Skip to main content
Log in

The determination of the minimal area of phytocenoses

  • Published:
Folia geobotanica & phytotaxonomica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Two new closely related methods for the determination of the minimal area of phytocenoses are proposed. These methods check and complete each other and consist in determination of the rooted frequency of species in a set of successively enlarged sample plots and calculation of either (I) the mean floristic similarity or of (2) the corrected homogeneity-coefficient for each set of frequency plots of a certain size. The plotting of the above values against the plot size shows that both the mean floristic similarity and the homogeneity-coefficient stop rising at a certain size of the plot, which corresponds to the minimal area. Further enlargement of the frequency plots causes dropping or oscillation of these indices around a certain value.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature Cited

  • Balogh, J. (1958): Lebensgemeinschaften der Landtiere.—Berlin et Budapest.

  • Barkman, J. J. (1968): Das synsystematische Problem der Mikrogesellschaften innerhalb der Biozönosen.—In:Tüxen, R. (ed): Pflanzensoziologische Systematik, Den Haag.

  • Braun, J. (1913): Die Vegetationsverhältnisse der Schneestufe in den Rätisch-Lepontischen Alpen.—Denkschr. Schwiz. Naturf. Ges., Zürich, 48.

  • Braun-Blanquet, J. (1964): Pflanzensoziologie. 3. Ed.—Wien et New York.

  • Braun-Blanquet, J. etJenny, H. (1926): Vegetationsentwicklung und Bodenbildung in der alpinen Stufe der Zentralalpen (Klimaxgebiet desCaricion curvulae).—Denkschr. Schweiz. Naturf. Ges., Zürich, 63: 183–349.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cain, S. A. (1938): The species-area curve.—Amer. Midland Naturalist, Notre Dame (Indiana), 9: 573–581.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cain, S. A. etde Oliveira Castro, G. M. (1959): Manual of vegetation analysis.—New York.

  • Češka, A. (1966): Estimation of the mean floristic similarity between and within sets of vegetational relevés.—Folia Geobot. Phytotax., Praha, 1: 93–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chouard, P. (1932): Associations végétales des forêts de la vallée de l'Apance (Haute-Marne).— Bull. Soc. Bot. France, Paris, 79: 617–634.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Du Rietz, G. E., Fries, T. C. E., Osvald, H. etTengwall, T. Å. (1920): Gesetze der Konstitution natürlicher Pflanzengesellschaften.—Vetenskapliga Och Praktiska Undersökningar i Lappland. Flora Och Fauna, Uppsala et Stockholm, 7: 1–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Du Rietz, G. E., Fries, T. C. E. etTengwall, T. Å. (1918). Vorschlag zur Nomenklatur der soziologischen Pflanzengeographie.—Svensk Bot. Tidskr., Uppsala, 12: 145–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellenberg, H. (1956): Grundlagen der Vegetationsgliederung. I. Aufgaben und Methoden der Vegetationskunde.—In:Walter, H.: Einführung in die Phytologie. 4, Stuttgart.

  • Gleason, H. A. (1922): On the relation between species and area.—Ecol., Brooklyn, N. Y., 3: 158–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodall, D. W. (1952): Quantitative aspects of plant distribution.—Biol. Reviews, Cambridge Philos. Soc., Cambridge, 27: 194–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodall, D. W. (1954): Minimal area: a new approach.—Huit. Congr. Int. Bot. Paris, Rapports Commun. Sect. 7 et 8: 19–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodall, D. W. (1961): Objective methods for the classification of vegetation. IV. Pattern and minimal area.—Austral. Journ. Bot., Melbourne, 9: 162–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gounot, M. (1961): Les méthodes d'inventaire de la végétation.—Bull. Serv. Carte Phytogeogr., Sér. B, Carte Groupem. Végét., Paris, 6: 7–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gounot, M. (1969): Méthodes d'étude quantitative de la végétation.—Paris.

  • Gounot, M. etCalléja, M. (1962): Coefficient de communauté, homogénéité et aire minimale. In:Calléja, M., Dagnelie, P. etGounot, M.: Etude statistique d'une pelouse àBrachypodium ramosum.—Bull. Serv. Carte Phytogeogr., Sér. B, Carte Groupem. Végét., Paris, 7: 181–200.

  • Greig-Smith, P. (1964): Quantitative plant ecology. 2. Ed.—London.

  • Hopkins, B. (1957): The concept of minimal area.—Journ. Ecol. Oxford, 45: 441–449.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kershaw, K. A. (1964): Quantitative and dynamic ecology.—London.

  • Maarel van der, E. (1970): Vegetationsstruktur und Minimum-Areal in einem Dünen-Trockenrasen. —In:Tüxen, R. (ed.): Gesellschaftsmorphologie. Den Haag.

  • Meijer Drees, E. (1954): The minimum area in tropical rain forest with special reference to some types in Bangka (Indonesia).—Vegetatio, Den Haag, 5–6: 517–523.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moravec, J. (1971): A simple method for estimating homotoneity of sets of phytosociological relevés.—Folia Geobot. Phytotax., Praha, 6: 147–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sørensen, T. (1948): A method for establishing groups of equal amplitude in plant sociology based on similarity of species content and its application to analyses of the vegetation on Danish commons.—K. Danske Vidensk. Selsk., Biol. Skr., København, 5/4: 1–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tüxen, R. (1970): Bibliographie zum Problem des Minimi-Areals und der Art-Areal-Kurve.— Excerpta Bot., Sect. B, Stuttgart, 10: 291–314.

    Google Scholar 

  • Werger, M. J. A. (1972): Species-area relationship and plot size: with some examples from South African vegetation.—Bothalia, Pretoria, 10: 583–594.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Moravec, J. The determination of the minimal area of phytocenoses. Folia geobot. phytotax. 8, 23–47 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02854682

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02854682

Keywords

Navigation