Phenology and production of pollen, nectar and sugar in 1612 plant species from various environments

This dataset is related to the data paper published in Ecology: Filipiak et al, in press, Phenology and production of pollen, nectar and sugar in 1612 plant species from various environments; doi: to be provided when available. This paper must be always properly cited when using the database. Please use any scientific full citation format. 

Abstract
To predict the quantity and quality of the food available for pollinators in various landscapes over time, it is necessary to collect detailed data on pollen, nectar, and sugar production per unit area and the flowering phenology of plants. Similar data are needed to estimate the contribution of plants to the functioning of food webs via the flow of energy and nutrients through the soil-plant-nectar/pollen-consumer pathway. Current knowledge on this topic is fragmented. This is the first database to compile data on the various food resources produced by 1612 different plant species, belonging to 755 genera and 133 families, including crops and wild plants, annuals and perennials, animal- and wind-pollinated plants, and weeds and trees growing in different ecosystems under various environmental conditions. The dataset consists of 103 parameters related to the traits of plant species, as well as to geographical and environmental factors, allowing for precise calculations of nectar, pollen and energy provided by plants and available to consumers in the considered flora or ecosystem on a daily basis throughout the year. These parameters, gathered by us and extracted from the available literature, describe pollen, nectar and sugar production (where applicable, in mass, volume and concentration units), honey yield, the timing and duration of flowering, flower longevity, numbers of plants and flowers per unit area, related weather conditions (temperature and precipitation), geographical location, landscape, and syntaxonomy. The data were obtained from various, mostly European, pedoclimatic zones, and the majority of the data were available for plant species and communities present in Central Europe, especially in Poland, where research on floral resources has a long tradition. These data are representative of the whole continent and may be used as a reference for plant communities occurring on continents other than Europe since the database allows the consideration of differences in the production of resources by a single plant species growing in different communities. This dataset provides a unique opportunity to test hypotheses related to the functioning of food webs, nutrient cycling, plant ecology, and pollinator ecology and conservation.