Classification of vegetation: Past, present and future

作者：Ladislav Mucina · 发表于：Journal of Vegetation Science · 年份：1997 · DOI：10.2307/3237019 · 被引用次数：153 · 研究领域：Botany and Plant Ecology Studies、Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies、Lichen and fungal ecology

Abstract. This paper is a report on the past, status‐quo and perspectives of vegetation classification, still a major occupation of many vegetation scientists. The history of vegetation classification is discussed against a background of several controversial issues such as the problem of continuum vs. discontinuum, naturalness vs. arbitrariness of the nature of plant communities, universality vs. ad hoc character of syntaxonomic schemes, as well as classical versus numerical approaches to data analysis for classification purposes. The development of the methodology of vegetation science and the present image of vegetation classification is documented by a bibliometric analysis of the publication record of four majorjournals: Journal of Vegetation Science, Vegetatio, Phytocoenologia and Tuexenia. This analysis revealed a persisting controversy between traditional and numerical approaches to vegetation classification. A series of important changes in vegetation science (foundation of new journals, change of editorial policy by the established, important meetings) punctuate a period called the ‘Innovation period’. Several trends in the development of methods of vegetation systematics are summarized under the headings formalism, pluralism, functionalism, pragmatism and indeterminism. Some new features, such as the development and improvement of numerical tools, use of large data banks and attempts to summarize the theory of vegetation classification are discussed. The new growth...