FLORISTIC PHYTOSOCIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS

Aforementioned phytosociological system characterises and distinguishes vegetation units on the basis of mutual affinities among plant species. This requires the collection and comparison of rather detailed plant lists and is very slow in its execution. The system usually describes the vegetation in distinct layers, although this is not mandatory. It allows extraordinary levels of detail; epiphyte communities on arboreous surfaces may be studied as relevé units and described as distinct classes. A typical relevé involves the description of other characteristics as well, such as physiognomy, cover-abundance and age class of individual species. Originally, the application seemed much more focused on the distinction of classes visible in the field than on the mapping, but this changed particularly since the 1960s when topographic maps and aerial photographs became more commonly available (I.S. Zonneveld, pers. com.). At the ITC, Enschede, the Netherlands, the latter has used the Zürich-Montpellier (or Braun Blanquet) system for many years in combination with aerial photographs, which often allows the distinction between several tree species at the same location from their shapes and through indirect observations. Although only some species can be recognised directly from the images, the detailed information on structure, crown shape cover and ecological characteristics such as drainage, seasonality, etc. of aerial photographs often allows the classification of plant associations through deduction. The identification of floristic Zürich-Montpellier classes from LANDSAT imagery with pixel sizes of 30 X 30 m, will usually be limited to the higher echelons in the hierarchy. The system is valuable for monitoring and management purposes in protected areas of forest ecosystems in temperate climates and probably most other formations of the earth. However, in tropical lowland rain forests, the system tends to break down (J.F. Duivenvoorden and A.M. Cleef (pers. com.). For biodiversity mapping focussed on the selection of protected areas systems, the Zürich-Montpellier system can provide the most detailed and most informative biounits of any existing methodology; however, for being so detailed, the system is highly dependent on very experienced taxonomists and highly time-consuming both in the field and in post-field analysis, and therefore, it is too expensive, particularly in the species-rich tropics.

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NATUREZA DO MUNDO é o Web site oficial do World Institute for Conservation and Environment, WICE, Es uma red de páginas Web tratando de temas diferentes relacionados à natureza, la conservação el manejo de recursos naturaleiss, parques nacionais y áreas protegidas. Lea aqui porqué creamos Natureza do Mundo. Nossa Methodología explica como produjimos a informação. Nosso Mapa do sitio le ayuda encontrar sua informação no web site. Desfrute!

NATUR DER GANZEN WELT ist, die offiziellen Website der World Institute for Conservation and Environment, WICE. Es ist ein einheitliches Netzwerk von Web Sites, über Themen wie Natur, Natur-Schutz und natürlichem Ressourcen Quellen Hege. Lesen Sie hier warum wir Natur der ganzen Welt gemacht haben. Unsere Verfahrensweise erklärt, wie wir unsere Informationen produziert würde. Unsere Site Map  hilft Ihnen Ihren Weg im Website zu finden. Viel Spaß!

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