Database BiolFlor

The database BiolFlor on biological and ecological traits of the flora of Germany covers almost 3660 species of vascular species including established and frequent casual alien plant species. It is the first biological-ecological database for the complete German flora with information on traits from the following topics:

- floristic status
- chromosome number, ploidy levels, DNA content
- phylogeny
- morphology of vegetative organs
- flowering phenology
- floral and reproductive traits
- traits of seeds, fruits, dispersal units and germination units
- ecological strategy types
- indicator values for grassland species
- geographic ranges
- anthropogenic influence on vegetation
- habitat and formation

Since we use the "standard check-list" of the German Flora (Wisskirchen & Haeupler 1998), species names and respective traits can be found under many synonyms. Data was collated from existing databases, comprehensive literature queries (more than 1800 sources), own measurements and observations as well as expert knowledge.

 If you have any questions about access, please contact Mr Harpke:

Who is using BIOLFLOR?

Some of the studies we are aware of that have used BiolFlor:

  • Adriaens, D., Honnay, O., & Hermy, M. (2006) No evidence of a plant extinction debt in highly fragmented calcareous grasslands in Belgium. Biological Conservation, 133, 212-224.
  • Adriaens, D., Honnay, O., & Hermy, M. (2007) Does seed retention potential affect the distribution of plant species in highly fragmented calcareous grasslands? Ecography, 30, 505-514.
  • Bachmann, U., Hensen, I., & Partzsch, M. (2005) Is Campanula glomerata threatened by competition of expanding grasses? Plant Ecology, 180, 257-265.
  • Bachmann, U. & Hensen, I. (2007) Is declining Campanula glomerata threatened by genetic factors? Plant Species Biology, 22, 1-10.
  • Bakker, J. P., Bravo, L. G., & Mouissie, A. M. (2008) Dispersal by cattle of salt-marsh and dune species into salt-marsh and dune communities. Plant Ecology, 197, 43-54.
  • Becker, T., Dietz, H., Billeter, R., Buschmann, H., & Edwards, P. J. (2005) Altitudinal distribution of alien plant species in the Swiss Alps. Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics, 7, 173-183.
  • Bekker, R. M., van der Maarel, E., Bruelheide, H., & Woods, K. (2007) Long-term datasets: From descriptive to predictive data using ecoinformatics. Journal of Vegetation Science, 18, 458-462.
  • Biesmeijer, J. C., Roberts, S. P. M., Reemer, M., Ohlemüller, R., Edwards, M., Peeters, T., Schaffers, A. P., Potts, S. G., Kleukers, R., Thomas, C. D., Settele, J., & Kunin, W. E. (2006) Parallel declines in pollinators and insect-pollinated plants in Britain and the Netherlands. Science, 313, 351-354.
  • Bissels, S., Holzel, N., & Otte, N. (2004) Population structure of the threatened perennial Serratula tinctoria in relation to vegetation and management. Applied Vegetation Science, 7 , 267-274.
  • Boedeltje, G., Ozinga, W. A., & Prinzing, A. (2008) The trade-off between vegetative and generative reproduction among angiosperms influences regional hydrochorous propagule pressure. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 17, 50-58.
  • Bornkamm, R. (2006) Fifty years vegetation development of a xerothermic calcareous grassland in Central Europe after heavy disturbance. Flora, 201, 249-267.
  • Brandle, M. & Brandl, R. (2006) Is the composition of phytophagous insects and parasitic fungi among trees predictable? Oikos, 113, 296-304.
  • Carni, A., Franjic, J., Silc, U., & Skvorc, Z. (2005) Floristical, ecological and structural diversity of vegetation of forest fringes of the northern Croatia along a climatic gradient. Phyton-Annales Rei Botanicae, 45, 287-303.
  • Chytrý, M., Pyšek, P., Tichy, L., Knollova, I., & Danihelka, J. (2005) Invasions by alien plants in the Czech Republic: a quantitative assessment across habitats. Preslia, 77, 339-354.
  • Couvreur, M., Cosyns, E., Hermy, M., & Hoffmann, M. (2005) Complementarity of epi- and endozoochory of plant seeds by free ranging donkeys. Ecography, 28, 37-48.
