Summary
Low alpine Betula nana heaths were studied with regard to plant communities, species distribution, and environmental conditions. It is clear from cluster analyses and PCA-ordinations that the distribution of winter snow is the most important factor for the composition of plant communities and the distribution of most plant populations. Under deep snow conditions soil instability is also important as a differentiating factor.
The numerical treatment of data gives a phytosociological grouping in eoncordance with earlier opinions based on stand tabulations.
The cluster analysis group the species into chionophobous, chionophilous, moderate snow bed species, and an additional group of wide snow depth amplitude. Only a few species remain unclassified. The ecological species groups are readily identified also in PCA-ordinations. They are independent of differences in species numbers and combinations.
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Nomenelature follows Lid (1963), Nyholm (1954–1969), Arnell (1956), and Dahl & Krog (1972).
I am grateful to Dr. Eddy van der Maarel, University of Nijmegen, for critical comments on the manuseript, to Dr. Ewa Kvillner, University of Lund, and to my colleagues in Göteborg for generous help and encouragement throughout the study, which forms part of a Ph. D. thesis in the University of Göteborg. The work has been supported by grants from The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and from the Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Göteborg.
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Jonasson, S. Plant communities and species distribution of low alpine Betula nana heaths in Northernmost Sweden. Vegetatio 44, 51–64 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00119804
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00119804