This dataset provides validated occurrence records for 30 native shrub species in Lebanon. The data supports the investigation of biogeographic patterns, species distribution modelling (ENM), and the identification of chorotypes within the diverse landscapes of Lebanon. It is intended to serve as a resource for conservation planning and the study of biotic assemblages across Lebanon’s heterogeneous environmental gradients
","language":"eng","logoUrl":"https://cloud.gbif.org/asia/logo.do?r=shrubs_lebanon","citation":{"text":"Bechara J, Abou Nader R (2026). Distribution data of 30 indigenous shrub species across Lebanon's biogeographic regions. Lebanon Reforestation Initiative. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/ugtdbu accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-10-27.","citationProvidedBySource":false},"contactsCitation":[{"key":6995061,"abbreviatedName":"Bechara J","firstName":"Joseph","lastName":"Bechara","roles":["METADATA_AUTHOR","ORIGINATOR"],"userId":[]},{"key":6995062,"abbreviatedName":"Abou Nader R","firstName":"Robin","lastName":"Abou Nader","roles":["METADATA_AUTHOR","ORIGINATOR"],"userId":[]}],"lockedForAutoUpdate":false,"createdBy":"349a476d-703f-41b5-9ea2-826bd9871bd6","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-04-29T10:07:06.467+00:00","modified":"2026-04-30T10:59:02.476+00:00","contacts":[{"key":6995061,"type":"ORIGINATOR","primary":true,"userId":[],"firstName":"Joseph","lastName":"Bechara","position":["Wildfire and Forest Management Head"],"email":["jbechara@lri-lb.org"],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"organization":"LRI","address":[],"city":"Jdeideh","province":"Metn","country":"LB","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-04-30T10:59:02.449+00:00","modified":"2026-04-30T10:59:02.449+00:00"},{"key":6995062,"type":"ORIGINATOR","primary":false,"userId":[],"firstName":"Robin","lastName":"Abou Nader","position":[],"email":["robinabounader@hotmail.com"],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"organization":"Lebanon Reforestation Initiative","address":[],"country":"LB","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-04-30T10:59:02.451+00:00","modified":"2026-04-30T10:59:02.451+00:00"},{"key":6995063,"type":"METADATA_AUTHOR","primary":true,"userId":[],"firstName":"Joseph","lastName":"Bechara","position":["Wildfire and Forest Management Head"],"email":["jbechara@lri-lb.org"],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"organization":"LRI","address":[],"city":"Jdeideh","province":"Metn","country":"LB","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-04-30T10:59:02.452+00:00","modified":"2026-04-30T10:59:02.452+00:00"},{"key":6995064,"type":"METADATA_AUTHOR","primary":false,"userId":[],"firstName":"Robin","lastName":"Abou Nader","position":[],"email":["robinabounader@hotmail.com"],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[],"country":"LB","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-04-30T10:59:02.453+00:00","modified":"2026-04-30T10:59:02.453+00:00"},{"key":6995065,"type":"REVIEWER","primary":false,"userId":[],"firstName":"Lily","lastName":"Shrestha","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"organization":"GBIF Asia Support","address":[],"createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-04-30T10:59:02.454+00:00","modified":"2026-04-30T10:59:02.454+00:00"},{"key":6995066,"type":"ADMINISTRATIVE_POINT_OF_CONTACT","primary":true,"userId":[],"firstName":"Joseph","lastName":"Bechara","position":["Wildfire and Forest Management Head"],"email":["jbechara@lri-lb.org"],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"organization":"LRI","address":[],"city":"Jdeideh","province":"Metn","country":"LB","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-04-30T10:59:02.455+00:00","modified":"2026-04-30T10:59:02.455+00:00"}],"endpoints":[{"key":1269251,"type":"DWC_ARCHIVE","url":"https://cloud.gbif.org/asia/archive.do?r=shrubs_lebanon","createdBy":"349a476d-703f-41b5-9ea2-826bd9871bd6","modifiedBy":"349a476d-703f-41b5-9ea2-826bd9871bd6","created":"2026-04-29T10:07:08.124+00:00","modified":"2026-04-29T10:07:08.124+00:00","machineTags":[]},{"key":1269250,"type":"EML","url":"https://cloud.gbif.org/asia/eml.do?r=shrubs_lebanon","createdBy":"349a476d-703f-41b5-9ea2-826bd9871bd6","modifiedBy":"349a476d-703f-41b5-9ea2-826bd9871bd6","created":"2026-04-29T10:07:08.088+00:00","modified":"2026-04-29T10:07:08.088+00:00","machineTags":[]}],"machineTags":[{"key":33268070,"namespace":"crawler.gbif.org","name":"crawl_attempt","value":"21","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-10-19T01:35:35.273+00:00"}],"tags":[],"identifiers":[{"key":467579,"type":"URL","identifier":"https://cloud.gbif.org/asia/resource?r=shrubs_lebanon","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-04-30T10:59:02.457+00:00","primary":false}],"comments":[],"bibliographicCitations":[{"text":"Stephan, J., Hammoud, Y., Korban, M., & Ferro, I. (2025). Lebanon