Data associated with 'Floristic Composition and Environmental Variation in Virginia Piedmont Grasslands'

Our cluster analysis supported eight grassland types, which we call Outer Piedmont Seepage/Sand Woodland/Savanna, Piedmont Wet Woodland/Savanna, Piedmont Depression Woodland/Savanna, Piedmont Mid-Spectrum Oak-Hickory Woodland/Savanna, DCR Piedmont Prairie, Piedmont Acidic Oak-Hickory/Oak-Heath Woodland/Savanna, Piedmont Mafic/Ultramafic Woodland/Savanna, and Rocky Woodlands and Barrens. DCR plots generally clustered with our plots, suggesting that despite their small size our plots are high-quality grasslands with similar floristic composition to Virginia’s best remaining examples.

Additionally, the species richness and composition of our sites suggest they have not experienced heavy soil disturbance and may be old-growth grasslands. These biodiverse fragments are widespread in the Piedmont and variable in floristics and environmental associations yet remain under-studied and under-protected. Government, scientific, and public recognition of these irreplaceable communities is urgently needed to support conservation and future research.</p><p dir="ltr">This dataset includes some vegetation plot data contributed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation - Division of Natural Heritage.

These data are included here with permission and associated with the following citation.</p><p dir="ltr">Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, VA Plots, the DCR-DNH Vegetation Plots Database. Data exported on 10-15-2024. Richmond, Virginia, 23219</p><p dir="ltr">Ezra Staengl, ezraperegrine@gmail.com, ORCID - 0009-0005-4551-0703; Jordan Coscia, jtcoscia@vt.edu, ORCID - 0009-0005-6377-3064; J. Leighton Reid, jlreid@vt.edu, ORCID - 0000-0002-7390-2094</p>