Vegetation classification

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Vegetation classification is the process of classifying and mapping the vegetation over an area of the Earth's surface. Vegetation classification is often performed by state based agencies as part of land use, resource and environmental management. Many different methods of vegetation classification have been used. In general, there has been a shift from structural classification used by forestry for the mapping of timber resources, to floristic community mapping for biodiversity management. Whereas older forestry-based schemes considered factors such as height, species and density of the woody canopy, floristic community mapping shifts the emphasis onto ecological factors such as climate, soil type and floristic associations. Classification mapping is usually now done using geographic information systems (GIS) software.

Contents

Classification schemes

Following, some important classification schemes.

Köppen (1884)

Although this scheme is in fact of a climate classification, it has a deep relationship with vegetation studies:

Wagner & von Sydow (1888)

Wagner & von Sydow (1888) scheme: Vegetationsgürtel (vegetation belts): [1]

Warming (1895, 1909)

Warming (1895, 1909) oecological classes: [2] [3]

Warming's types of formations:

Schimper (1898, 1903)

Schimper (1898, 1903) climatic chief formation[ clarification needed ] types: [4]

Schimper formation types across the zones and regions

Schimper & Faber (1935)

Formation-types: [5] [6]

Ellenberg & Mueller-Dombois (1967)

Ellenberg and Mueller-Dombois (1967) scheme:

Oliveira-Filho (2009, 2015)

A vegetation classification with six main criteria ("hierarchical attributes", with exemplified categories applicable mainly to Neotropical region): [8] [9]

Other

Other important schemes: Grisebach (1872), Tansley and Chipp (1926), Rübel (1930), Burtt Davy (1938), Beard (1944, 1955), André Aubréville (1956, 1957), Trochain (1955, 1957), Dansereau (1958), Küchler (1967), Webb and Tracey (1975). [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]

In the sixties, A. W. Kuchler coordinated an extensive review of vegetation maps from all the continents, compiling the terminology used for the types of vegetation. [23]

The Braun-Blanquet method focuses on the composition of plant species within a community. It examines which species grow together, looking at patterns and differences in species groups across different areas. This method uses data collected from specific plots to compare the plant communities and understand how these patterns are influenced by environmental factors. [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biome</span> Biogeographical unit with a particular biological community

A biome is a distinct geographical region with specific climate, vegetation, and animal life. It consists of a biological community that has formed in response to its physical environment and regional climate. Biomes may span more than one continent. A biome encompasses multiple ecosystems within its boundaries. It can also comprise a variety of habitats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steppe</span> Ecoregion of plain grasslands without trees

In physical geography, a steppe is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tropics</span> Region of Earth surrounding the Equator

The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's axial tilt; the width of the tropics is twice the tilt. The tropics are also referred to as the tropical zone and the torrid zone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sclerophyll</span> Type of plant/vegetation

Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short internodes and leaf orientation which is parallel or oblique to direct sunlight. The word comes from the Greek sklēros (hard) and phyllon (leaf). The term was coined by A.F.W. Schimper in 1898, originally as a synonym of xeromorph, but the two words were later differentiated.

The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the global conservation organization, as priorities for conservation. According to WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or water containing a characteristic set of natural communities that share a large majority of their species dynamics, and environmental conditions". For example, based on their levels of endemism, Madagascar gets multiple listings, ancient Lake Baikal gets one, and the North American Great Lakes get none.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grassland</span> Area with vegetation dominated by grasses

A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica and are found in most ecoregions of the Earth. Furthermore, grasslands are one of the largest biomes on Earth and dominate the landscape worldwide. There are different types of grasslands: natural grasslands, semi-natural grasslands, and agricultural grasslands. They cover 31–69% of the Earth's land area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savanna</span> Mixed woodland-grassland ecosystem

A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of grasses. Four savanna forms exist; savanna woodland where trees and shrubs form a light canopy, tree savanna with scattered trees and shrubs, shrub savanna with distributed shrubs, and grass savanna where trees and shrubs are mostly nonexistent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests</span> Biome

Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest is a temperate climate terrestrial habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature, with broadleaf tree ecoregions, and with conifer and broadleaf tree mixed coniferous forest ecoregions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vegetation</span> Assemblage of plant species

Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader than the term flora which refers to species composition. Perhaps the closest synonym is plant community, but vegetation can, and often does, refer to a wider range of spatial scales than that term does, including scales as large as the global. Primeval redwood forests, coastal mangrove stands, sphagnum bogs, desert soil crusts, roadside weed patches, wheat fields, cultivated gardens and lawns; all are encompassed by the term vegetation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subtropics</span> Geographic and climate zone

The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from 23°26′09.8″ (or 23.43607°) to approximately 35° north and south. The horse latitudes lie within this range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tropical forest</span> Generic forest in the tropics

Tropical forests are forested ecoregions with tropical climates – that is, land areas approximately bounded by the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing winds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rangeland</span> Biomes which can be grazed by animals or livestock (grasslands, woodlands, prairies, etc)

Rangelands are grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts that are grazed by domestic livestock or wild animals. Types of rangelands include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and shrublands, woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, steppes, and tundras. Rangelands do not include forests lacking grazable understory vegetation, barren desert, farmland, or land covered by solid rock, concrete, or glaciers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate classification</span> Systems that categorize the worlds climates

Climate classifications are systems that categorize the world's climates. A climate classification may correlate closely with a biome classification, as climate is a major influence on life in a region. One of the most used is the Köppen climate classification scheme first developed in 1884.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holdridge life zones</span> Global bioclimatic scheme for the classification of land areas

The Holdridge life zones system is a global bioclimatic scheme for the classification of land areas. It was first published by Leslie Holdridge in 1947, and updated in 1967. It is a relatively simple system based on few empirical data, giving objective criteria. A basic assumption of the system is that both soil and the climax vegetation can be mapped once the climate is known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Australian temperate forests</span> Ecoregion in Australia

The Eastern Australian temperate forests is a broad ecoregion of open forest on uplands starting from the east coast of New South Wales in the South Coast to southern Queensland, Australia. Although dry sclerophyll and wet sclerophyll eucalyptus forests predominate within this ecoregion, a number of distinguishable rainforest communities are present as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montane ecosystems</span> Ecosystems found in mountains

Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial factor in shaping plant community, biodiversity, metabolic processes and ecosystem dynamics for montane ecosystems. Dense montane forests are common at moderate elevations, due to moderate temperatures and high rainfall. At higher elevations, the climate is harsher, with lower temperatures and higher winds, preventing the growth of trees and causing the plant community to transition to montane grasslands and shrublands or alpine tundra. Due to the unique climate conditions of montane ecosystems, they contain increased numbers of endemic species. Montane ecosystems also exhibit variation in ecosystem services, which include carbon storage and water supply.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biogeographic classification of India</span>

Biogeographic classification of India is the division of India according to biogeographic characteristics. Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species (biology), organisms, and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. India has a rich heritage of natural diversity. India ranks fourth in Asia and tenth in the world amongst the top 17 mega-diverse countries in the world. India harbours nearly 11% of the world's floral diversity comprising over 17500 documented flowering plants, 6200 endemic species, 7500 medicinal plants and 246 globally threatened species in only 2.4% of world's land area. India is also home to four biodiversity hotspots—Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Eastern Himalaya, Indo-Burma region, and the Western Ghats. Hence the importance of biogeographical study of India's natural heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highland temperate climate</span>

The highland temperate climates are a temperate climate sub-type, although located in tropical zone, isothermal and with characteristics different from others temperate climates like oceanic or mediterranean where they are often are included without proper differentiation.