Biogeography Outlined by Tree and Shrub Species Distribution Pattern. Ecology and Evolution, 15(3), e71161.","identifier":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71161","citationProvidedBySource":false}],"curatorialUnits":[],"taxonomicCoverages":[{"description":"N/A","coverages":[{"scientificName":"Magnoliopsida","rank":{"verbatim":"class","interpreted":"CLASS"}},{"scientificName":"Tamaricaceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Plantae","rank":{"verbatim":"kingdom","interpreted":"KINGDOM"}},{"scientificName":"Caryophyllales","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Tracheophyta","rank":{"verbatim":"phylum","interpreted":"PHYLUM"}}]}],"geographicCoverages":[{"description":"The study area encompasses the entire national territory of Lebanon, characterized by its diverse physical geography including coastal strips, Mount Lebanon, the Beqaa Valley, and the Anti-Lebanon ranges","boundingBox":{"minLatitude":-90.0,"maxLatitude":90.0,"minLongitude":-180.0,"maxLongitude":-180.0,"globalCoverage":false}}],"temporalCoverages":[],"keywordCollections":[{"thesaurus":"GBIF Dataset Type Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_type_2015-07-10.xml","keywords":["biogeography | chorotypes | dissimilarity indices | distributional patterns | ecological niche modeling | elevational gradient |\nspecies distribution | transition zones","Occurrence"]}],"samplingDescription":{"studyExtent":"The study area encompasses the entire national territory of Lebanon, situated in the eastern Mediterranean region. It is characterized by significant topographical heterogeneity, spanning from the Mediterranean coastline (0 m a.s.l.) to the high-elevation ranges of Mount Lebanon (reaching 3000 m a.s.l.) and the Anti-Lebanon mountains. This territory includes all major biogeographic zones of the country, providing a diverse environmental gradient that influences the distribution of native shrub species.","sampling":"The dataset was compiled through a multi-source sampling strategy designed to capture maximum environmental and biogeographic variability across Lebanon. Data collection was performed through rigorous field-based botanical sampling, adhering to standardized taxonomic protocols for the systematic identification and acquisition of vegetative and reproductive structures. Field sampling involved both historical record synthesis and targeted 'field cruising'—traveling across all major biogeographic regions including coastal areas, the Mount Lebanon ranges, the Beqaa Valley, and the Anti-Lebanon ranges—to document the presence of native phanerophytes (shrubs). Identifications were confirmed in the field using regional guides and verified in the laboratory against herbarium reference collections. This approach ensured the systematic documentation of species occurrences within a detailed ecological and geographical framework, excluding riparian-restricted species or planted specimens to maintain the dataset's representativeness for ecological niche modelling.","qualityControl":"Data quality for the shrub occurrence dataset was ensured through a systematic, multi-step verification process. First, taxonomic names were verified against updated regional checklists and databases to ensure consistency in nomenclature. Second, geographic coordinates were validated to ensure they fall within the national borders of Lebanon and that all geodetic data were accurately projected and consistent with the WGS84 standard. Third, data were reviewed for completeness, ensuring that all mandatory Darwin Core elements—including basisOfRecord, eventDate, and scientificName—were populated. Any records with incomplete or ambiguous geographic information were excluded during the pre-processing phase to ensure the dataset's integrity for biogeographical analysis and modelling purposes.","methodSteps":["The research workflow involved synthesizing 30 native shrub species' occurrence records from a combination of historical literature and a targeted 2018 field survey, specifically selecting native phanerophytes with sufficient presence data to ensure modeling robustness. Environmental predictors, including high-resolution climatic and topographic layers, were processed in GIS to align with Lebanon's heterogeneous landscape conditions. Ecological niche models were generated using MaxEnt (v. 3.4.1), with models validated using an Area under the Curve (AUC) threshold of >0.85. Finally, the predicted species distribution maps were integrated into a presence-absence matrix on a 6 km x 6 km grid, where regional chorotypes were delineated via the Baroni-Urbani Buser index and UPGMA clustering to visualize significant distributional range congruence and species richness heterogeneity across biogeographical transition zones."]