Plant communities, synusiae and the arithmetic of a sustainable classification

By

Guarino, Riccardo
Guccione, Marina
Gillet, François

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2022-2-3

Original Publication

Vegetation classification and survey

Volume

3

Pages

7--13

Subjects

Classification , holocoenosis , merocoenosis , Phytosociology , synusia , Vegetation

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia Pensoft Publishers 2020-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/VCS.60951

 

Abstract

We propose an equation to evaluate the efficiency of a classification as a function of the effort required and the population size of data collectors. The formula postulates a “classification efficiency coefficient”, which relates not only to the complexity of the object to be classified, but also to the data availability and representativeness. When applied to the classification of phytocoenoses, the equation suggests that a classification system based on vascular plants offers the best compromise between sampling effort, resolution power and data availability. We discuss the possibility of basing a vegetation classification on plot records for all macroscopic photoautotrophic organisms co-occurring in the vertical projection of a given ground area, as recently suggested by some authors. We argue that the inclusion of cryptogams in the description of phytocoenoses dominated by vascular plants should rely on a synusial approach, conceived as complementary to the traditional Braun-Blanquet approach.<br> Syntaxonomic reference: Mucina et al (2016).