References

  1. ↑ Wagner, H. & von Sydow, E. 1888. Sydow-Wagners methodischer Schulatlas. Gotha: Perthes, . 23th (last) ed., 1944, .
  2. ↑ Warming, E. (1895). Plantesamfund - Grundtræk af den økologiske Plantegeografi. P.G. Philipsens Forlag, Kjøbenhavn. 335 pp.
  3. ↑ Warming, E. (1909). Oecology of Plants. An introduction to the study of plant-communities, translated by P. Groom and I. B. Balfour. Clarendon Press, Oxford. 422 pp. BHL.
  4. ↑ Schimper, A. F. W. 1898. Pflanzen-Geographie auf physiologischer Grundlage. Fisher, Jena. 876 pp. English translation, 1903, .
  5. ↑ Beard J.S. (1978). The Physiognomic Approach. In: R. H. Whittaker (editor). Classification of Plant Communities, pp 33-64, .
  6. ↑ Schimper, A.F.W. & Faber, F.C. von. (1935). Pflanzengeographie auf physiologischer Grundlage. 3rd ed. Jena: Fischer.
  7. ↑ Ellenberg, H. & D. Mueller-Dombois. 1967. Tentative physiognomic-ecological classification of plant formations of the Earth [based on a discussion draft of the UNESCO working group on vegetation classification and mapping.] Berichte des Geobotanischen Institutes der Eidg. Techn. Hochschule, Stiftung Rübel, Zürich 37 (1965-1966): 21—55, .
  8. ↑ Oliveira-Filho, A. T. 2009. Classificação das Fitofisionomias da América do Sul extra-Andina: Proposta de um novo sistema – prático e flexível – ou uma injeção a mais de caos?. Rodriguésia 60 (2): 237-258, .
  9. ↑ Oliveira-Filho, A.T. 2015. Um sistema de classificação fisionômico-ecológica da vegetação Neotropical: segunda aproximação. In: Felfili, J.M.; Eisenlohr, P.V.; Melo, M.M.R.F. Andrade, L.A.; Meira Neto J.A.A. (Eds.). Fitossociologia no Brasil: Métodos e estudos de casos, vol. 2, Editora UFV, Viçosa, cap. 19, p. 452, .
  10. ↑ Grisebach, A. (1872). Die Vegetation der Erde nach ihrer klimatischen Anordnung. Ein Abriß der Vergleichenden Geographie der Pflanzen. 1st ed. Leipzig: W. Engelmann., 2 vol. Band I: xii + 603 p., ; Band II: x + 635 p., . 2nd ed. 1884.
  11. ↑ Tansley, A. G. & Chipp, T. F. (1926). Aims and Methods in the Study of Vegetation. The British Empire Vegetation Committee, Whitefriars Press, London. 383 pp.
  12. ↑ Rübel, E. F. 1930. Pflanzengesellschaften der Erde. Bern: Verlag Hans Huber. 464 pp.
  13. ↑ Burtt-Davy, J. (1938). The classification of tropical woody vegetation types. Oxford: University of Oxford, Imperial Forestry Institute. 85 p. (Institute paper, n. 13).
  14. ↑ Beard, J. S. (1944). Climax vegetation in tropical America. Ecology 25: 127-158.
  15. ↑ Beard, J. S. (1955). The classification of tropical American vegetation-types. Ecology 36: 89-100.
  16. ↑ Aubréville, A. (1956). Essai de classification et de nomenclature des formations forestières africaines avec extension du système propose à toutes les formations du monde tropical. In: C.S.A. Specialist Meeting on Phyto-geography, Yangambi, Congo, 1956. Réunion de spécialistes du C.S.A. en matière de phytogéographie. London: Commission for Technical Co-operation in Africa South of the Sahara - CCTA, Scientific Council for Africa South of the Sahara - CSA. p. 247-288.
  17. ↑ Aubréville A. 1957. Accord à Yangambi sur la nomenclature des types africains de végétation. Bois et Forêts des Tropiques 51, 23-27, .
  18. ↑ Trochain, J.-L. (1955). Nomenclature et classification des milieux végétaux en Afrique noire française. In: Colloque international du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - CNRS, 59, sur les régions écologiques du globe, Paris, juillet 1954. Annales de biologie, t. XXXI, fasc. 5-6, pp. 73-93, .
  19. ↑ Trochain, J.-L. (1957). Accord interafricain sur la définition des types de végétation de l’Afrique tropicale. Bulletin de l’Institut d’Études Centraficanes. Nouvelle Série, Brazzavilie [Congo], v. 13/14, p. 55-93.
  20. ↑ Dansereau, P. A universal system for recording vegetation. Montreal, University of Canada, Institute of Botany, 1958. 57 p.
  21. ↑ Küchler, A. W. (1967). Vegetation Mapping. New York, NY. Ronald Press. 472 pp.
  22. ↑ Tracey, J. G. (John Geoffrey); Webb, L. J. (Leonard James) (1975), Vegetation of the Humid Tropical Region of North Queensland
  23. ↑ Küchler, A. W. (1965-1970). International bibliography of vegetation maps. Lawrence, Kansas: University of Kansas Libraries. 5 vol. . [2nd ed., 1980, .]
  24. ↑ Dengler J, Chytrý M, Ewald J (2008) Phytosociology. In: Jorgensen SE, Fath BD (Eds) Encyclopedia of Ecology, vol. 4, General Ecology. Elsevier, Oxford, UK, 2767–2779. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-008045405-4.00533-4
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