Dynamic-Catenal Phytosociology for Evaluating Vegetation

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Plants and plant communities play a main role in evaluation and land management studies, owing to their importance as natural and cultural resources. Several studies from the perspective of flora and vegetation have been carried out in the last fifty years (some of them directly related to Phytosociology). According to that, the Dynamic-Catenal Phytosociology must be considered as a very useful tool to evaluate the conservation status of vegetation and to establish suitable models for land management. The fundamental phytosociological concepts to take into account in the evaluation processes of the conservation status of vegetation are reviewed in this study. Keywords: Dynamic-Catenal Phytosociology, evaluation, conservation, vegetation, methods, plant communities 1. Introduction The conservation of nature is a problem that has concerned the scientific community for many years. The biological and landscape assessment of a territory is a major phase in land use planning studies and is carried out at an early stage to determine the environmental implications as well as to assess the suitability of the territory for its planned use [1]. Although several factors (such as physical, social, economic, biotic, etc.) are known to be involved in the conservation assessment, this study only analyses the role of vegetation due to its importance as a resource and both cultural and natural heritage. Plants and plant communities play a main role in this type of evaluation in land management studies, owing to their importance as natural and cultural resources. Several authors [2–6] have indicated that plant communities result from the interplay of many environmental variables, representing practically the completely floristic diversity, as well as many of the ecological relationships between the organisms involved. For this reason, knowledge of the flora and vegetation of a territory is essential for studying and evaluating its conservation status [7]. A great number of environmental evaluation studies from the perspective of flora and vegetation had been carried out in the last fifty years (some of them directly related to Phytosociology) can be mentioned: [2, 5–48]. Vegetation Index and Dynamics 2 Since Phytosociology either classic Phytosociology or Dynamic-Catenal Phytosociology is the science that deals with the study of floristic composition of plant communities, their distribution and dynamism, besides the environmental factors that characterize them, this science must be considered as a useful tool to evaluate the conservation status of vegetation and to establish suitable models for land management. In this sense, it can be mentioned the comments pointed out by European researchers worried about nature conservation. “La phytosociologie est. sans doute plus que toute autre science indispensable à l’étude et à la solution des délicats problèmes d’environnement (notamment d’évaluation et de valorisation des territoires) auxquels l’humanité est. confrontée” [22]. “Avoir une profonde connaissance phytosociologie d’un territoire permet de multiples applications de la phytosociologie pour la planification et la gestion des espaces naturels qui composent a territoire… La phytosociologie joue un rôle fondamental dans l’évaluation des valeurs biologiques du territoire…” [18]. It is noteworthy to say that in this type of studies that the biological evaluation of a territory will be more objective and easier to perform if formulations can be established to quantify the variety of environmental factors involved. 2. Fundamental phytosociological concepts to take into account in the evaluation processes of the conservation status of vegetation Phytosociology is the part of Geobotany or Ecology that studies plant communities and their relationships with the environment. Not only classifies them and order the plant communities in a hierarchical system but also it is the science of syntaxons and association is the fundamental unit [49]. The terms Vegetal Sociology, Phytocenology and Plant Synecology have been used as synonyms. This ecological science studies biocenosis from a botanical perspective (phytocenosis), that is, it deals with plant communities, their relationships with the environment and the temporal processes that modify them. With all this information and through an inductive and statistical method based on relevé it tries to create a universal hierarchical typology in which the association is the basic unit of the typological system. Nowadays, the Dynamic-Catenal Phytosociology is recognized in addition to classic or Braun-Blanquet’s phytosociology. The fundamental units of this science are the vegetation series or sigmetum, the permaseries or permasigmetum and the minoriseries or minorisigmetum in the Dynamic Phytosociology and the geoseries or geosigmetum, the geominoriseries or geominorisigmetum and the geopermaseries or geopermasigmetum in the Catenal Phytosociology. The Dynamic-Catenal Phytosociology also called “Landscape Phytosociology” or “Global Phytosociology”, tries to express through geobotanical and environmental sciences the biodiversity, structure and succession of the plant landscape, specifically of the natural, seminatural and anthropic terrestrial ecosystems [49]. It seems appropriate at this time to distinguish between