},"countryCoverage":[],"collections":[],"dataDescriptions":[],"dataLanguage":"eng","purpose":"The primary purpose of this dataset is to delineate the biogeographical structure of Lebanon based on the distribution of native shrub species. By compiling occurrence records and employing ecological niche modelling, this dataset facilitates the identification of chorotypes—assemblages of species with similar distribution patterns—that depict the biotic composition of the Lebanese landscape. The findings reveal a significant biogeographical transition zone between the Mediterranean and Irano-Turanian regions, with species richness hotspots occurring at intermediate elevations. This dataset is intended to serve as a fundamental tool for researchers, conservationists, and decision-makers to evaluate biotic assemblages, monitor biodiversity gradients, and guide the sustainable management and conservation of Lebanon’s shrubland ecosystems.
","introduction":"Biogeographers have long divided the earth's surface into relativelyhomogeneous regions of species composition and describedthe transition zone as intergradation at the boundariesof adjacent regions. The restriction of plant and animal speciesto particular areas of the world, namely endemics, allowed biogeographersto divide the planet into different biogeographic regions(Schmid et al. 1987; Moreira-Muñoz2007; Holt et al. 2013;Abdelaal et al. 2020). The geographic distribution of a set ofspecies is necessarily nested into its genus, family, and orderor class in a hierarchical classification reflecting genealogical relationships. This led to a hierarchical classification of biogeographicalregionalization where realms contain regions, whichinclude nested dominions, provinces, and districts. Certainly,Takhtajan (1986) proposed a hierarchical biogeographical systemfor plants, based on levels of endemism, to distinguish biogeographicalunits. Alternatively, Kreft and Jetz (2010) defineda framework for delineating biogeographical regions based onareas with similar species composition. Either, based on endemismor similarity, biogeographical areas appear as rather discretegeographical units, and a biogeographic transition zoneinvolves the passage from one to another in the geographicalspace (Ferro 2024). The European Environmental Agency definesa biogeographical region as an “Area of similar characterin terms of the biota (fauna & flora) present in it. Each biogeographicregion is based on similarity of composition in terms ofthe systematics (and hence evolutionary history) of the biota.The extent and boundaries of each region have been determinedby changes in climate and the movement of continents, and accompanyingchanges in the physical and climatic barriers to migration,”sensitize more than three centuries of intense debateson biogeographical regionalization (https:// www. eea. europa.eu/ help/ gloss ary/ eea-glossary/ bioge ograp hical -region).Morrone (2004) defined biogeographical transition zones asthe boundaries between biogeographical regions, representingareas of biotic overlap promoted by historical and ecologicalchanges that allowed the mixture of taxa belonging to differentbiotic components. Hence, in transition zones, environmentalconditions and ecological factors allow both the co-occurrenceof biotic components from different geographical units, but alsolimit their distribution further one into the other (Ferro andMorrone 2014). Notoriously, biogeographic transition zonesfrequently coincide with the presence of strong gradients inthe physical environment that prevent the dispersal of taxa andmaintain taxonomic differentiation between adjacent regions.The restriction for such biotic assemblages may be a strong environmentalgradient or ‘ribbons’ of unsuitable habitats (Glorand Warren 2011). For example, sharp environmental gradientsmay occur in those transition zones associated with mountainranges, such as the Alborz Mountains separating the Euro-Siberian(Hyrcanian) from the Irano-Turanianregion (Djamaliet al. 2008). Furthermore, paths of unsuitable habitats may havean