The aim of this research is to compile a database of vascular plants found in the Kingdom of Tonga in western Polynesia, a phyto-geographic subregion of the South Pacific. The Tongan islands are spread over approximately 600,000 km2 of the Pacific Ocean between 15-23º S latitude and 173-177º W longitude. The archipelago is comprised of 171 islands with an aggregate land area of about 720 km2 . Since there is no comprehensive or updated flora for Tonga, we use 143 published sources to compile a database for 1020 plant species, of which more than 450 are indigenous to these islands. Tonga is noteworthy for its low proportion of endemics, accounting for < 5% of the indigenous species and < 2% of the total plant species. Our database documents species presence in Tonga as a whole, and more specifically on 11 Tongan islands or island groups. We have assembled ecological information for each plant species according to growth form, vegetation type, origin (endemic, indigenous, and introduced species), and dispersal mechanisms. We include introduced species in our database because they represent over half of the plant species growing in Tonga. Species origins reflect human alteration of Tongan ecosystems in which endemic and indigenous species represent pre-human vegetation and introduced species indicate plants brought by either Polynesian or European settlers. For example, on Tongatapu, the largest and longest occupied island, more than half the plants are introduced, whereas on the sparsely populated, more remote islands, 70 to 90% of the species are indigenous. Dispersal mechanisms, which may include more than one mechanism per species, are documented in over 100 publications. Our database provides information on the whole suite of plant dispersal mechanisms over entire communities or island groups in Tonga. Plant species dispersal differs across environmental variables, including island geology, topography, vegetation type, and species origin. The older limestone islands have more bird, water, and human-dispersed plants, while the youngest volcanic islands have the most wind-dispersed species. Our database documents plant species endemism, introductions, vegetation types and dispersal mechanisms that reveal key biogeographic dynamics of the Tongan archipelago in the South Pacific. Please cite this Ecology Data Paper if the data are used in publication, presentation, or teaching activities. There are no copyright restrictions.

中文翻译：

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按植被类型、物种起源、生长形式和传播机制划分的汤加王国维管植物物种

这项研究的目的是汇编在波利尼西亚西部汤加王国发现的维管植物数据库，这是南太平洋的一个植物地理分区。汤加群岛分布在太平洋南纬 15-23º 和西经 173-177º 之间约 600,000 平方公里的海域。该群岛由 171 个岛屿组成，总陆地面积约为 720 平方公里。由于汤加没有全面或更新的植物群，我们使用 143 个已发表的资源来编制 1020 种植物物种的数据库，其中 450 多种是这些岛屿的本土植物。汤加以其特有的低比例而值得注意，占本地物种的 < 5% 和植物物种总数的 < 2%。我们的数据库记录了整个汤加的物种存在，更具体地说是汤加的 11 个岛屿或岛屿群。我们根据生长形式、植被类型、起源（地方性、本土和引进物种）和传播机制收集了每个植物物种的生态信息。我们在我们的数据库中包括引入的物种，因为它们代表了汤加生长的植物物种的一半以上。物种起源反映了汤加生态系统的人类改变，其中地方性和本土物种代表了人类前的植被，引入的物种表明了波利尼西亚或欧洲定居者带来的植物。例如，在最大和最长的有人居住的岛屿汤加塔布，一半以上的植物是引进的，而在人口稀少、更偏远的岛屿上，70% 到 90% 的物种是本土植物。散布机制，每个物种可能包括不止一种机制，在 100 多篇出版物中都有记载。我们的数据库提供有关汤加整个社区或岛屿群的整套植物传播机制的信息。植物物种扩散因环境变量而异，包括岛屿地质、地形、植被类型和物种起源。较老的石灰岩岛有更多的鸟类、水和人类传播的植物，而最年轻的火山岛则有最多的风传播物种。我们的数据库记录了植物物种特有现象、引种、植被类型和传播机制，揭示了南太平洋汤加群岛的关键生物地理动态。如果数据用于出版、演示或教学活动，请引用本生态数据论文。没有版权限制。