the Dynamic Phytosociology and Catenal Phytosociology. The Dynamic Phytosociology deals with the vegetation series, with perennial and annual substitution stages and permaseries, without perennial non-nitrophilous substitution communities. The Catenal Phytosociology deals with vegetation geoseries, geominoriseries and geopermaseries. Some concepts should be defined for a better understanding of the processes studied by the Dynamic-Catenal Phytosociology. Let us firstly look at the concept of succession, which is the natural process of vegetation by which some plant communities are replaced over time by others 3 Dynamic-Catenal Phytosociology for Evaluating Vegetation DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97426 within the same holotesela, originating different vegetative structures, which along the time can reach their final balance stage, which it is the head series or climax [49]. The succession process has been extensively studied in terrestrial ecosystems. Because of this, numerous well-known sequential models and vegetation series, both structurally and biocenotically as well as functional, are nowadays available allowing recognizing and designating the phytocenoses that go from the first colonizer stages to the climax. But it is necessary to distinguish between the sequences that lead to the climax in a holotesela (progressive succession or progression) and those that by anthropozoogenic or natural actions remove from it (regressive succession or regression). It may also be useful to differentiate the notion of primary succession from the secondary one. The primary succession begins in environments not yet colonized and lacking of developed soils (rocky, recent fluglacial sediments, areas with totally eroded soils, etc.) while the secondary succession operates within the subserial stages of series of vegetation and pre-existing degraded soils [49]. Serial or subserial stages are all those stages that are not climax. The North American school of Clements distinguishes between the priserial associations or previous to the climax and subserial associations or after the destruction of the climax. From a functional point of view, the initial communities only incorporate a small part of their energy availability as permanent biomass, while in the climacic forest stages the process is upturned, since energy production is mostly intended to growth, to respiration, and the maintenance of the system in its state of balance. We have previously mentioned that the advances in Dynamic-Catenal Phytosociology have allowed us to establish well-known sequential models. Some examples are mentioned: The characteristic climatophilous vegetation in a temperate oceanic territory (supratemperate humid bioclimatic belt) is a deciduous or marcescent forest. This vegetation can suffer alterations due to anthropic or natural (such us fire) phenomena that can cause changes in the structure and floristic composition, but also in the horizons of the soil on which it develops to a greater or lesser degree depending on the alteration intensity (Figure 1). This means that deforested areas with loss of edaphic horizons are colonized almost immediately by communities of phanerophytes or nano-phanerophytes that constitute the pre-forests which are usually formed by softwood trees or brooms. These brooms are preferably constituted by Cytisus and Genista genera (Figure 2). These communities sometimes share space with the communities of perennial hemicryptophytes that will make up the perennial grasslands in places with the greatest edaphic deterioration. These perennial grasslands will be replaced at the same time by chamephytic shrubland in areas where deeply destruction of the original forest soil has occurred. These soils are finally colonized in this successional process by communities of therophytes (Figure 3). This example is perfectly transferable to other territories, in which depending on the climate and the soil, as well as the functionality of its vascular flora, we will find cases that are not the same but similar. Thus, in tropical pluvial bioclimate usually an arboreal climax is replaced in a regressive successional process by up to three plant communities of phanerophytes and after that by two nanophanerophytic communities to be later substituted by a community dominated by hemicryptophytes. The last and more regressive stage is a community of chamephytic character. In fact, there would be eight serial stages in this vegetation series. Vegetation Index and Dynamics 4 This model or sequence of serial stages is defined as vegetation series in the Dynamic-Catenal Phytosociology. It is also known as sigmetum, sigmeto (Spanishize) or sinassociation. It expresses the entire set of plant communities or steps that can be found in related tessellated spaces (superholotesela) as a result of the process of succession, which includes both the association representative of the mature and series head, like initial or subserial associations that can replace it. Understood in this way, the vegetation series or sigmetum represents the basic unit or essential model of the Dynamic Phytosociology. Figure 1. Climax and serial stages of a climatophilous and acidophilous beech forest. Blechno spicant-Fagetum sylvaticae; Cytiso cantabriciGenistetum polygaliphyllae; Pterosparto cantabrici-Ericetum aragonensis; Merendero pyrenaicae-Cynosuretum cristati. Cofiñal (León, Spain). Figure 2. Forest (Blechno spicant-Fagetum sylvaticae) and nanophanerophytic shrubland (Cytiso cantabriciGenistetum polygaliphyllae). Riaño (León, Spain). 