Vegetation diversity in the Swiss Alps - Impressions from the 16th EDGG Field Workshop

Abstract

EDGG Field Workshops have brought vegetation scientists together since 2009. They aim to collect high-quality biodiversity data for multiple taxonomic groups across several different spatial grain sizes in a standardised manner. Since the initiation, one or two such events with participants from a multitude of countries have been conducted each year. The collected data have given rise to numerous regional studies on biodiversity patterns and on syntaxonomy. In 2017, the GrassPlot database was founded to collect all the Field Workshop data together with similar data from other projects in one place and make them accessible for overarching analyses across the whole Palaearctic biogeographic realm. Since 2020 an increasing number of such studies has been published on topics such as species-area relationships, alpha diversity and fine-grain beta diversity. Many further studies are currently in preparation. EDGG Field Workshops are not only a core source of data for GrassPlot, they are also events to learn the local flora and vegetation within a short time and to collaborate intensively with colleagues from many different countries and different academic levels (Bachelor students to professors) united by their enthusiasm for fine details of the vegetation