EUNIS Habitat Classification: Expert system, characteristic species combinations and distribution maps of European habitats
Abstract Aim The EUNIS Habitat Classification is a widely used reference framework for European habitat types (habitats), but it lacks formal definitions of individual habitats that would enable their unequivocal identification. Our goal was to develop a tool for assigning vegetation-plot records to the habitats of the EUNIS system, use it to classify a European vegetation-plot database, and compile statistically-derived characteristic species combinations and distribution maps for these habitats. Location Europe. Methods We developed the classification expert system EUNIS-ESy, which contains definitions of individual EUNIS habitats based on their species composition and geographic location. Each habitat was formally defined as a formula in a computer language combining algebraic and set-theoretic concepts with formal logical operators. We applied this expert system to classify 1,261,373 vegetation plots from the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and other databases. Then we determined diagnostic, constant and dominant species for each habitat by calculating species-to-habitat fidelity and constancy (occurrence frequency) in the classified data set. Finally, we mapped the plot locations for each habitat. Results Formal definitions were developed for 199 habitats at Level 3 of the EUNIS hierarchy, including 25 coastal, 18 wetland, 55 grassland, 43 shrubland, 46 forest and 12 man-made habitats. The expert system classified 1,125,121 vegetation plots to these habitat groups and 73,188 to other habitats, while 63,064 plots remained unclassified or were classified to more than one habitat. Data on each habitat were summarized in factsheets containing habitat description, distribution map, corresponding syntaxa and characteristic species combination. Conclusions EUNIS habitats were characterized for the first time in terms of their species composition and distribution, based on a classification of a European database of vegetation plots using the newly developed electronic expert system EUNIS-ESy. The data provided and the expert system have considerable potential for future use in European nature conservation planning, monitoring and assessment.
Details
| Number of pages | 28 |
|---|---|
| Volume | 23 |
| Magazine issue | 4 |
| Pages (to-from) | 648-675 |
| Type | A1: Web of Science-article |
| Category | Research |
| Magazine | Applied Vegetation Science |
| Issns | 1402-2001|1654-109X |
| Publisher | Opulus |
| Language | English |
Bibtex
@misc{4aea78ec-dd00-4d93-85cf-95609617aeca,
title = "EUNIS Habitat Classification: Expert system, characteristic species combinations and distribution maps of European habitats",
abstract = "Abstract Aim The EUNIS Habitat Classification is a widely used reference framework for European habitat types (habitats), but it lacks formal definitions of individual habitats that would enable their unequivocal identification. Our goal was to develop a tool for assigning vegetation-plot records to the habitats of the EUNIS system, use it to classify a European vegetation-plot database, and compile statistically-derived characteristic species combinations and distribution maps for these habitats. Location Europe. Methods We developed the classification expert system EUNIS-ESy, which contains definitions of individual EUNIS habitats based on their species composition and geographic location. Each habitat was formally defined as a formula in a computer language combining algebraic and set-theoretic concepts with formal logical operators. We applied this expert system to classify 1,261,373 vegetation plots from the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and other databases. Then we determined diagnostic, constant and dominant species for each habitat by calculating species-to-habitat fidelity and constancy (occurrence frequency) in the classified data set. Finally, we mapped the plot locations for each habitat. Results Formal definitions were developed for 199 habitats at Level 3 of the EUNIS hierarchy, including 25 coastal, 18 wetland, 55 grassland, 43 shrubland, 46 forest and 12 man-made habitats. The expert system classified 1,125,121 vegetation plots to these habitat groups and 73,188 to other habitats, while 63,064 plots remained unclassified or were classified to more than one habitat. Data on each habitat were summarized in factsheets containing habitat description, distribution map, corresponding syntaxa and characteristic species combination. Conclusions EUNIS habitats were characterized for the first time in terms of their species composition and distribution, based on a classification of a European database of vegetation plots using the newly developed electronic expert system EUNIS-ESy. The data provided and the expert system have considerable potential for future use in European nature conservation planning, monitoring and assessment.",