  • Dakskobler, I. (2007) A new pioneer community with the dominant Aurinia petraea on the rockfall screes in the southern Julian Alps (western Slovenia). Wulfenia, 14, 105-131.
  • Dauber, J., Rommeler, A., & Wolters, V. (2006) The ant Lasius flavus alters the viable seed bank in pastures. European Journal of Soil Biology, 42, S157-S163.
  • Dehnen-Schmutz, K. (2004) Alien species reflecting history: medieval castles in Germany. Diversity and Distributions, 10, 147-151.
  • Dehnen-Schmutz, K., Touza, J., Perrings, C., & Williamson, M. (2007) A century of the ornamental plant trade and its impact on invasion success. Diversity and Distributions, 13, 527-534.
  • Dehnen-Schmutz, K., Touza, J., Perrings, C., & Williamson, M. (2007) Teh horticultural trade and ornamental plant invasions in Britain. Conservation Biology, 21, 224-231.
  • Delatte, E. & Chabrerie, O. (2008) Seed dispersal efficiency of forest herbaceous plant species by the ant Myrinica ruginodis. Comptes Rendus Biologies, 331, 309-320.
  • der Lippe, M. & Kowarik, I. (2007) Long-distance dispersal of plants by vehicles as a driver of plant invasions. Conservation Biology, 21, 986-996.
  • der Lippe, M. & Kowarik, I. (2007) Crop seed spillage along roads: a factor of uncertainty in the containment of GMO. Ecography , 30, 483-490.
  • der Lippe, M. & Kowarik, I. (2008) Do cities export biodiversity? Traffic as dispersal vector across urban-rural gradients. Diversity and Distributions, 14, 18-25.
  • Dierssen, K. (2006) Indicating botanical diversity - Structural and functional aspects based on case studies from Northern Germany. Ecological Indicators, 6, 94-103.
  • Dolle, M. & Schmidt, W. (2007) Changes in plant species diversity during thirty-six years of undisturbed old-field succession. Allgemeine Forst und Jagdzeitung, 178, 225-232.
  • Dziock, F., Henle, K., Foeckler, F., Follner, K., & Scholz, M. (2006) Biological indicator systems in floodplains - a review. International Review of Hydrobiology, 91, 271-291.
  • Dzwonko, Z. & Loster, S. (2007) A functional analysis of vegetation dynamics in abandoned and restored limestone grasslands. Journal of Vegetation Science, 18, 203-212.
  • Eler, K., Vidrih, M., & Batic, F. (2005) Vegetation characteristics in relation to different management regimes of calcareous grassland: A functional analysis using plant traits. Phyton-Annales Rei Botanicae , 45, 417-426.
  • Endels, P., Adriaens, D., Bekker, R. M., Knevel, I. C., Decocq, G., & Hermy, M. (2007) Groupings of life-history traits are associated with distribution of forest plant species in a fragmented landscape. Journal of Vegetation Science, 18, 499-508.
  • Franzaring, J., Fangmeier, A., & Hunt, R. (2007) On the consistencies between CSR plant strategies and Ellenberg ecological indicator values. Journal of Applied Botany and Food Quality-Angewandte Botanik, 81, 86-94.
  • Gabriel, D. & Tscharntke, T. (2007) Insect pollinated plants benefit from organic farming. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment , 118, 43-48.
  • Godefroid, S., Monbaliu, D., & Koedam, N. (2007) The role of soil and microclimatic variables in the distribution patterns of urban wasteland flora in Brussels, Belgium. Landscape and Urban Planning, 80, 45-55.
  • Götzenberger, L., Durka, W., Kühn, I., & Klotz, S. (2006) The relationship between the pollen-ovule ratio and seed size : a comparative test of a sex allocation hypothesis. Evolutionary Ecology Research, 8, 1101-1116.
  • Henle, K., Dziock, F., Foeckler, F., Follner, K., Husing, V., Hettrich, A., Rink, M., Stab, S., & Scholz, M. (2006) Study design for assessing species environment relationships and developing indicator systems for ecological changes in floodplains - The approach of the RIVA project. International Review of Hydrobiology, 91, 292-313.
  • Hoffmann, D., Pettis, J. S., & Neumann, P. (2008) Potential host shift of the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida) to bumblebee colonies (Bombus impatiens). Insectes Sociaux, 55, 153-162.
  • Honnay, O., Adriaens, D., Coart, E., Jacquemyn, H., & Roldan-Ruiz, I. (2007) Genetic diversity within and between remnant populations of the endangered calcareous grassland plant Globularia bisnagarica L. Conservation Genetics, 8, 293-303.
