WIKIPLANTBASE: A COLLABORATIVE PLATFORM FOR FLORISTIC DATA. FIRST STEPS TOWARDS ITALIAN REGIONAL FLORAS ONLINE

Online databasing of plant diversity data became one of the major issues in biodiversity informatics in recent years. An increasing number of databases is now available concerning nomenclature and taxonomy, herbarium specimens, invasive alien plant monitoring, plant traits, ecology, vegetation, chromosome numbers, plant rDNA sites, genome size, DNA sequences. On the contrary, there are still few publicly available databases storing floristic data, especially at local level (1). Floristic records provide baseline data for researches in plant biology, linking a certain systematic unit to the localities where it is known to occur. Traditionally, printed floras are the “one-stop-shop” to find floristic data for a territory; unfortunately, printed floras are quickly outdated. Therefore, researchers must look for updated data in the scientific literature and herbarium specimens: the longer the time elapsed since the issue of the flora, the heavier the effort. In consideration of this, in 2013 we have started the project “Wikiplantbase #Toscana” (2) to provide a framework where the full set of georeferenced floristic records of Tuscany can be entered, stored, updated and freely accessed through the Internet. In few months, thousands of data accumulated and, and in summer 2014 we started to modify the platform to store floristic records also for Sardinia. As a result, since 17 November 2014, Wikiplantbase #Sardinia is available online (3), and recently both platforms were upgraded to version 2.0, allowing a wider set or search possibilities. As of 28 May 2015, Wikiplantbase #Toscana is storing 84149 floristic records, and Wikiplantbase #Sardegna 25000. Concerning the taxonomic coverage, for more than 90% of specific and subspecific taxa known for Tuscany there is at least one record available; while for Sardinia to a lesser extent, is still about 50%, but rapidly growing. The most recorded species are, so far: Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn subsp. aquilinum (Dennstaedtiaceae) for Tuscany (253 records from 161 different localities), and Pistacia lentiscus L. (Anacardiaceae) for Sardinia (292 records from 189 different localities). The platform’s design allows to store further regional records, so as to support a unified floristic database of the Italian Regions. With minor software tweaking, the online platform Wikiplantbase might be adopted in other contexts, resulting in a well connected network of regional floristic databases suited to exploit the involvement – still largely untapped – of non-academic collaborators, as advocated by citizen science.