Foliage projective cover of 57 vegetation sites of central Chukotka from 2016

Field investigations were performed in four areas forming a vegetation gradient from a treeless mountainous tundra (16-KP-04; Lake Rauchuagytgyn area) via tundra-taiga transition zone (16-KP-01, Lake Ilirney area; 16-KP-03, Nutenvut lakes area) to a northern taiga (16-KP-02, Bolshoy Anyuy river area). In total, 57 sites were investigated. The sites were chosen to cover a large NDVI gradient (0.3 - 0.8). The sites differ in elevation (100-900 m a. s. l.), slope angle (0-54°) and aspect (overall south aspects prevail). For every field site a detailed description of the vegetation was made. Foliage projective cover for all major taxa estimated as percent and averaged from five representative 2 x 2 m plots within circular sites with a diameter of 30 m: one at the centre and four 7.5 m away in each of the cardinal directions (south, north, west, east). Presence of deadwood and open soil were also recorded.