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A plant community is a collection or
association Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...
of
plant species Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms ''gut flora'' or ''skin flora''. Ety ...
within a designated geographical unit, which forms a relatively uniform patch, distinguishable from neighboring patches of different
vegetation type Vegetation classification is the process of classifying and mapping the vegetation over an area of the earth's surface. Vegetation classification is often performed by state based agencies as part of land use, resource management, resource and envi ...
s. The components of each plant community are influenced by
soil type A soil type is a taxonomic unit in soil science. All soils that share a certain set of well-defined properties form a distinctive soil type. Soil type is a technical term of soil classification, the science that deals with the systematic categoriz ...
,
topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...
,
climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...
and human disturbance. In many cases there are several soil types present within a given plant community. This is because the soil type within an area is influenced by two factors, the rate at which water infiltrates or exits (via
evapotranspiration Evapotranspiration (ET) is the combined processes by which water moves from the earth’s surface into the atmosphere. It covers both water evaporation (movement of water to the air directly from soil, canopies, and water bodies) and transpi ...
) the soil, as well as the rate at which organic matter (any carbon-based compound within the environment, such as decaying plant matter) enters or decays from the soil. Plant communities are studied substantially by ecologists, due to providing information on the effects of dispersal, tolerance to environmental conditions, and response to disturbance of a variety of plant species, information valuable to the comprehension of various plant community dynamics.


Definition

A plant community can be described floristically (the species of flowers or flora the plant community contains) and/or phytophysiognomically (the physical structure or appearance of the plant community). For example, a
forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
(a community of trees) includes the
overstory In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant cropping or crop, formed by the collection of individual plant crowns. In forest ecology, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns an ...
, or upper
tree layer Stratification in the field of ecology refers to the vertical layering of a habitat; the arrangement of vegetation in layers. It classifies the layers (sing. ''stratum'', pl. ''strata'') of vegetation largely according to the different heights to w ...
of the
canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...
, as well as the
understory In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but abov ...
, a layer consisting of trees and shrubs located beneath the canopy but above the forest floor. The understory can be further subdivided into the
shrub layer Stratification in the field of ecology refers to the vertical layering of a habitat; the arrangement of vegetation in layers. It classifies the layers (sing. ''stratum'', pl. ''strata'') of vegetation largely according to the different heights to w ...
, composed of vegetation and trees between a height of approximately one to five meters, the
herbaceous layer Stratification in the field of ecology refers to the vertical layering of a habitat; the arrangement of vegetation in layers. It classifies the layers (sing. ''stratum'', pl. ''strata'') of vegetation largely according to the different heights to w ...
, composed of vascular plants at a height of one meter or less, and sometimes also the moss layer, a layer of non-vascular bryophytes typically present at ground level (approximately 0.15 meters in height or less). In some cases of complex forests there is also a well-defined lower tree layer. A plant community is similar in concept to a
vegetation type Vegetation classification is the process of classifying and mapping the vegetation over an area of the earth's surface. Vegetation classification is often performed by state based agencies as part of land use, resource management, resource and envi ...
, with the former having more of an emphasis on the ecological association of species within it, and the latter on overall appearance by which it is readily recognized by a layperson. A plant community can be rare even if none of the major species defining it are rare. This is because it is the association of species and relationship to their environment that may be rare.Introduction to California Plant Life,
Robert Ornduff Robert Ornduff (1932–2000) was an American botanist. He was Director of the University and Jepson Herbaria, Director of the University of California Botanical Garden, Executive Director of the Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science, and ...
,
Phyllis M. Faber Phyllis M. Faber is an American botanist who did extensive work organizing and promoting the California Native Plant Society. She was editor of '' Fremontia: A Journal of the California Native Plant Society'' for 16 years, from 1983 to 1999. It wa ...
, Todd Keeler-Wolf, California Natural History Guides No. 69, University of California Press, Ltd., 2003,
An example is the
sycamore alluvial woodland Sycamore Alluvial Woodland is a rare open woodland plant community, or vegetation type, dominated by California sycamore ''Platanus racemosa'', existing only in small parts of California.Introduction to California Plant Life, Robert Ornduff, Phylli ...
in California dominated by the California sycamore ''
Platanus racemosa ''Platanus racemosa'' is a species of plane tree known by several common names, including California sycamore, western sycamore, California plane tree, and in North American Spanish aliso. ''Platanus racemosa'' is native to California and Baja C ...
''. The community is rare, being localized to a small area of California and existing nowhere else, yet the California sycamore is not a rare tree in California.