5 Dynamic-Catenal Phytosociology for Evaluating Vegetation DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97426 It is possible to differentiate between climatophilous, edaphoxerophilous, temporihygrophilous and edaphohygrophilous vegetation series (Figure 4). The climatophilous or zonal vegetation series are those that are located in mature soils according to mesoclimate and only receive rainwater (Figure 5). The edaphoxerophilous vegetation series are found in soils or in biotopes especially dry or xerophytic such as: lithosols, leptosols, arenosols, gipsisols, etc. These vegetation series grow in dunes, very windy places, steep slopes, ridges, slopes, etc. (Figure 6). Figure 3. Climax and serial stages of an edaphoxerophilous and basophilous beech forest. Epipactido helleborinesFagetum sylvaticae, Lithodoro diffusae-Genistetum occidentalis and Helianthemo cantabrici-Brometum erecti. Bernesga Valley (León, Spain). Figure 4. 1. Edaphoxerophilous vegetation series, 2. Climatophilous vegetation series, 3. Temporihygrophilous vegetation series, 4. Edaphohygrophilous vegetation series. Vegetation Index and Dynamics 6 The temporihygrophilous, mesophytic and mesohygrophytic vegetation series have extraordinary hydric contributions due to topographic reasons. These series develop in slightly flooded or very humid soils only part of the year. The soil horizons are well drained or aerated at least during the summer or the dry season. Lastly, edaphohygrophilous vegetation series are those that occupy particularly humid soils and biotopes such as fluvisols, halools, histosols, etc. They are found in river beds, marshy areas, salt marshes, peat bogs… (Figure 7). Subseries and vegetation faciations can be used as units of lower rank than the vegetation series. Those of higher rank, superseries, macroseries, megaseries and hyperseries can be used [45]. Figure 5. Teucrio baetici-Quercetum suberis, head series of the aljibic climatophilous and acidophilous cork oak forest. Figure 6. Climax and chamephytic serial stage of an edaphoxerophilous vegetation series. Juniperetum sabinothuriferae, Lithodoro diffusae-Genistetum scorpii. Mirantes de Luna (León, Spain). 7 Dynamic-Catenal Phytosociology for Evaluating Vegetation DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97426 There are other different models apart from the aforementioned vegetation series in the Dynamic-Catenal Phytosociology. Minoriseries of vegetation or minorisigmetum (Latinized expression) are plant communities with their corresponding perennial and annual substitution stages. These are found in the tessellated spaces and in their jurisdictional territories but that by exceptional environmental causes do not reach, in progressive succession, the mature stage of the habitual climatophilous or edaphophilous series head in the corresponding biogeographic and bioclimatic environment. These plant communities have their own perennial substitution stages and can be frequent in certain zones and ecotonic areas such as: coastal cliffs with strong sea air, coastal dune systems, riverbeds, extensive peat bogs and marshes, estuaries, ridges and windy peaks, ecotonic altioreine territories with forests, etc. Lazare [50] has recently proposed these units of Dynamic-Catenal Phytosociology with the names of “truncated series and geoseries: curtosigmetum and geocurtosigmetum”, which we have preferred to translate by grammatical issues as: minoriseries and geominoriseries of vegetation (minorisigmetum and geominorisigmetum). This is the case of the Asturian and Galician acidophilous laurels plant communities which represent the climax in highly protected areas from the very strong north-western winds on the cliffs. Their substitution stages and grasslands are dominated by Armeria maritima. Also we can find nano-phanerophytic formations in the hills of the mountain passes where the wind is a determining factor for the development of the vegetation. These formations do not correspond to the bioclimatic and edaphic characteristics of the surrounding area, where the climax vegetation is a forest. Both situations are an example of minoriseries or minorisigmetum. Finally, we will also find permaseries of vegetation which are perennial, stable plant communities that configure permateselas or related permateselar complexes of exceptional biotopes such as: polar territories, hyper-deserts, peaks of high mountains, walls, cliffs, dunes, cliffs and coastal rocks beaten by sea, peat bogs, salt marshes, lagoon margins, etc. The mature or climax stage corresponds to a perennial vascular association (permassociation or permaseries), generally poorly Figure 7. Climax of an edaphohygrophilous vegetation series. Populo nigrae-Salicetum neotrichae. Benavente (Zamora, Spain). Vegetation Index and Dynamics 8 stratified, lacking of perennial non-nitrophilous substitution communities. It means that, apart from the annual or ephemeral species and communities that may temporarily establish in the open or degraded spaces of such locations, it is only the perennial plants that participate in the mature community that can thrive to reorganize the same permanent plant community [49] (Figures 8–11). The change of the environmental conditions of each permassociation or permaseries supposes its disappearance and its replacement by another permassociation or permaseries belonging to the same geopermaseries, without the possibility of returning to the previous situation through natural succession. Figure 9. Lacustrine permaseries (Potamogetum natans plant community). Villadangos del Páramo (León, Spain). Figure 8. Geopermaseries of dune systems (Ammophiletea australis). Troia Peninsula (Portugal). 