Vegetation Relevé Dataset from the Ukrainian Steppe Zone for Ecological Indicator Validation

This dataset contains a vegetation relevé matrix used for community-level validation of empirically derived moisture indicator scales in the southeastern Ukrainian steppe zone. The dataset includes 10,931 vegetation plots representing species composition records collected across different landscapes and environmental conditions. Rows correspond to vegetation relevés (sampling locations), and columns represent vascular plant species, with species occurrence/abundance values used to characterize community composition. The dataset was used to evaluate whether the newly developed Edaphic Moisture Index (EMI) and Topographic Moisture Index (TMI) consistently represent vegetation-associated moisture conditions at the community level.