Diversity and distribution of vascular plants within the treeline ecotone in Mount Iremel (Southern Urals, Russia)

The dataset presents the results of an assessment of the species richness and frequency of vascular plants at the different elevation levels (from 1203 to 1348 m above sea level) and in the different biotopes (birch-spruce sparse forest, birch-spruce shrub forest, and spruce forest with fragments of meadow plant communities) in the Iremel mountain group (Southern Urals). Observations were carried out at 700 sampling plots using two estimation methods: small-size plot (0.5×0.5 m) sampling (672 plots in total) and large-size plot (10×10 m) sampling (28 plots). The dataset includes 700 sampling events (=sampling plots) corresponding to 5585 occurrences (vascular plants, identified mostly to species) and observed during July 2003. Only occurrences contained plant taxa (occurrenceStatus=present) have been provided. The dataset provides valuable information for estimating the biodiversity and composition of plant communities within the treeline ecotone, including the information about distribution and frequency of the Ural endemic species (Anemonastrum biarmiense (Juz.) Holub, Calamagrostis uralensis Litv., Cerastium krylovii Schischk. Et Gorczak., Festuca igoschiniae Tzvel., Hieracium iremelense (Elfstr.) Üksip, Lagotis uralensis Schischk, Pleurospermum uralense Hoffm.) and the Pleistocene relict species (Alopecurus glaucus Less., Bistorta vivipara (L.) Delarbre, Cerastium pauciflorum Stev. ex. Ser., Pedicularis oederi Vahl , Saussurea controversa DC., Swertia obtusa Ledeb.).