raunkiaer's life forms 61 



D. Formations change ivitli characterization of habitat. 



20. Plant climate is characterized and defined with the assist- 

 ance of the floristic biological spectrum based upon the life-forms 

 sj^stem which is based upon the essential adjustment of plants 

 to the factors of environment, namely, their ability to survive 

 the rigorous season. 



21. An essential side of the biological characterization of for- 

 mations is the ecological formation-spectrum which, by means 

 of the frequency index, is built upon the same life-form system 

 as that by which plant climates are characterized. 



22. ^^^lile not of fundamental biological importance the life- 

 form system gives as a secondary result the type of physiognomy 

 which characterizes the landscape. 



23. Formation spectra have therefore both biological and 

 phj'siognomical significance; biologically they characterize the 

 formations with the life-form which primarily dominates; they 

 also characterize the formations with respect to the life-form 

 which determines the aspect of physiognomy of the vegetation. 



24. Using the life-form system the following classes of life- 

 forms result: 



Class. I. Megaphanerophyte formations Examples 



A. Evergreen 



a. Broad-leaved (mega-micro- 



phyll) Tallest tropical and subtropi- 

 cal rain forest. 



b. Narrow-leaved (micro-lepto- 



phyll) Needle-leaved forest. 



B. Deciduous Monsoon forest. Deciduous 



temperate forest. 



Class II. Mesophanerophyte formation 



A. Evergreen 



a. Broad-leaved (mega-micro- 



phyll) Medium tall (8-25m.) tropical 



and sub-tropical rain forest. 



b. Narrow-leaved (micro-lepto- 



phyll) Needle-leaved forest. 



B. Deciduous Monsoon forest. Temperate 



deciduous forest. 



