We report a data set of disturbance indicator values identifying mean optima along gradients of natural and anthropogenic disturbance for 6,382 vascular plant species based on the analysis of 736,366 European vegetation plots and using an expert-based characterization of disturbance regimes in 236 habitat types. The indicator values presented here are crucial for integrating disturbance niche optima in large-scale assessments of vegetation and macroecological studies.

The data set contains five main continuous indicator values for European plants: disturbance severity, disturbance frequency, mowing frequency, grazing pressure and soil disturbance. The first two indicators are provided separately for the whole community and the herb layer.

Peer reviewed