underlying environmental gradient but are not necessarilysharp. A good example may be the Sinai Peninsula or the SyrianDesert separating the Saharo-Arabianfrom the Mediterraneanor Irano-Turanianregions. Yet, some delineations are less evident,such as the transition between the Mediterranean andEuro-Siberianregions in the Iberian and Italian peninsulas(Blasi et al. 1999; Blondel et al. 2010). Besides, biogeographicalunits may also be differentiated according to climatic,geographic, physiologic, or other approaches. For delineatingbiomes, researchers relied on climatic parameters, topography-soilparameters, and life forms, which influence the distributionof living beings. On a map, these biogeographical units are frequentlyenclosed by lines symbolizing the boundaries betweenadjacent areas (Blasi et al. 1999; Simpson et al. 2009; Blondelet al. 2010; Kreft and Jetz 2010; Djamali et al. 2012). However,rather than straight lines, biotas intergrade into one anotheras zones with a certain degree of geographic extension whenclosely observed (Divíšek et al. 2016; Ferro and Morrone 2014).In this regard, Mouterde (1966) could not define a sharpdelineation between the Mediterranean area and the Irano-Turanianin the Levantine countries. To avoid the misleadingattribution of “Continental Mediterranean” he suggested a“Syrian climate” with specific vegetation and endemic speciesfor large areas stretching from the Golan Heights and Jabal elDruze in Syria towards the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon, and thenorthwestern mountains of Syria (Idlib and Aleppo) to the borderwith Turkey and upper Mesopotamia. Zohary (1973) andlater Blondel et al. (2010) noted the importance of this part of theWorld as a crosswalk between three continents (Asia, Europe,and Africa) with various floristic groups and biogeographicalareas (Mediterranean, Euro-Siberian,Irano-Turanian,Saharo-Arabian,and Sudanian), but failed to define an accurate delineationof each (Figure 1). Despite the intertwined floristic groupsand biogeographical areas, mainly between the rift valley tothe north of the Dead Sea up to Lebanon, some zones remainunattributed to any floristic group (question mark in Figure 1).Yet, a biogeographic map defining the structure of countrieslike Lebanon has been lacking; the great topographic and environmentalheterogeneity in a small expanse, with a remarkableelevation range (0–3000 m asl) and precipitation gradient, witha semi-aridregion in the northeast, means that several detailsof the biological composition across space may be overlooked inthe framework of a continual analysis.Given that a biogeographical transition zone occurs as contactbetween two or more regions, it is important to deconstructthe flora or fauna and determine their biogeographical appurtenanceto a given region. Delineation of transition zones canbe achieved by plotting distribution maps of species occurrencesso that sets of species with repetitive distribution can be identifiedas a pattern and then depict their mixture on geographicalgrounds. The concept of chorotype is a common approach todenote the biogeographical composition of a species assemblage(Passalacqua 2015; Fattorini 2016). Species with similar geographicalranges can be grouped into chorotypes, and recurrentspecies co-occurrencesrepresent their affinity in terms of geographicaldistribution. The chorotype has been interpreted asassemblages of species with certain ecological requirements thatshape their distribution. However, different concepts can be includedunder the term chorotype. For instance, Fattorini (2015)distinguished between regional and global chorotypes dependingon the geographical framework used to analyze specieswith overlapping ranges. Regional chorotypes involve groups ofspecies with similar distribution at a local scale within a givenstudy area previously defined. In contrast, global chorotypes indicatea group of species with similar overall distribution ranges.Depending on the selected study area, a given species might beclassified into different regional chorotypes in the former concept.The latter implicates the whole distribution range and doesnot vary with the study area under consideration.Another approach to visualizing patterns of similarities anddifferentiation in the biotic composition is to use similarity indices,which calculate taxonomic distinctiveness that can thenbe displayed on maps (Rodrigez and Arita 2004; Rivas-Martínezet al. 2011; Dapporto et al. 2015). Yet, patterns in taxonomic(dis)similarity may arise from two sources of variation in speciescomposition: the real turnover and the