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Plant species as indicators of ancient woodland in northwestern Germany
Author(s) -
Wulf Monika
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of vegetation science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1654-1103
pISSN - 1100-9233
DOI - 10.2307/3237367
Subject(s) - woodland , ecology , habitat , biological dispersal , endangered species , geography , species richness , plant community , biology , population , demography , sociology
. 315 isolated semi‐natural and natural stands in NW Germany were investigated floristically, 285 stands of ancient woodlands and 30 recent ones. In the study area nearly all semi‐natural and natural ancient woodlands are found on mesotrophic or eutrophic sites and can be assigned to the Fagetalia . 54 selected herbaceous and five woody Fagetalia‐ species have been tested in their association to ancient woodlands. 21 of the 59 selected plant species show a highly significant association to ancient woodlands and seven species show a weak significance. 31 plant species are not significantly correlated with ancient woodland sites, but 25 of them have a low frequency. The result shows that investigations of the historical ecology can help to understand floristic composition of present‐day woodlands. Restriction of many woodland species to ancient woodlands, especially rare species, emphasizes the importance of woodlands with a long continuous history for the preservation of endangered species. Irrespective of ecological conditions, the restriction of plant species to ancient woodlands seems to be mainly caused by their low ability to colonize recent woodlands, especially isolated stands. Differences in the association to ancient woodlands between European countries are assumed to be a function of both time and degree of isolation of woodlands, of the dispersal mode of the plant species and of the availability of suitable habitats.