2026-10-14T08:07:54Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33029537 2026-09-22T19:45:51Z category_30968 portal_935 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Data associated with 'Floristic Composition and Environmental Variation in Virginia Piedmont Grasslands' Ezra J. Staengl (18017832) Jordan Coscia (10611146) Drew Chaney (18017808) Mary Jane Epps (2914913) J. Leighton Reid (7906898) Matt Smith (24420275) Devin Floyd (18017697) Community ecology (excl. invasive species ecology) cluster analysis ordination savannas southeastern grasslands vegetation classification <p dir="ltr">This dataset accompanies the manuscript “Floristic Composition and Environmental Variation in Virginia Piedmont Grasslands.”</p><p dir="ltr">Grasslands in the Virginia Piedmont are biodiverse and host many rare species, yet are imperiled and poorly studied. Many of the remaining high-quality grasslands in the region exist as small fragments in powerline rights-of-way maintained by modern disturbance. To inform conservation and restoration of these fragments, we assessed the floristic composition and environmental variation of 220 native grassland plots across the Virginia Piedmont. We included 11 plots surveyed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to characterize the similarity of our sites to the few grasslands in Virginia that persist under a semi-natural disturbance regime. We used hierarchical agglomerative clustering, nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination, indicator species analysis, and individual comparisons of 12 environmental variables to characterize floristic types and their environmental associations. Our cluster analysis supported eight grassland types, which we call Outer Piedmont Seepage/Sand Woodland/Savanna, Piedmont Wet Woodland/Savanna, Piedmont Depression Woodland/Savanna, Piedmont Mid-Spectrum Oak-Hickory Woodland/Savanna, DCR Piedmont Prairie, Piedmont Acidic Oak-Hickory/Oak-Heath Woodland/Savanna, Piedmont Mafic/Ultramafic Woodland/Savanna, and Rocky Woodlands and Barrens. DCR plots generally clustered with our plots, suggesting that despite their small size our plots are high-quality grasslands with similar floristic composition to Virginia’s best remaining examples. Additionally, the species richness and composition of our sites suggest they have not experienced heavy soil disturbance and may be old-growth grasslands. These biodiverse fragments are widespread in the Piedmont and variable in floristics and environmental associations yet remain under-studied and under-protected. Government, scientific, and public recognition of these irreplaceable communities is urgently needed to support conservation and future research.</p><p dir="ltr">This dataset includes some vegetation plot data contributed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation - Division of Natural Heritage. These data are included here with permission and associated with the following citation.</p><p dir="ltr">Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, VA Plots, the DCR-DNH Vegetation Plots Database. Data exported on 10-15-2024. Richmond, Virginia, 23219</p><p dir="ltr">Ezra Staengl, ezraperegrine@gmail.com, ORCID - 0009-0005-4551-0703; Jordan Coscia, jtcoscia@vt.edu, ORCID - 0009-0005-6377-3064; J. Leighton Reid, jlreid@vt.edu, ORCID - 0000-0002-7390-2094</p> 2026-09-22T19:45:51Z Dataset Dataset 10.7294/33029537.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Data_associated_with_Floristic_Composition_and_Environmental_Variation_in_Virginia_Piedmont_Grasslands_/33029537 CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication