Botanic records from the forest reserves of south west Ghana: Plant species distribution data with checklist and conservation assessments from 114 vegetation plots

South west Ghana is a biodiversity hotspot within the western African lowland tropical rainforest region, supporting many endemic and restricted range plant species. This dataset comprises botanic records from five forest reserves of south west Ghana (Ankasa, Boi Tano, Tano Nimri, Jema Assemkron, Nini Suhein). Vascular plant species distribution data (12,232 records) from 114 vegetation plot samples are presented, surveyed between 1981 and 2015. A plant species checklist including conservation assessments for each species is included. Nomenclature is current as of 2016. The dataset is linked to the publication Marshall et al, 2023, Implications for conservation assessment from flux in the botanical record over 20 years in south west Ghana, Ecology and Evolution https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9775. The dataset is also used in Marshall et al, 2022, Predictors of plant endemism in two west African forest hotspots, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 10:980660 https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.980660.

Methods
27 field samples were enumerated in 2015, which were compiled with 87 botanic samples from the region from four earlier surveys (references below). The combined dataset contains 12,232 records of 931 taxa identified to species level, from 114 samples. The 114 sample locations were situated in order to capture variation in forest type, condition and geography across the five forest reserves (Ankasa, Boi Tano, Tano Nimri, Jema Assemkron, Nini Suhein), as all the surveys had as their primary goal the purpose of baselining or inventorying the forest reserves. All records were converted to their currently accepted name (current as of 2016), following the African Plants Database (Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève and South African National Biodiversity Institute Pretoria, 2016 https://africanplantdatabase.ch/). With the exception of the Hall & Swaine 1981 A plots, which were 25 x 25 m samples of the vascular flora, and B plots (the first 30–60 vascular plant species encountered) (Hall and Swaine, 1981), all samples were conducted using the Rapid Botanic Survey (RBS) method (Hawthorne and Marshall, 2016). RBS samples were bounded by survey effort rather than size, with the aim of recording all vascular plant species within a specified vegetation type and landscape unit, and enumerating at least 40 individual canopy trees. Identification and fieldwork was carried out by JD, MM, CM, and WH, with assistance at the University of Ghana herbarium (GC) from PE. Specimens were collected of all plants for which identification was not absolutely certain, these are housed at the Daubeny herbarium, Oxford. Permission to collect and export plants was obtained from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Samartex, and the Wildlife Division for Ankasa RR.

5 samples from: Hall, J.B., Swaine, M.D., 1981. Distribution and ecology of vascular plants in a tropical rainforest. Forest vegetation in Ghana. The Hague, Nertherlands: Junk Publishers. Reproduced with kind permission from M. Swaine.

18 samples from: Hawthorne, W. D., and Abu-Juam, M. (1995). Forest Protection in Ghana. IUCN/ODA/Forest Department Republic of Ghana, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, UK, xvii + 203.

55 samples from: Hawthorne, W. D. (1998). Plants in Ankasa, Nini-Suhien, and Bia.Review of existing knowledge, results from a new survey and recommendations for management plans. Protected Areas Development Programme, Western Region, Ghana. ULG Consultants LTD in association with S. A. Agrer, N.V.

6 samples from: Hawthorne, W. D. (2002). Final report of the floral survey of the Biodiversity Component of the NRMP. Forestry Commission, Biodiversity Conservation Component. Ministry of Lands and Forestry, Ghana.

Hawthorne, W.D., Marshall, C.A.M., 2016. A manual for Rapid Botanic Survey (RBS) and measurement of vegetation bioquality. https://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/Content/Projects/oxford/resources/Rapid_Botanic_Survey_manual_2016.pdf

加纳西南部是西非低地热带雨林区域内的生物多样性热点地区，孕育众多特有种及狭域分布的植物物种。本数据集包含加纳西南部5处森林保护区（安卡萨Ankasa、博伊塔诺Boi Tano、塔诺尼姆里Tano Nimri、杰马阿森克龙Jema Assemkron、尼尼苏海因Nini Suhein）的植物学记录。文中呈现了1981年至2015年间调查得到的114个植被样方的维管植物（vascular plant）物种分布数据，共计12232条记录。数据集附带一份植物物种名录，包含各物种的保护等级评估，命名规范采用2016年的最新标准。本数据集关联发表于Marshall等人2023年的论文《Implications for conservation assessment from flux in the botanical record over 20 years in south west Ghana》，刊载于《Ecology and Evolution》，DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9775；同时也被用于Marshall等人2022年的研究《Predictors of plant endemism in two west African forest hotspots》，刊载于《Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution》10:980660，DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.980660。

## 研究方法
2015年共完成27个野外样方的调查计数，将其与该区域此前4次调查获得的87份植物标本记录合并。合并后的数据集共包含114个样方的931个鉴定至物种级的分类单元的12232条记录。设置这114个样点的目的是覆盖5处森林保护区内森林类型、生境状况与地理格局的变异，因所有调查的核心目标均为构建这些森林保护区的本底数据或开展植被清查。所有记录均参照2016年版《非洲植物数据库》（Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève与南非国家生物多样性研究所比勒陀利亚分部，2016，https://africanplantdatabase.ch/）更新为当前接受的学名。
除Hall & Swaine 1981年的A样方（25×25m维管植物样方）和B样方（记录野外偶遇的前30~60种维管植物，Hall和Swaine, 1981）外，其余所有样方均采用快速植物调查（Rapid Botanic Survey, RBS）方法（Hawthorne和Marshall, 2016）开展。RBS样方以调查工作量而非样方面积为划定依据，目标为记录指定植被类型与景观单元内的所有维管植物物种，并统计至少40株冠层树木。
野外鉴定与调查工作由JD、MM、CM和WH完成，加纳大学标本馆（GC）的PE提供了协助。对于无法完全确定鉴定结果的植物，均采集了标本，这些标本现存于牛津大学多本尼标本馆（Daubeny herbarium, Oxford）。植物采集与出口许可已由加纳土地与自然资源部、Samartex公司及安卡斯保护区野生动物管理部门获批。

### 参考文献明细
1. 5份样本来自：Hall, J.B., Swaine, M.D., 1981. 《Distribution and ecology of vascular plants in a tropical rainforest. Forest vegetation in Ghana》，荷兰海牙：Junk Publishers。经M. Swaine先生友好授权转载。
2. 18份样本来自：Hawthorne, W. D., 与Abu-Juam, M. (1995). 《Forest Protection in Ghana》，IUCN/ODA/加纳共和国森林部，瑞士格兰德与英国剑桥，xvii + 203页。
3. 55份样本来自：Hawthorne, W. D. (1998). 《Plants in Ankasa, Nini-Suhien, and Bia: Review of existing knowledge, results from a new survey and recommendations for management plans》，加纳西部区域保护区发展规划项目，ULG顾问有限公司与S. A. Agrer, N.V.联合出品。
4. 6份样本来自：Hawthorne, W. D. (2002). 《Final report of the floral survey of the Biodiversity Component of the NRMP》，林业委员会生物多样性保护分部，加纳土地与林业部。
5. Hawthorne, W.D., Marshall, C.A.M., 2016. 《A manual for Rapid Botanic Survey (RBS) and measurement of vegetation bioquality》，https://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/Content/Projects/oxford/resources/Rapid_Botanic_Survey_manual_2016.pdf