300236 UE Methods in phytosociology (2022S)

In this course, we will learn basic methods of phytosociology, i.e., description, comparison and classification of plant communities. We will sample dry grasslands in Eastern Austria, recording all vascular plants in 4 x 4 m plots and estimating their cover. To get a complete list of the species, we will visit all localities twice, first in late May /early June and then again in September. In the last week of September, we will analyse our plot records („relevés“) using the free software program JUICE (see https://www.sci.muni.cz/botany/juice/). We will do a numerical classification using the TWINSPAN algorithm, and a supervised classification based on diagnostic species from the literature. We will learn how to assign plot records to phytosociological units (associations, alliances, classes). Moreover, we will use Ellenberg indicator values to facilitate the ecological interpretation of the results.