Fact database of grassland vegetation in Japan

This data paper reports vegetation census data collected in a network of 28 grassland sites in Japan. This is the largest grassland data set freely available in Japan. The network is the project “Grassland Dynamics in Japan” launched by the Ministry of the Agriculture and Forestry and Fisheries, Japan. It consists of semi-natural and artificial grasslands (pasture and meadow) and covers from Hokkaido to Kyushu area in Japan. Twenty to twelve permanent plots were established in each grassland. Censuses of plant species emerged in 1m2 quadrat were conducted every year from 1972 to 1982 at longest. The data provide species abundance, plant coverage (%) and length (cm) of 484 quadrats. The censuses adopted common census protocol, which provide good opportunities for meta-analyses and comparative studies among grasslands. The data have been used for ecological studies as well as for animal production reports published by the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization in Japan.