  • Isermann, M., Diekmann, M., & Heemann, S. (2007) Effects of the expansion by Hippophae rhamnoides on plant species richness in coastal dunes. Applied Vegetation Science, 10, 33-42.
  • Klimes, L. (2008) Clonal splitters and integrators in harsh environments of the Trans-Himalaya. Evolutionary Ecology, 22, 351-367.
  • Kolb, A. & Diekmann, M. (2005) Effects of life-history traits on responses of plant species to forest fragmentation. Conservation Biology, 19, 929-938.
  • Kolb, A., Barsch, F., & Diekmann, M. (2006) Determinants of local abundance and range size in forest vascular plants. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 15, 237-247.
  • Kowarik, I. & Saumel, I. (2007) Biological flora of Central Europe: Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle. Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics, 8, 207-237.
  • Kozlowski, G., Jones, R. A., & Nicholls-Vuille, F. L. (2008) Biological flora of central europe: Baldellia ranunculoides (Alismataceae). Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics, 10, 109-142.
  • Kuhner, A. & Kleyer, M. (2008) A parsimonious combination of functional traits predicting plant response to disturbance and soil fertility. Journal of Vegetation Science, 19, 681-U42.
  • Kühn, I., Durka, W., & Klotz, S. (2004) BiolFlor - a new plant-trait database as a tool for plant invasion ecology. Diversity and Distributions, 10, 363-365.
  • Kühn, I., Brandenburg, M., & Klotz, S. (2004) Why do alien plant species that reproduce in natural habitats occur more frequently? Diversity and Distributions, 10, 417-425.
  • Kühn, I., Brandl, R., & Klotz, S. (2004) The flora of German cities is naturally species rich. Evolutionary Ecology Research , 6, 749-764.
  • Kühn, I., Bierman, S. M., Durka, W., & Klotz, S. (2006) Relating geographical variation in pollination types to environmental and spatial factors using novel statistical methods. New Phytologist, 172, 127-139.
  • Kühn, I. & Klotz, S. (2006) Urbanization and homogenization - Comparing the floras of urban and rural areas in Germany. Biological Conservation, 127, 292-300.
  • Liira, J., Schmidt, T., Aavik, T., Arens, P., Augenstein, I., Bailey, D., Billeter, R., Bukacek, R., Burel, F., De Blust, G., De Cock, R., Dirksen, J., Edwards, P. J., Hamersky, R., Herzog, F., Klotz, S., Kühn, I., Le Coeur, D., Miklova, P., Roubalova, M., Schweiger, O., Smulders, M. J. M., Van Wingerden, W. K. R. E., Bugter, R., & Zobel, M. (2008) Plant functional group composition and large-scale species richness in European agricultural landscapes. Journal of Vegetation Science, 19, 3-14.
  • Lososova, Z., Chytrý, M., Kühn, I., Hajek, O., Horakova, V., Pyšek, P., & Tichy, L. (2006) Patterns of plant traits in annual vegetation of man-made habitats in central Europe. Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics, 8, 69-81.
  • Lososova, Z., Chytrý, M., & Kühn, I. (2008) Plant attributes determining the regional abundance of weeds on central European arable land. Journal of Biogeography, 35, 177-187.
  • Meyerson, L. A. & Mooney, H. A. (2007) Invasive alien species in an era of globalization. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 5, 199-208.
  • Milbau, A. & Stout, J. C. (2008) Factors associated with alien plants transitioning from casual, to naturalized, to invasive. Conservation Biology, 22, 308-317.
  • Mouissie, A. M., Vos, P., Verhagen, H. M. C., & Bakker, J. P. (2005) Endozoochory by free-ranging, large herbivores: Ecological correlates and perspectives for restoration. Basic and Applied Ecology, 6, 547-558.
  • Mouissie, A. M., Van der Veen, C. E. J., Veen, G. F., & Van Diggelen, R. (2005) Ecological correlates of seed survival after ingestion by Fallow Deer. Functional Ecology, 19, 284-290.
  • Peter, M., Edwards, P. J., Jeanneret, P., Kampmann, D., & Luscher, A. (2008) Changes over three decades in the floristic composition of fertile permanent grasslands in the Swiss Alps. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 125, 204-212.
