Floristic methods for describing vegetation

Abstract

Detailed surveys of vegetation often require data on species composition in addition to, or instead of, structural or physiognomic descriptions. Such studies involve the identification of individual species and also the assessment of abundance of species. The techniques applied are known as floristic methods of vegetation description. The collection of data at the species level is fundamental to biogeography and ecology. Individual plant species are the building blocks of plant communities (see Section 2.3) and satisfactory survey and explanation of the distribution of communities as well as individual species requires floristic description. Also detailed appreciation of plant-environmental relationships and the effects of management of vegetation by man can often only be fully understood by a floristic survey.