nestedness components,which may lead to divergent results due to differences inspecies richness among the studied regions (Baselga 2010, 2012;20457758, 2025, 3, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.71161 by UNJU - Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Wiley Online Library on [20/03/2025]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons LicenseKreft and Jetz 2010; Mouillot et al. 2013). Species turnover inits narrow sense implicates the replacement of one species byanother when moving across regions or localities, whereas thebroad sense turnover implicates nestedness, losses, or gains;thus, gradients of species richness, which are subsets of thespecies assemblages but without a real replacement (Ulrich andGotelli 2007; Baselga 2010).The eastern Mediterranean region might exhibit both phenomena.The rugged topography of Taurus, Anti-Taurus,and Amanus, in southern Turkey and the Lebanon mountainranges is considered a refuge for the Tertiary floras (Médail andDiadema 2009). Thus, relict species distributions from the glaciationperiods thrive in some mountain enclaves with cold andmesic conditions (Awad et al. 2014; Walas et al. 2019; Douaihyet al. 2020; López-Tiradoet al. 2020; Stephan et al. 2020). Onthe contrary, the sharp decrease and change in biodiversity patternof richness when moving from the coastal area towards theSyrian Desert might result from changes in bioclimatic zones(Blondel et al. 2010; Bou Dagher-Kharratet al. 2018). Despitethe importance of the region as a biodiversity hotspot coupledwith historical anthropogenic influence, the delineation of thebiogeographical divisions and transition zones remains vague inthe Levant countries.In this work, we investigate the biogeography of Lebanon basedon the distribution of tree and shrub species. We aim to proposea biogeographical framework of Lebanese territory using predicteddistribution maps, chorotypes, and turnover indices todepict biotic assemblages. We seek to delineate the country's biogeographicstructure and provide a visual illustration of thosetransitional areas, as tools for the management and conservationof biological resources.
","gettingStarted":"This dataset contains 30 unique native shrub species recorded across Lebanon, compiled to support biogeographical analysis and ecological niche modelling (ENM). The data is provided in a standardized Darwin Core format, consisting of occurrence records that include taxonomic information, geographic coordinates (decimal latitude/longitude), and event dates. These records were synthesized from comprehensive field surveys and literature reviews to cover a wide range of biogeographic zones, ranging from coastal lowlands to high-altitude mountain ranges. The dataset is designed to be analyzed using standard biodiversity software; while no specialized software is mandatory for viewing, the distribution patterns described were originally modeled using MaxEnt (v. 3.4.1) and validated using R-based packages for chorotype analysis and turnover indices (e.g., RMACOQUI). This dataset provides the necessary spatial and taxonomic foundation for studies on biotic assemblages, species richness gradients, and transitional zone delineation in Mediterranean ecosystems.
","acknowledgements":"This research was facilitated by the L2GE (Department of Life and Earth Sciences, Lebanese University) and supported by regional collaborative efforts in biogeographical mapping. We acknowledge the contributions of all researchers who assisted in field data collection and the synthesis of historical records from the literature. We are also grateful to the institutions that provided access to biogeographic data and geographical information systems that were essential for the development of the distribution models.
","pubDate":"2026-04-28T00:00:00.000+00:00","maintenanceUpdateFrequency":"AS_NEEDED","maintenanceDescription":"\"This dataset represents a curated collection of shrub occurrence records derived from multi-year field research and literature synthesis. While the current records provide a robust baseline for the 30 identified native shrub species, the dataset is maintained on an 'as needed' basis. Future updates will be conducted to incorporate new field observations or to refine existing distributional data as part of ongoing biogeographical studies in Lebanon.","license":"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode","dwca":{"coreType":"http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/Occurrence","extensions":[],"modified":"2026-07-11T13:29:14.509+00:00"},"approximateCounts":{"occurrenceCount":860}}