OakEcol: UK Oak Tree Biodiversity and Species Associations

UK biodiversity data lists 2300 known species of birds, bryophytes, fungi, invertebrates, lichens, and mammals associated with native oak trees (Quercus petraea and Quercus robur). For each species, it provides an association level, ecological data on tree part used, activity, age, woodland type, form, and season, plus usage data for 30 alternative tree species. The dataset synthesizes information from multiple sources to detail oak's role as a habitat.

Use Cases

• Assessing oak's importance as a keystone species based on the number of obligate and associated species.
• Planning woodland conservation or management strategies using data on species' tree age and form preferences.
• Comparing habitat value across tree species using the data on usage of 30 alternative tree species.
• Modeling species distributions or habitat networks based on ecological parameters like woodland type and season of use.

Strengths

• Contains a specific count of 2300 associated species across six major taxonomic groups.
• Provides detailed ecological annotations for each species, including association level, tree part used, and activity.
• Includes comparative data on species' use of 30 alternative tree species, enabling cross-species habitat analysis.

Limitations

• Column names and specific data schema are not provided in the available metadata.
• Conflicting metadata completeness: one source lists an organization and DOI, while others lack author, license, and row count details.
• The dataset's spatial scope is limited to the UK, which may restrict broader ecological applications.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre

Collection Method

Collated from a complete list of data sources (method details not specified).

Freshness

2026-04-16 10:15:32.586473

Geography

United Kingdom