15 Dynamic-Catenal Phytosociology for Evaluating Vegetation DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97426 Where i=i-th plant community, Ωi=surface area of i-th plant community, Ω total=total surface area occupied by all communities, DIi=potentiality distance value of i-th community. Its formula is as follows: DIi=1 - [(3 Pi - NIi)/3n)], Pi=position of i-th plant community in its respective vegetation series and minoriseries in relation to the series head, NIi=naturalness index of i-th community, n=number of serial stages in the vegetation series or minoriseries resulting from the succession process. In permaseries n=1 because such plant communities are considered as series head. We have: NI=1 for plant communities with low natural conservation and with strong human influence (distance to the optimum stage >50%); NI=2 for plant communities with relatively high natural conservation and with a low, but appreciable, human influence (distance to the optimum stage 30–50%); Phytosociological classes S M P E A Quercetea ilicis Br.-Bl. ex A. & O. Bolòs 1950 ● ● ● Querco roboris-Fagetea sylvaticae Br.-Bl. & Vlieger in Vliegar 1937 ● ● ● Rhamno catharticii-Prunetea spinosae Rivas Goday & Borja ex Tüxen 1962 ● ● Rosmarinetea officinalis Rivas-Martínez, T.E. Díaz, F. Prieto, Loidi & Penas 2002 ● Ruppietea maritimae J. Tx. 1960 ● Saginetea maritimae Westhoff & al. 1962 ● Salicetea herbaceae Br.-Bl. 1948 ● Salici purpureae-Populetea nigrae (Rivas-Martínez & Cantó ex Rivas-Martínez & al. 1991) Rivas-Martínez & Cantó 2002 ● ● Sarcocornietea fruticosae Br.-Bl. & Tx. ex A. Bolo’s 1950 nom. mut. ● Scheuchzerio palustris-Caricetea nigrae Tx. 1937 nom. mut. ● Sedo albi-Scleranthetea biennis Br.-Bl. 1955 ● Spartinetea maritimae Tx. in Beeftink 1962 ● Stellarietea mediae Tüxen, Lohmeyer & Preising ex von Rochow 1951 ● Stipo giganteae-Agrostietea castellanae Rivas-Martínez & al. 1999 ● Thero-Suaedetea Rivas-Martínez 1972 ● Thlaspietea rotundifolii Br.-Bl. 1948 ● Trifolio medii-Geranietea sanguinei T. Müller 1962 ● ● Utricularietea intermedio-minoris Pietsch 1965 ● Vaccinio-Piceetea abietis Br.-Bl. in Br.-Bl., Sissingh & Vliegar 1939 ● ● Zosteretea marinae Pignatti 1954 ● If (S), Successional Stages, Minoriseries (M), Permaseries (P), Vegetation Series (E) are included in them or if they have Anthropozoogenic character (A) are expressed with ● [51–53] Table 1. Phytosociological classes of Spain and Portugal are shown in alphabetical order Vegetation Index and Dynamics 16 Author details Saradel Río1*, RaquelAlonso-Redondo2, AlejandroGonzález-Pérez2, AitorÁlvarez-Santacoloma2, Giovanni Breogán FerreiroLera2 and ÁngelPenas1 1 Department of Biodiversity and Environmental Management (Botany), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Mountain Livestock Institute (CSIC-ULE), University of León, Spain 2 Department of Biodiversity and Environmental Management (Botany), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of León, Spain *Address all correspondence to: [email protected] NI=3 for plant communities with high natural conservation without (or with very little) human influence (distance to the optimum stage <30%) [7, 44]. PDI are divided into four groups showing the distance to the series head of the studied area and therefore the global conservation status of vegetation. If the PDI value is ≤0.25 the vegetation is very distant from the climax and the conservation status is classified as “Poor”. When it is >0.25 and≤0.50 the vegetation is distant from the climax, and the conservation status is “Moderate”. Vegetation is shown as moderately distant from climax when values are >0.50 and≤0.75 and the conservation status is “Good”. The conservation status is “very good” when the value is >0.75, and vegetation is not distant/too much distant to climax. In Table 1 are shown the relationship between vegetation series, minoriseries and permaseries with Spanish and Portuguese phytosociological classes. 4. Conclusions The Dynamic-Catenal Phytosociology can be used to establish suitable models for land management. Fundamental concepts of this science can be applied to the Potentially Distance Index for assessing the global status conservation of vegetation. The index is universal, objective and measurable, for this reason it is a very useful tool for the restoration of potential natural vegetation in degraded areas. © 2021 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 17 Dynamic-Catenal Phytosociology for Evaluating Vegetation DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97426 References [1] Ortega R, & Rodríguez I. Manual de Gestión del Medio Ambiente. Fundación Maphre; 1996; Madrid [2] Arnáiz C. Utilización de criterios ecológicos para la valoración del territorio. Séminaire de phytosociologie appliquée. 1981; 3, 119-126. [3] Blandin P. Bioindicateurs et diagnostic des systèmes écologiques. Bulletin Écologie; 1986; 17(4), 214-307. [4] Asensi A. 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