Australian Plant Tissue Samples for Species Identification

Over 76,000 archived plant tissue samples from vascular plants, collected from monitoring plots across Australia. The samples support species identification, verification, and serve as reference material for DNA barcoding and stable isotope analyses. It is derived from plant voucher specimens following the standardized TERN Ecosystem Surveillance methodology.

Use Cases

• Perform DNA barcoding analysis on plant tissue samples to verify species identification.
• Conduct stable isotope analyses using the archived tissue samples to study plant ecology.
• Cross-reference voucher barcode metadata to build a complete inventory of vascular plant species per monitoring plot.
• Analyze site and visit information to study plant species distribution across Australian ecosystems.

Strengths

• Over 76,000 archived plant tissue samples provide a substantial reference collection.
• Samples are collected following a standardized national Ecosystem Surveillance methodology.
• Includes detailed metadata such as voucher barcode and site information for each record.

Limitations

• The dataset's specific variables and column structure are not documented.
• Access to physical samples requires a loan request via an Expression of Interest process.
• The temporal range of sample collection is not specified.

Provenance

Source

Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network's Data Discovery

Collection Method

Collected from TERN Ecosystem Surveillance monitoring plots following a standardized methodology.

Freshness

Metadata was last updated in March 2026.

Geography

Australia