Search results for "vegetation classification"
showing 10 items of 19 documents
Classification of the European marsh vegetation (Phragmito‐Magnocaricetea) to the association level
2020
Aims: To create a comprehensive, consistent and unequivocal phytosociological classification of European marsh vegetation of the class Phragmito-Magnocaricetea. Location: Europe. Methods: We applied the Cocktail method to a European data set of 249, 800 vegetation plots. We identified the main purposes and attributes on which to base the classification, defined assignment rules for vegetation plots, and prepared formal definitions for all the associations, alliances and orders of the class Phragmito-Magnocaricetea using formal logic. Each formula consists of the combination of “functional species groups”, cover values of individual species, and in the case of high-rank syntaxa also of “disc…
Spatio-temporal variations in the application of the Braun-Blanquet approach in Europe
2018
An historical overview on the affirmation of the phytosociological method in Europe is presented. Some methodological and procedural differences in the application of the Braun-Blanquet approach, from the selection of the sampling plots to the assignment of relevés to existing or newly described units, are briefly commented. The main advantages and limitations of the phytosociological vegetation classification are reviewed and discussed, also in the light of their applications for vegetation mapping and monitoring.
Classification of European and Mediterranean coastal dune vegetation
2018
Aims: Although many phytosociological studies have provided detailed local and regional descriptions of coastal dune vegetation, a unified classification of this vegetation in Europe and the Mediterranean Basin has been missing. Our aim is to produce a formalized classification of this vegetation and to identify the main factors driving its plant species composition at a continental scale. LocationAtlantic and Baltic coasts of Europe, Mediterranean Basin and the Black Sea region. - Methods: We compiled a database of 30,759 plots of coastal vegetation, which were resampled to reduce unbalanced sampling effort, obtaining a data set of 11,769 plots. We classified these plots with TWINSPAN, int…
A formal classification of the Lygeum spartum vegetation of the Mediterranean Region
2019
Aims: We examined all available literature and some unpublished data on the We examined all available literature and some unpublished data on the grasslands dominated by Lygeum spartum from Southern Europe and North Africa to produce a formalised classification of this vegetation and to identify the main factors determining its plant species composition. Location: Mediterranean Basin and Iberian Peninsula. Methods: We used a dataset of 728 releves, which were resampled to reduce unbalanced sampling effort, resulting in a dataset of 568 releves and 846 taxa. We classified the plots by TWINSPAN, interpreted the resulting pools, and used them to develop formal definitions of phytosociological …
Circummed pine forest database: An electronic archive for mediterranean and submediterranean pine forest vegetation data
2019
Large thematic databases of vegetation plots are increasingly needed for vegetation studies and biodiversity research. In this paper, we present the CircumMed Pine Forest Database (GIVD ID: EU-00-026), which in November 2018, comprised records from 6317 pine-dominated vegetation plots (relevés) and associated vegetation types from 20 countries of the Mediterranean Basin, Near East and Crimea. These vegetation plots were collected through a detailed literature search for plots not previously included in the European Vegetation Archive (EVA), in order to fill geographic gaps in data coverage. The database comprises Mediterranean (including Oromediterranean) pine-forest vegetation plots from b…
Formalized classification of European fen vegetation at the alliance level
2017
AimsPhytosociological classification of fen vegetation (Scheuchzerio palustris-Caricetea fuscae class) differs among European countries. Here we propose a unified vegetation classification of European fens at the alliance level, provide unequivocal assignment rules for individual vegetation plots, identify diagnostic species of fen alliances, and map their distribution.LocationEurope, western Siberia and SE Greenland.Methods29 049 vegetation-plot records of fens were selected from databases using a list of specialist fen species. Formal definitions of alliances were created using the presence, absence and abundance of Cocktail-based species groups and indicator species. DCA visualized the s…
Land use classification from multitemporal Landsat imagery using the Yearly Land Cover Dynamics (YLCD) method
2011
Abstract Several previous studies have shown that the inclusion of the LST (Land Surface Temperature) parameter to a NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) based classification procedure is beneficial to classification accuracy. In this work, the Yearly Land Cover Dynamics (YLCD) approach, which is based on annual behavior of LST and NDVI, has been used to classify an agricultural area into crop types. To this end, a time series of Landsat-5 images for year 2009 of the Barrax (Spain) area has been processed: georeferenciation, destriping and atmospheric correction have been carried out to estimate NDVI and LST time series for year 2009, from which YLCD parameters were estimated. Then…
Phytosociology and ecology of deciduous forests in Tajikistan (Middle Asia)
2017
Aims: To present the first syntaxonomical classification for the mesophilous deciduous forests of the PamirAlai Mountains in Tajikistan with some remarks on its environmental gradients. Location: Tajikistan. Methods: Altogether 201 relevés were sampled between 2008‒2013 using the seven-degree cover-abundance scale of Braun-Blanquet. They were classified by the modified TWINSPAN method using the four-step interval scale with cutoff levels of 0%, 2%, 5% and 10% and total inertia as a measure of cluster heterogeneity. Diagnostic species were identified using the phi coefficient as a fidelity measure. Detrendended Correspondence Analysis was used to determine the relation between samples, veget…
A new classification of the South African endemic family Bruniaceae based on molecular and morphological data
2011
The classification of Bruniaceae is reviewed based on molecular (matK, ITS, rbcL) and morphological data, and the tribes and genera are redefined as monophyletic, morphologically diagnosable lineages. The family is subdivided into three tribes and six genera with 81 accepted species, Linconieae (Linconia), Audouinieae {Audounia [inch Tittmannia', Thamnea [incl. Pseudobaeckea teres]), and Brunieae (Berzelia [inch Brunia p.p.], Staavia [incl. Raspalia staavioides], and Brunia [incl. Nebelia, Pseudobaeckea p.p., Raspalia p.p., Lonchostoma, Mniothamned'). A key for the new classification, a short description of each genus and an updated nomenclature of all the species are provided. Two new trib…
Classification of European bog vegetation of the Oxycocco-Sphagnetea class
2022
Aims: Classification of European bog vegetation (Oxycocco-Sphagnetea class); identification of diagnostic species for the class and vegetation subgroups (orders and alliances); development of an expert system for automatic classification of vegetation plots; and production of distribution maps of the Oxycocco-Sphagnetea class and its alliances. Location: Europe. Methods: A data set of vegetation-plot records was compiled to include various bog types over most of the European continent. An unsupervised classification (beta-flexible linkage method, Sørensen distance measure) and detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) ordination were applied. Formal definitions of syntaxa based on species pre…