Vascular plant colonisation of Surtsey Island (1965-1990) - a dataset

A comprehensive dataset of vascular plant occurrences on Surtsey Island, Iceland, documents the early stages of primary succession from 1965 to 1990. This rare record of unperturbed colonization over three decades provides an invaluable baseline for studying ecological processes in pristine conditions. The dataset includes 10,094 georeferenced plant observations, offering a unique opportunity for comparative research on plant dynamics and succession. Surtsey's isolation and early protection efforts minimize human disturbance, making it an ideal natural laboratory for tracking ecosystem development on new volcanic substrates.

Wasowicz, P., Thorsteinsson, S., Magnússon, B., Einarsson, E., Bjarnason, V., Bjarnason, Á., Guðmundsson, J., Richter, S., Jónasson, R., Sveinbjörnsson, B., & Magnússon, S. (2020). Vascular plant colonisation of Surtsey Island (1965-1990) - a dataset. Biodiversity Data Journal, 8. https://doi.org/10.3897/bdj.8.e54812