Weather data
A large number of automatic weather stations has been implemented in the frame of the BIOTA AFRICA project by the Namibian National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and the Group "Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology" (BEE) of the University of Hamburg. The website offers hourly updates of data and graphs of a large number of weather parameters.


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Subproject W03

Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Barthlott, Botanical Institute and Botanical Garden, Rheinische Friedrich Wilhelms University, Meckenheimer Allee 170, D-53115 Bonn

Biodiversity of Africa in the global context: Spatial patterns of vascular plant diversity in a changing environment (BIOMAPS project)

Objectives
BIOTA BIOMAPS aims at the analysis of spatial patterns of African phytodiversity at regional to continental scale. It is part of the BIOMAPS cooperative project of the Institute of Botany, University of Bonn, and the German Remote Sensing Data Centre (DFD/DLR).

Under the main goal of documenting and analysing the patterns of overall diversity of African vascular plants, the focal questions are:

•  Documenting the centres of phytodiversity taking into account different qualitative aspects such as species richness, endemism, phylogenetic diversity, and others.
•  The relation of biological diversity and the variety of abiotic parameters of the environment (geodiversity).
•  Analyses and comparisons of diversity patterns of different plant functional types and their relevance for further studies in the field of global change research.
•  Analyses on the phytogeographic classification of tropical Africa.
•  Anthropogenic changes of African phytodiversity, especially the dynamics of invasive species.

Methods and scientific program
As a basis for the analyses specified above, databases are developed including information on floristics, biogeography and biodiversity of African vascular plants. For this task, data scattered in literature, different herbaria and electronic datasets are being brought together to make them available on the basis of a standardised data structure.
There will be two main types of data to be included:
The first dataset includes summary data on the phytodiversity of whole geographical units such as mountain ranges, national parks, provinces and others. This data allow quick comparisons of different regions and geographical units as well as quick surveys of diversity patterns on a large scale (compare BIOMAPS homepage: methods).
By far the larger dataset is based on distribution data for single taxa of vascular plants. This taxon based dataset allows not only analyses with higher spatial resolution. It will as well be the basis for more detailed studies of different aspects of phytodiversity patterns. Contrasting and comparing patterns of diversity of different groups of plants, we hope to learn about possible mechanisms and processes forming the basis for patterns of African phytodiversity.
The biological distribution data will be linked with a high resolution GIS of environmental parameters of the whole African continent which has been established at the German Remote Sensing Data Centre (Bio-GIS, DFD/DLR, compare W01). This allows the analysis of the climatological, geological and pedological range of a species' distribution. This characterisation of the species' ecology will be used for the prediction of its potential and its probable distribution as well as its sensitivity for different phenomena of the global environmental change. Through an overlay of these distribution data a wide range of diversity maps will be generated.

A Biodiversity Information System for African vascular plants
In addition to the analyses described above, the datasets under construction can be used as a biodiversity information system for queries of biogeographical information regarding selected taxa or geographical units as well. There will be a close cooperation with different partners of BIOTA Africa for the analyses described above as well as for the development and use of the underlying datasets as biodiversity information system. However, we are highly interested in cooperation, exchange of data and joint analyses with groups outside BIOTA for a better understanding of African phytodiversity.

The research team:

Prof. Dr. W. Barthlott, Botanisches Institut und Botanischer Garten der Universität Bonn
Prof. Dr. G. Zizka, Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Frankfurt
Prof. Dr. W. Lauer, Geographisches Institut der Universität Bonn
Dr. G. Braun, Deutsches Fernerkundungsdatenzentrum (DFD/DLR), Köln
Dr. D. Rafiqpoor, Arbeitsstelle Geoökologie (Bonn) der Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur, Mainz
J. Mutke, Botanisches Institut und Botanischer Garten der Universität Bonn
W. Küper, Botanisches Institut und Botanischer Garten der Universität Bonn
G. Kier, Botanisches Institut und Botanischer Garten der Universität Bonn