Geo‑referenced Occurrence Dataset of Polish Forest Slime Moulds with Habitat and Substrate Annotations (3,085 Records)
Description
The dataset consolidates every verifiable forest‑related observation of slime moulds (Eumycetozoa) published from 1997 to 2024 within the borders of Poland. It unites 3,085 geo‑referenced records that resolve unambiguously to 317 taxa (species and subordinate ranks) distributed among 51 genera. For each record, seventeen metadata fields are provided: Year, Authors, Article title, DOI, Country, Slime mould species, Slime mould genus, Forest or stand type, Consolidated Category (habitat), Stand age (years), Microhabitat description, Substrate category, Latitude, Longitude, Elevation (m), Temperature (°C) and pH. The geographic coordinates allow direct spatial analyses, while the accompanying edaphic and climatic attributes facilitate multi‑factor ecological interpretation. The compilation was driven by the hypothesis that forest habitat type and immediate substrate jointly structure the taxonomic composition and richness of slime‑mould assemblages. To address this, the present authors harmonised the often heterogeneous site descriptions of 28 primary sources into two overarching, analysis‑ready fields. Consolidated Category assigns each record to one of eight habitat classes (Alpine/Subalpine Forests & High‑Mountain Shrublands; Broadleaved Deciduous Forests; Floodplain & Riparian Forests; Coniferous Forests; Meadows Grasslands & Glades; Mixed Forests; Bogs Mires & Fens; Other Non‑Forested / Anthropogenic or Unclassified). Substrate category resolves the immediate growth medium of the plasmodium or sporocarp into ten ecologically meaningful classes (bryophilous, corticolous, foliicolous, terricolous, lignicolous, ramicolous, herbaceous, xylophilous, saxicolous and miscellaneous). Both fields were created ex novo by the dataset authors and do not occur in the cited publications; they were introduced solely to enable statistically optimised comparisons among forest habitats and substrates. Taken together, the dataset provides the most comprehensive, spatially explicit baseline yet assembled for Central‑European forest myxobiota. It allows researchers and conservation practitioners to evaluate the affinity of particular genera or functional groups to dead wood, litter or soil substrates, and integrate slime‑mould occurrences with broader forest‑biodiversity indicators such as lying dead wood volume, canopy heterogeneity or Natura 2000 habitat types. Because each record is directly traceable to its bibliographic source, the dataset also offers a transparent audit trail for taxonomic or nomenclatural updates.
Files
Steps to reproduce
All 3,085 occurrence records were obtained by systematically extracting every slime mould observation reported in the 28 peer‑reviewed articles, check‑lists and monitoring reports listed in the accompanying bibliography. Each publication was consulted in its original form, and every locality taxon pairing that included an identifiable place name and a species level determination was transcribed verbatim. During transcription, seventeen metadata attributes were captured exactly as printed by the original authors, thereby preserving a transparent audit trail that spans Year, Authors, Article title, DOI, Slime‑mould species, Latitude, Longitude and the remaining contextual variables. Subsequent harmonisation focused on converting heterogeneous site descriptions into two controlled fields designed specifically for cross‑study comparison. Free‑text statements of forest type and microhabitat structure were interpreted—solely on the basis of ecological details provided in the source papers—and reassigned to one of eight habitat classes (Consolidated Category) and one of ten substrate classes (Substrate category). No measurements or assumptions beyond those explicitly documented in the publications were introduced at this stage; the classifications serve only to render the data analysis‑ready. Finally, every latitude–longitude pair was validated against contemporary Polish administrative boundaries, checked for internal consistency with the written locality description, and screened for duplication. Taxonomic names were aligned with the spellings used in the source literature without emendation, ensuring that each record remains directly traceable to its primary reference.
Institutions
- Politechnika Bialostocka