River Macrophytes Database 2019

• River Macrophytes Database ZIP
  137.7 MB RMD-20110331-20191101.zip

Resource type Dataset

Topic category InlandWaters

Reference date 2019·11·04

Lineage
The macrophyte survey method records aquatic and marginal plants in a 500m long survey section of river. Species from the river channel and the margins/base of the bank are recorded separately on a three-point scale of relative abundance and percentage cover. A standard check-list of species is used to aid recording. The field data can be used to classify the plant community as described by Holmes et al. (1999), and the database has a facility that allows keying-out of the community to sub-type level. This plant community classification has been used as the basis of river SSSI selection. The grid reference of the species observation is the lower grid reference of the river section (the upper grid reference included as an attribute) and the precision of the record provided reflects this lower grid reference rather than the 500m long survey section. Confidence in the data = high. All surveys were collated by very experienced and qualified specialists in the field of aquatic macrophytes. Much of the data were collated from one or two large survey programmes and so data processing and validation were standardised and consistent throughout. More recent data have been input by a standardised data capture field form, thus minimising the possibility of introducing any errors during the data input process.