Klaus Dierssen

THE VEGETATION ON SCREES - A SYNOPSIS OF HIGHER SYNTAXA IN EUROPE

A synopsis of high-rank syntaxa of scree vegetation with an accompanying list of plant communities is presented. The classification of scree vegetation in only one broadly conceived class, theThlaspietea rotundifolii, throughout Europe is a new concept.The vegetation on screes was classified into 8 major groups (17 orders and 42 alliances) according to their altitudinal range and the chemistry of the parent material. Brief information on ecological conditions, phytogeographical patterns, and altitudinal distribution are given. The characteristics and important diagnostic taxa for each alliance and order classified within theThlaspietea rotundifolii are given.

Vegetation Analysis as a Source of Historic Information – The Case of Madeira Island

The Island of Madeira is situated in the Atlantic Ocean (32°23′N–33°07′N, 16°15′W–17°15′W) and has officially been discovered in 1419 by captain Zarco and his crew. The abundant vegetation cover they encountered upon arrival promised fertile soils and sufficient water supply for prosperous agricultural activity, which led to a quick colonization of the island in the following years.

General Concept of the Research Pogramme and Methodology of Investigations

The integrative biological and geoscientific examination of both the nature of physical and biotic environments which make up ecosystems, and the interactions between these sub-systems, has substantiated the conception that a thorough knowledge of the ecosystem and its unifying position between ecology and environmental science is essential for a coherent understanding of environmental issues and large-scale problems in the biosphere. Recent developments in ecosystem theory have created a challenge to the development of recipes for a sustainable management of ecosystems and regions. It is increasingly considered in the disciplines of conservation biology, in the assessment of ecosystem health, integrity and sustainability, in ecological engineering, and in ecological economics in order to solve practical environmental management problems. In all of these fields modelling plays an essential role, since models provide for opportunities to develop strong transdisciplinary ties between the ecological community and the agency management personnel. A wide variety of illustrative examples of such approaches is provided by the International Biological Programme (IBP) and, in particular, by UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) which, together with the German concept of a comprehensive ecological surveillance system (Ellenberg et al. 1978), contributed to define the concept and structure of the Bornhoved Project. They are summarized in the first part of the present Chapter while, in a concise form, the second part provides information about the practices, procedures and instrumentation used when implementing the ecosystem research scheme in the Bornhoved Lake District.