Collections

Vegetation classification is the process of organizing plant communities into categories based on shared characteristics such as species composition, structure, functional traits, and ecological functions. The classification of vegetation types helps to identify patterns, relationships, and the underlying processes that shape plant community distributions across different landscapes.  Vegetation is typically classified into various levels, ranging from broad types (like forests, grasslands, wetlands, phytosociological classes or orders) to more specific types (like beech forests, peat bogs, phytosociological alliances or associations).  

The value of vegetation classification has grown significantly in recent years due to the increasing urgency of environmental challenges. Vegetation classification plays a crucial role for basic and applied research in the context of ecological studies, conservation efforts as well as for environmental management. As ecosystems face threats from climate change, deforestation, and urbanization, understanding the composition and ecology of different vegetation types is crucial for monitoring biodiversity and ecosystem stability, for guiding ecological restoration projects and for selecting the types of vegetation that can thrive in degraded areas.

This Topical Collection invites contributions that explore all aspects of vegetation classification in the context of different terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, in a specific region or across different regions or time periods. These may include studies on the description and classification of vegetation types dominated by or co-dominated both by native and alien plants, including information about their indicator species and ecological features. Furthermore, the collection encompasses both classical and numeral approach to vegetation classification, but also a vegetation classification that define vegetation types using also functional traits and ecological indices/data linked to the role that different species play within a community. Finally, contributions are welcomed that establish formalized standard procedures with the aim of promoting methodological standardization in classification.

Vegetation classification is the process of organizing plant communities into categories based on shared characteristics such as species composition, structure, functional traits, and ecological functions. The classification of vegetation types helps to identify patterns, relationships, and the unde ...

In the era of the Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to achieve universal benefits with the motto "NO ONE LEFT BEHIND," it is crucial for plant scientists to bridge the existing knowledge gaps in habitats and associated species distribution. In this context, the Habitats Directive (European Directive 92/43/EEC) stands as one of the most comprehensive tools for the management and conservation of our natural legacy.

Building on the substantial progress made over the past half-decade in the implementation of the Habitats Directive by the journal Plant Sociology, this Topical Collection intends to establish a repository for even more significant and synergistic efforts in the future. It emphasizes enhanced collaboration from plant scientists across EU Member States, ensuring a wider and more collective approach to conservation efforts.

With this Topical Collection, our goal is to dedicate the remaining half-decade until 2030—a pivotal new milestone for the future of our planet—towards establishing a scientific platform dedicated to a series of articles concerning the Habitats Directive, with a particular focus on the distribution and monitoring of Annex I habitats.

The Topical Collection will include "New Habitat Records," following the style and content of the already published contributions. For a model and the data sources, see Annex I in the paper https://doi.org/10.7338/pls2019561/04.

In the era of the Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to achieve universal benefits with the motto "NO ONE LEFT BEHIND," it is crucial for plant scientists to bridge the existing knowledge gaps in habitats and associated species distribution. In this context, the Habitats Directive (European Di ...