A new approach to the minimal area of a plant community

✍ Scribed by Dietvorst, P. ;Maarel, E. ;Putten, H.

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Year: 1982
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 1016 KB
• Volume: 50
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1573-5052
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00055205

✦ Synopsis

Current methods for the determination of the minimal area ofa phytocoenosis are compared. A new method is described. It is based on the increase in average quantitative similarity between plots in series of nested plots of increasing size in relation to species richness and dominance relations. A simulation model composed of coenotic molecules sensu Moravec is developed from which these relations can be deduced. Both a quantitative and a qualitative minimal area are derived in this way. The analytical minimal area is then defined in relation to the largest of the two minimal area values, because in this way both the species richness and the dominance relations will be represented.

Some examples of grasslands and heathlands are presented. Some further investigations are suggested to improve the approach and to link it with pattern and dominance-diversity studies.