author = "Milan Chytrý and Lubomír Tichý and Stephan M. Hennekens and Ilona Knollová and John A. M. Janssen and John S. Rodwell and Tomáš Peterka and Corrado Marcenò and Flavia Landucci and Jiří Danihelka and Michal Hájek and Jürgen Dengler and Pavel Novák and Dominik Zukal and Borja Jiménez-Alfaro and Ladislav Mucina and Sylvain Abdulhak and Svetlana Aćić and Emiliano Agrillo and Fabio Attorre and Erwin Bergmeier and Idoia Biurrun and Steffen Boch and János Bölöni and Gianmaria Bonari and Tatiana Braslavskaya and Helge Bruelheide and Juan Antonio Campos and Andraž Čarni and Laura Casella and Mirjana Ćuk and Renata Ćušterevska and Els De Bie and Pauline Delbosc and Olga Demina and Yakiv Didukh and Daniel Dítě and Tetiana Dziuba and Jörg Ewald and Rosario G. Gavilán and Jean-Claude Gégout and Gian Pietro Giusso del Galdo and Valentin Golub and Nadezhda Goncharova and Friedemann Goral and Ulrich Graf and Adrian Indreica and Maike Isermann and Ute Jandt and Florian Jansen and Jan Jansen and Anni Jašková and Martin Jiroušek and Zygmunt Kącki and Veronika Kalníková and Ali Kavgacı and Larisa Khanina and Andrey Yu. Korolyuk and Mariya Kozhevnikova and Anna Kuzemko and Filip Küzmič and Oleg L. Kuznetsov and Māris Laiviņš and Igor Lavrinenko and Olga Lavrinenko and Maria Lebedeva and Zdeňka Lososová and Tatiana Lysenko and Lise Maciejewski and Constantin Mardari and Aleksander Marinšek and Maxim G. Napreenko and Viktor Onyshchenko and Aaron Pérez-Haase and Remigiusz Pielech and Vadim Prokhorov and Valerijus Rašomavičius and Maria Pilar Rodríguez Rojo and Solvita Rūsiņa and Joachim Schrautzer and Jozef Šibík and Urban Šilc and Željko Škvorc and Viktor A. Smagin and Zvjezdana Stančić and Angela Stanisci and Elena Tikhonova and Tiina Tonteri and Domas Uogintas and Milan Valachovič and Kiril Vassilev and Denys Vynokurov and Wolfgang Willner and Sergey Yamalov and Douglas Evans and Mette Palitzsch Lund and Rania Spyropoulou and Eleni Tryfon and Joop H.J. Schaminée",
year = "2020",
month = oct,
day = "01",
doi = "https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12519",
language = "English",
publisher = "Opulus",
address = "Belgium,
type = "Other"
}
Authors
Milan ChytrýLubomír Tichý
Stephan M. Hennekens
Ilona Knollová
John A. M. Janssen
John S. Rodwell
Tomáš Peterka
Corrado Marcenò
Flavia Landucci
Jiří Danihelka
Michal Hájek
Jürgen Dengler
Pavel Novák
Dominik Zukal
Borja Jiménez-Alfaro
Ladislav Mucina
Sylvain Abdulhak
Svetlana Aćić
Emiliano Agrillo
Fabio Attorre
Erwin Bergmeier
Idoia Biurrun
Steffen Boch
János Bölöni
Gianmaria Bonari
Tatiana Braslavskaya
Helge Bruelheide
Juan Antonio Campos
Andraž Čarni
Laura Casella
Mirjana Ćuk
Renata Ćušterevska
Els De Bie
Pauline Delbosc
Olga Demina
Yakiv Didukh
Daniel Dítě
Tetiana Dziuba
Jörg Ewald
Rosario G. Gavilán
Jean-Claude Gégout
Gian Pietro Giusso del Galdo
Valentin Golub
Nadezhda Goncharova
Friedemann Goral
Ulrich Graf
Adrian Indreica
Maike Isermann
Ute Jandt
Florian Jansen
Jan Jansen
Anni Jašková
Martin Jiroušek
Zygmunt Kącki
Veronika Kalníková
Ali Kavgacı
Larisa Khanina
Andrey Yu. Korolyuk
Mariya Kozhevnikova
Anna Kuzemko
Filip Küzmič
Oleg L. Kuznetsov
Māris Laiviņš
Igor Lavrinenko
Olga Lavrinenko
Maria Lebedeva
Zdeňka Lososová
Tatiana Lysenko
Lise Maciejewski
Constantin Mardari
Aleksander Marinšek
Maxim G. Napreenko
Viktor Onyshchenko
Aaron Pérez-Haase
Remigiusz Pielech
Vadim Prokhorov
Valerijus Rašomavičius
Maria Pilar Rodríguez Rojo
Solvita Rūsiņa
Joachim Schrautzer
Jozef Šibík
Urban Šilc
Željko Škvorc
Viktor A. Smagin
Zvjezdana Stančić
Angela Stanisci
Elena Tikhonova
Tiina Tonteri
Domas Uogintas
Milan Valachovič
Kiril Vassilev
Denys Vynokurov
Wolfgang Willner
Sergey Yamalov
Douglas Evans
Mette Palitzsch Lund
Rania Spyropoulou
Eleni Tryfon
Joop H.J. Schaminée
