Sbp-BioBlitz2017_60years-BiodiversityData

The transdisciplinary BioBlitz in 2017 at the Biological Field Station Paimpont (SBP) aimed at increasing the range of taxa observations, observing changes in species composition and landscape, and providing a basis for interdisciplinary research perspectives.We gathered historical data, implemented all taxon biodiversity inventory (ATBI) in different habitats of the SBP study area, measured abiotic factors in the air, water and soil and started a photographical landscape observation

The study area of the SBP is composed of a diverse set of land parcels of different historical use in agriculture and local activity, purchased by the University of Rennes. In former times, today’s prairies were arable land, moor was grazed or regularly thinned, hedges represented firewood resource (i.e. trees were pruned), the pond served for a mill and fishing, pastoralism and hunting was practiced in woodland. Current management of the study area includes rotating horse grazing on meadows and moor, mechanical thinning of creek and pond banks as well as of hedges, and extensive mowing of grassland around the SBP buildings. A trail system across the study area is maintained through mowing, mechanical thinning and installation of board walks. Public access is restricted spatially to the trail around the pond and the area around the buildings of SBP, and temporally to public outreach events, such as the Science Festival, Open House and citizen science events, such as the BioBlitz.

Prior to the BioBlitz, in June/July 2017, the habitat zones were characterized, delimited and mapped. During the BioBlitz 2017 terrestrial sampling was performed in 42 different sites, aquatic sampling was performed in 4 different sites during 24 h. Occurrences were recorded as presence/absence data for each zone.

The BioBlitz was funded by the Biological Field Station Paimpont and the UMR 6553 EcoBio of the Université Rennes 1.