30 



GENERAL HISTORICAL SUMMARY. 



First part: General treatment. 



1. Definitions. 



2. Peat-producing plant formations of 



Switzerland. 



(1) Moor and Peat Commimities of the 



Midland, and Jura. 

 a. Low moor. 



(a) Deposition and forlanding 



communities. 

 (6) Low moor communities. 

 6. High moor. 



(2) Moor and peat formation in the 



alpine region. 



3. Peat. 



Ftfst part: General treatment — Continued. 



4. Stratigraphy. 



5. Geographical distribution of the Swiss 



moors. 



6. Sketch of a geomorphologic classifica- 



tion of all moors. 



7. Relation of colonists to moors in the 



light of their toponymy. 



8. Utilization of Swiss moors. 



9 . Postglacial vegetation strata of northern 



Switzerland, and significance 

 of moors in their reconstruction. 

 Second part: Description of certain Swiss 

 moors. 



Clements, 1905-1907. — The treatment in "Development and Structure of 

 Vegetation" was adopted in "Research Methods in Ecology," but a further 

 attempt was made to place the study of vegetation upon a completely develop- 

 mental and quantitative basis. The formation was regarded as a complex 

 organism, possessing functions and structures, and passing through a cycle 

 of development similar to that of the plant. The formation as a result was 

 definitely based upon the habitat as the cause, and a detailed analysis of it 

 was made from the standpoint of functions, viz, association, invasion (migra- 

 tion and ecesis) and succession (reaction and competition), and of structures, 

 zonation, and alternation. The formation was analyzed into minor units, 

 society, community, and family, for the first time, and the classification and 

 nomenclature of units were considered in detail. 



Especial emphasis was placed upon instrumental and quadrat methods of 

 exact investigation, in which the constant interaction of habitat, plant, and 

 community must furnish the primary basis. Instrumental methods of habitat 

 measurement were organized and developed, and the quadrat method of 

 analyzing and recording the structure and development of vegetation was 

 advanced to the place of first importance in the investigation of succession 

 (161). Quadrats were differentiated as list, chart, permanent, denuded, and 

 aquatic quadrats of various size, and were modified into line, belt, permanent, 

 denuded, and layer transects of varying width and length. A further endeavor 

 was made to increase the accuracy and finaUty of developmental studies by 

 organizing an experimental attack upon them, as in "Experimental Evolution" 

 (145) and "Experimental Vegetation" (306), by means of methods of natural, 

 artificial, and control habitats. Essentially, the same ground was covered 

 in "Plant Physiology and Ecology" (1907), though the vegetational material 

 was condensed and rearranged, as shown by the following outline: 



X. Methods of studying vegetation. 

 XI. The plant formation. 

 XII. Aggregation and migration. 



XIII. Competition and ecesis. 



XIV. Invasion and succession. 

 XV. Alternation and zonation. 



Moss, 1907-1910.— Moss is entitled to much credit for being the first to 

 clearly include the idea of development in the concept of the formation and 

 to distinguish formations upon this basis. The importance of his contribu- 

 tion in this respect was obscured by an inclusive conception of the habitat, 

 which resulted in his restricting the development of the formation to a few 

 final stages. However, the germ of the complete developmental view is to be 

 found in his distinction of chief and subordinate associations. His views are 