Examples

An example is a grassland on the northern
Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...
steppes In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the temperate grasslands, ...
, where common grass species found are ''
Festuca sulcata ''Festuca rupicola'', the furrowed fescue, is a species of cool-season grass in the family Poaceae Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includ ...
'' and ''
Poa bulbosa ''Poa bulbosa'' is a species of grass known by the common names bulbous bluegrass or bulbous meadow-grass. It is native to Eurasia and North Africa, but it is present practically worldwide as an introduced species. It is widespread in the United ...
''. The most common species defining this grassland
phytocoenosis Phytosociology, also known as phytocoenology or simply plant sociology, is the study of groups of species of plant that are usually found together. Phytosociology aims to empirically describe the vegetative environment of a given territory. A speci ...
is ''
Carex shreberi ''Carex'' is a vast genus of more than 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of genus ''Carex'' ...
''. Other representative
forb A forb or phorb is an herbaceous flowering plant that is not a graminoid (grass, sedge, or rush). The term is used in biology and in vegetation ecology, especially in relation to grasslands and understory. Typically these are dicots without woo ...
s occurring in these steppe grasslands are ''
Artemisia austriaca ''Artemisia austriaca'' is a species of plants belonging to the family Asteraceae. Its native range is Europe to Western Siberia Western Siberia or West Siberia (russian: Западная Сибирь, Zapadnaya Sibir'; kk, Батыс Сі ...
'' and ''
Polygonum aviculare ''Polygonum aviculare'' or common knotgrass is a plant related to buckwheat and dock. It is also called prostrate knotweed, birdweed, pigweed and lowgrass. It is an annual found in fields and wasteland, with white flowers from June to October. I ...
''. Other examples of different plant communities include the forests located on the granite peaks of the Huangshan Mountains in Eastern China. The deciduous broad-leaved forest, present from a height of 1,100 metres, is populated by trees such as ''
Pinus hwangshanesis A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...
'', also known as the Huangshan pine. The Huangshan mountain also possesses an evergreen broad-leaved forest community, home to a variety of shrubs and small trees. Some examples of species present in the evergreen broad-leaved forest community include ''
Castanopsis eyrei ''Castanopsis eyrei'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Fagaceae, native to southern China, and Taiwan. An evergreen tree typically tall, it is usually found in late successional forests from above sea level, where it is often the ...
'', ''
Eurya nitidia ''Eurya'' is a genus of about 70 species of flowering plants in the family Pentaphylacaceae. Fossil record Several fossil seeds of ''Eurya stigmosa'' have been described from Middle Miocene strata of the Fasterholt area near Silkeborg in centra ...
,
Rhododendron ovatum ''Rhododendron ovatum'' is an elepidote rhododendron species native to China and Taiwan. It is the type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is ...
,
Pinus massoniana ''Pinus massoniana'' (English: Masson's pine, Chinese red pine, horsetail pine; Chinese: 馬尾松) is a species of pine, native to Taiwan, a wide area of central and southern China, and northern Vietnam. Description It is an evergreen tree ...
,'' as well as ''
Loropetalum chinense ''Loropetalum chinense'' is commonly known as loropetalum,"Floridata Pl ...
''. An example of a three tiered plant community is in central Westland of South Island, New Zealand. These forests are the most extensive continuous reaches of
podocarp Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, known in English as podocarps, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs.James E. Eckenwalder. 2009. ''Conifers of the World''. Portland, Oregon: Timber Pre ...
/broadleaf forests in that country. The canopy includes ''
Prumnopitys ferruginea ''Prumnopitys ferruginea'', commonly called miro, is an evergreen coniferous tree which is endemic to New Zealand. Before the genus ''Prumnopitys'' was distinguished, it was treated in the related genus ''Podocarpus'' as ''Podocarpus ferrugineu ...
'',
rimu ''Dacrydium cupressinum'', commonly known as rimu, is a large evergreen coniferous tree endemic to the forests of New Zealand. It is a member of the southern conifer group, the podocarps. The Māori name ''rimu'' comes from the Polynesian ...
and mountain totara. The mid-story includes tree ferns such as ''
Cyathea smithii ''Alsophila smithii'', synonym ''Cyathea smithii'', commonly known as the soft tree fern or kātote, is a species of tree fern from New Zealand. Distribution and ecology The species' natural distribution covers all major islands of New Zealand: ...
'' and ''
Dicksonia squarrosa ''Dicksonia squarrosa'', the New Zealand tree fern, whekī or rough tree fern, is a common tree fern endemic to New Zealand. It has a slender black trunk that is usually surrounded by many dead brown fronds. Description This species has a fast ...
'', whilst the lowest tier and
epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...
associates include ''
Asplenium polyodon ''Asplenium polyodon'', commonly known as sickle spleenwort, is a species of fern in the family Aspleniaceae. The distribution of ''A. polyodon'' includes parts of the countries of Australia and New Zealand. A specific locale of occurrence is in ...
'', ''
Tmesipteris tannensis ''Tmesipteris tannensis'' is a fern ally endemic to New Zealand. It is usually epiphytic on trees and tree ferns, but is occasionally terrestrial. An example of occurrence of ''T. tannensis'' within a tiered phytocoenosis is in Central Westland ...
'', ''
Astelia solandri ''Astelia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the recently named family Asteliaceae. They are rhizomatous tufted perennials native to various islands in the Pacific, Indian, and South Atlantic Oceans, as well as to Australia and to the southern ...
'' and ''
Lomaria discolor ''Lomaria discolor'', synonym ''Blechnum discolor'', commonly called crown fern (Māori: piupiu), is a species of fern in the family Blechnaceae. This species is endemic to New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country ...
''.C. Michael Hogan. 2009
''Crown Fern: Blechnum discolor'', Globaltwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
/ref>


See also

*
Community (ecology) In ecology, a community is a group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at the same time, also known as a biocoenosis, biotic community, biological community, ecological community, ...
*
Size-asymmetric competition Size-asymmetric competition refers to situations in which larger individuals exploit disproportionately greater amounts of resources when competition (biology), competing with smaller individuals.Schwinning, S. & Weiner, J. Mechanisms determining th ...
*
Ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
*
Habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
*
Phytosociology Phytosociology, also known as phytocoenology or simply plant sociology, is the study of groups of species of plant that are usually found together. Phytosociology aims to empirically describe the vegetative environment of a given territory. A speci ...
*
Stand level modelling A forest stand is a contiguous community of trees sufficiently uniform in composition, structure, age, size, class, distribution, spatial arrangement, site quality, condition, or location to distinguish it from adjacent communities. A forest is ...
*
Vegetation classification Vegetation classification is the process of classifying and mapping the vegetation over an area of the earth's surface. Vegetation classification is often performed by state based agencies as part of land use, resource and environmental management. ...


References

{{Authority control Community ecology Plant ecology Biogeography Habitats Ecology terminology