysis of YALT herbarium materials and data from literary and Internet sources. Arealogical and biomorphological characteristics of species are given according to "Biological Flora of the Crimea" by V.N. Golubev, biotope coding according to EUNIS habitat classification. The nomenclature of taxa corresponds to the " Spontaneuos flora of the Crimean peninsula" by A.V. Yena and to international databases Euro+Med PlantBase, The Plant List, Catalog of Life. Results. An additional annotated list of vascular plants of “Castel” nature reserve has been compiled, including 152 species, subspecies and cultivars from 97 genera of 38 families, of which 53 genera and 11 families have also not been cited for this territory before. Arealogical, biomorphological, biotopic and sozological characteristics of the taxa are given. As a result of a critical analysis of the list previously published by E.S. Krainyuk, four species were redefined, two species were proposed to be excluded from the flora of the specially protected natural area, several taxa are considered doubtful. Conclusions. The list of vascular plant taxa in “Castel” nature reserve has been supplemented with 11 families, 53 genera, and 152 species, subspecies, and cultivars; several species from the previously compiled list have been proposed to be excluded or considered doubtful. Thus, the flora of the protected area includes at least 425 species from 68 families. For the first time, the biotopic characteristic of the flora of the reserve was established.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document