L7 Plant Communities Continued Flashcards
Who was the first ecologist to describe the history of UK plant ecology
Sir Arthur Tansley
What is the NVC
The National Vegetation Classification
What was the aim of the NVC
Produce a comprehensive classification and description of the plant communities of Britain
Systematically named and arranged with standadised descriptions for each community
What did Rodwell (1975) and his team do
What was their aim
To describe all British plant communities in natural, semi-natural and major artificial habitats
Aim to identify community in stands of ‘uniform’ composition
What are the 3 aims of the NVC
A plant community classificiation (not habitat)
To be pragmatic in method and purpose
To enable interpretation of vegetation types in relation to their place in the landscape
What was the main question regarding methodology of NVC
The area sampled per habitat type
How many community types did the NVC establish in the UK
286
Name some groups / organisations which rely on the NVC as their main terrestrial habitat classificiation
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
Common Standards Monitoring
UK interpretation fo Annec I habitats in the EU Habitats Directive
Phase 2 Ecologocal site surveys
What does the first block of the NVC summary table show
Constants - species present with a frequency of IV(60-80%) or V(80-100%) in the community
What part of the NVC summary table defines a community
Constants
What does the final block in the NVC summary table show
Associates - species int he community at frequencies <III
What is found in the middle blocks of the NVC summary table
Define each
Differentials - species which define particular sub-communities
Preferentials - not confined to particular sub-communities, but are often found in them (they prefer them)
What software can be used for processing quadrat data so i can be assigned in the NVC
MAVIS
