Vegetation data of grasslands of coastal reserve Randu Meadows, Latvia. 5 transects (26 m) along coast line perpendicular to the coast. Each transect includes 3 regularly spaced permanently marked relevee's 4 m2 (A, B, C) . Once per year on the end of June assessment of vascular plant communities was performed by old Braun-Blanquet method

The area was used as small-scale ploughland and vineyards between app. 1900 and 1960. From 1960 it was gradually abandoned and became a part of the Kiskunsag National Park. We distinguished 4 age-groups of old-fields according to the time of the abandonment: 1–6, 7–11, 12–25 és 26–35 years old abandoned fields in year 2000. In every age-group 10–10 (total 40) 4 m × 4 m large permanent vegetation survey plot were established. We made vegetation survey (presence and cover of every vascular plant species) in the year 2000, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2020.

The aim of the dataset is studying the effect of land-use on the plant species richness of different dry habitats. The field site network consists of 16 sites, of 5 km 5 km each, representing all major land-use/land cover types characteristic to the region (agricultural land, abandoned agricultural land, tree plantation, semi-natural grassland, and forest) in varying proportions. The first survey was made between 2006-2008, the second between 2019- 2021.

Studies on ecological successions have a long tradition and strongly contributed to the understanding of community assembly, niche theory and ecosystem structure and functionality. Reports on ecological successions are however mostly restricted to one or two taxonomical groups, neglecting the mutual influences and dependencies between multiple taxonomic groups that are the building blocks of multidiverse communities. We introduce the Alpine research platform Ödenwinkel to promote observational and experimental research on the emergence of multidiversity and ecosystem complexity. We established n = 140 permanent plots along the successional gradient of the forefield of the Ödenwinkelkees glacier at the end of Stubachvalley in the Hohe Tauern range (National Park Hohe Tauern, Land Salzburg, Austria). In summer 2019 we completed a first full inventory of biotic and abiotic characteristics of these plots covering the diversity and composition of vascular plants, bryophytes, arthropods and other animals, bacteria and fungi as well as some geomorphologic properties. In this paper we introduce the design of the research platform and show first results on the diversity and composition of vascular plants along the successional gradient. The Ödenwinkel platform will be available as long-term ecological research site where researchers from various disciplines can contribute to accumulate knowledge on ecological successions and on how interactions between various taxonomical groups structure ecological complexity in this alpine environment.