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Foliar Trait and Spectroscopy Data, Greater Cape Floristic Region, South Africa, V2

Overview

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/2528
Version2.1
Project
Published2026-09-17
Download Data11.7 MBUser Guide

Description

This dataset holds foliar trait measurements, species-level life history traits, visible-near infrared (VNIR) spectroscopy, and vegetation survey data for plant communities within the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) of South Africa. Foliar traits measurements were made between 2010 and 2014. Releve surveys include plots from 1966 to 2014. Trait collection efforts extended over 5.8% of the GCFR's total area, where measurements were made for 1,327 species from 99 families. The trait dataset comprises 132,195 leaf and twig structural measurements, 7,513 canopy measurements and 11,948 elemental/isotopic measurements. The spectroscopy dataset contains 3,076 VNIR spectral measurements (450-949 nm) of 1,158 species from 97 families. These data contribute to research initiatives such as the Biodiversity Survey of the Cape (BioSCape) project and help understand this ecosystem from a trait-based perspective. The data are provided in comma separated values (CSV) format.

Science Keywords

  • SPECTRAL/ENGINEERING
  • INFRARED WAVELENGTHS
  • REFLECTED INFRARED
  • BIOSPHERE
  • VEGETATION
  • CANOPY CHARACTERISTICS
  • BIOSPHERE
  • VEGETATION
  • PLANT CHARACTERISTICS
  • BIOSPHERE
  • VEGETATION
  • LEAF CHARACTERISTICS
  • BIOSPHERE
  • VEGETATION
  • VEGETATION SPECIES
  • BIOSPHERE
  • ECOSYSTEMS
  • TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
  • SHRUBLAND/SCRUB
  • BIOSPHERE
  • VEGETATION
  • PLANT CHARACTERISTICS
  • VEGETATION WATER CONTENT
  • SPECTRAL/ENGINEERING
  • VISIBLE WAVELENGTHS

Data Use and Citation

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Frye, H., M.E. Aiello-Lammens, D. Euston-Brown, C.S. Jones, H. Kilroy Mollmann, C. Merow, J.A. Slingsby, H. van der Merwe, R. Turner, A.M. Wilson, and J.A. Silander Jr. 2026. Foliar Trait and Spectroscopy Data, Greater Cape Floristic Region, South Africa, V2. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/2528

This dataset is openly shared, without restriction, in accordance with the NASA Earthdata Data Use Guidance.

Data Files

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Companion Files

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Dataset has 1 companion files.

  • BioSCape_foliar_trait_spec_V2.pdf