  • Piessens, K., Honnay, O., & Hermy, M. (2005) The role of fragment area and isolation in the conservation of heathland species. Biological Conservation, 122, 61-69.
  • Piessens, K. & Hermy, M. (2006) Does the heathland flora in north-western Belgium show an extinction debt? Biological Conservation, 132, 382-394.
  • Poschlod, P., Kleyer, M., Jackel, A. K., Dannemann, A., & Tackenberg, O. (2003) BIOPOP - a database of plant traits and Internet application for nature conservation. Folia Geobotanica, 38, 263-271.
  • Pottier, J., Marrs, R. H., & Bedecarrats, A. (2007) Integrating ecological features of species in spatial pattern analysis of a plant community. Journal of Vegetation Science, 18, 223-230.
  • Prinzing, A., Ozinga, W. A., & Durka, W. (2004) The relationship between global and regional distribution diminishes among phylogenetically basal species. Evolution, 58, 2622-2633.
  • Putfarken, D., Dengler, J., Lehmann, S., & Hardtle, W. (2008) Site use of grazing cattle and sheep in a large-scale pasture landscape: A GPS/GIS assessment. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 111, 54-67.
  • Putz, N. (2006) Seedling establishment, underground kinetics, and clonal reiteration: How do Potentilla inclinata and Inula ensifolia get their multifunctional subterranean systems? Flora, 201, 298-306.
  • Pyšek, P. (2003) How reliable are data on alien species in Flora Europaea? Flora, 198, 499-507.
  • Pyšek, P., Richardson, D. M., & Williamson, M. (2004) Predicting and explaining plant invasions through analysis of source area floras: some critical considerations. Diversity and Distributions, 10, 179-187.
  • Pyšek, P., Richardson, D. M., Rejmánek, M., Webster, G. L., Williamson, M., & Kirschner, J. (2004) Alien plants in checklists and floras: towards better communication between taxonomists and ecologists. Taxon, 53, 131-143.
  • Pyšek, P. & Richardson, D. M. (2006) The biogeography of naturalization in alien plants. Journal of Biogeography, 33, 2040-2050.
  • Römermann, C., Tackenberg, O., & Poschlod, P. (2005) How to predict attachment potential of seeds to sheep and cattle coat from simple morphological seed traits. Oikos, 110, 219-230.
  • Sadlo, J., Chytrý, M., & Pyšek, P. (2007) Regional species pools of vascular plants in habitats of the Czech Republic. Preslia, 79, 303-321.
  • Scholz, H. (2007) Questions about indigenous plants and anecophytes. Taxon, 56, 1255-1260.
  • Simonova, D. & Lososova, Z. (2008) Which factors determine plant invasions in man-made habitats in the Czech Republic? Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics, 10, 89-100.
  • Stadler, J., Trefflich, A., Brandl, R., & Klotz, S. (2007) Spontaneous regeneration of dry grasslands on set-aside fields. Biodiversity and Conservation, 16, 621-630.
  • Tackenberg, O., Römermann, C., Thompson, K., & Poschlod, P. (2006) What does diaspore morphology tell us about external animal dispersal? Evidence from standardized experiments measuring seed retention on animal-coats. Basic and Applied Ecology, 7, 45-58.
  • Truscott, A. M., Palmer, S. C. F., Soulsby, C., & Hulme, P. E. (2008) Assessing the vulnerability of riparian vegetation to invasion by Mimulus guttatus: relative importance of biotic and abiotic variables in determining species occurrence and abundance. Diversity and Distributions, 14, 412-421.
  • Van Kleunen, M. & Johnson, S. D. (2007) Effects of self-compatibility on the distribution range of invasive European plants in North America. Conservation Biology, 21, 1537-1544.
  • Vittoz, P., Bodin, J., Ungricht, S., Burga, C., & Walther, G. R. (2008) One century of vegetation change on Isla Persa, a nunatak in the Bernina massif in the Swiss Alps. Journal of Vegetation Science, 19, 671-U28.
  • Wania, A., Kühn, I., & Klotz, S. (2006) Plant richness patterns in agricultural and urban landscapes in Central Germany - spatial gradients of species richness. Landscape and Urban Planning, 75, 97-110.
  • Zobel, M., Opik, M., Moora, M., & Pärtel, M. (2006) Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: It is time for dispersal experiments. Journal of Vegetation Science, 17, 543-547.