Ecological series

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In vegetation science, an ecological series is the sequence of differently composed plant communities depending on the changing location conditions within the area . Here may environmental factors such as the decrease of the soil moisture with the distance from the littoral zone of a body of water, the acidity of the soil or of the temperature gradient from the bottom to the upper limit of a height level play a role. Due to the different ecological demands of the individual plant species, their frequency changes with the gradual change in the location factors. This leads to a spatial distribution of different plant communities with graded similarity, which in the ideal case can be put together to form a complete ecological series.

Procedure

The procedure for establishing an ecological series requires a vegetation survey along a transect . A number of recording areas are selected in a distribution area that is limited in area and with not too great variations in location. These are usually square and cover an examination area of ​​one square meter to 100 square meters, depending on the type and composition of the plant community to be examined. These inventories are entered in a vegetation table.

This method is based on direct observation. Not only the range of species, but also, for example, the degree of cover of the plants in the area and their height are determined. A one- or multi-dimensional parameter system of determining environmental factors is applied to the examined area. This can e.g. B. the salinity of the soil and its moisture, a combination of parameters that was often used in the study of vegetation in locations with special ecological conditions such as the environment of steppe lakes , salt deserts and sea coasts. In this way, the vegetation is gradually differentiated and can be divided into ecological series.

evaluation

The methodology of ecological series has been used worldwide for vegetation research into geobotanically interesting ecosystems since the 1920s . Ecological series are also used for analysis and evaluation for areas used for agriculture and forestry .

With computer-aided mathematical and statistical methods, the vegetation recordings can be evaluated with regard to several variables. The findings are arranged along a location gradient by means of an ordination process . This allows multivariate data to be visualized graphically in a coordinate system .

Demarcation from succession

An ecological series is a spatial sequence of plant communities in the terrain. This is how ecological series differ from successions . The latter are chronological sequences of biocenoses at a specific location. In order to be able to make a clear demarcation, the plant communities of an ideal ecological series would all have to be in the final stage of succession. Such a climax stage is reached when the species composition no longer changes or changes only slightly over time. In the ecological specialist discussion, the climax term , which goes back to Frederic Edward Clements , is considered to be the ideal case in modeling, but it is subject to fluctuations in an open and complex ecosystem .

The line between succession and ecological series cannot always be drawn clearly. For example, in a silting floodplain that is separated from the river by flood protection measures, the same plant communities can develop over time as successions that exist as an ecological series spatially depending on the distance to the flooded floodplain and the height of the groundwater level, e.g. B. softwood and hardwood floodplains .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Heinrich Walter: The vegetation of the earth in ecological consideration. G. Fischer, Jena 1968, p. 43
  2. ↑ Paul Heiselmayer: The plant communities of Tappenkars (Radstätteer Tauern). In: Stapfia. Volume 10, pp. 161-202, Linz 1982, p. 196, PDF (2.7 MB) on ZOBODAT
  3. ^ Matthias Schaefer: Dictionary of Ecology . 4th edition, Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg, Berlin 2003, p. 366 ISBN 3-8274-0167-4
  4. ^ Emil Abderhalden: Handbook of biological working methods. Part 11, Issue 6, Urban & Schwarzenberg, Berlin 1930
  5. ↑ Walter Wucherer: Effects of the fluctuations in the lake level of the Caspian Sea on the coastal ecosystems. In: Maik Veste, Walter Wucherer and Jürgen Homeier: Ecological research in a global context: Festschrift for the 65th birthday of Prof. Dr. Siegmar-Walter Breckle. Pp. 149–161, Cuvillier Verlag, Göttingen 2005 ISBN 3-86537-386-0
  6. ^ Heinrich Wagner: The vegetation conditions of the Danube lowlands of the Machland. A vegetation mapping in the service of agriculture and cultural technology. Springer, Vienna 1950
  7. ^ Egon Wagenknecht: Paths to site-appropriate forest management. Neumann, Radebeul and Berlin 1956, p. 148
  8. ↑ Heinz Ellenberg : Agricultural Plant Sociology. Volume 1, E. Ulmer, Stuttgart 1950
  9. ^ Robert Harding Whittaker: Ordination and classification of communities. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1973 ISBN 9-06193-186-X
  10. ^ Frederic Edward Clements: Nature and Structure of the Climax. The Journal of Ecology, 24, 1, pp. 252–284, 1936 full text (English; PDF; 1.8 MB)
  11. ↑ Heiko Schmüser and Rolf Nötzold: Pond mapping. Vegetation inventory of a reservoir island created by silting up from a plant-sociological point of view. Natural history contributions of the DJN, 21, 1987, chapter 2.3 full text
  12. ↑ Heinz Ellenberg: Vegetation of Central Europe with the Alps in an ecological, dynamic and historical perspective. 5th, heavily changed and improved edition. Ulmer, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-8001-2696-6 .

literature

  • Karl-Heinz Kreeb: Vegetation science, methods and forms of vegetation taking into account ecosystem aspects. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, 1983, p. 108