A NEW SPIRT IN PHYTOSOCIOLOGY

Abstract

The description of plant association occurring in Europe was based on insufficient information, al least during the first half of this century; in the last decade a huge quantity of relevés was published but new problem appeared. Forest vegetation is sometimes interpreted as composed of associations spread over large biogeographical units, or as elementary communities reflecting the ecology of the site. Computers can help in the treatment of data but the judgment on the significance of vegetation type remains subjective. Formalized nomenclatural rules in may cases are a unnecessary complication. New developments in phytosociology are discussed in the frame of the recent evolution of basic scientific concepts.