The Method of Successive Approximation
in Descriptive Ecology
M . E . D . P O O R E
Botany Department, University of Malaya,
Kuala Lumpur, Maluya
I. Introduct,ion ........................................................
35
111. TheProblemofPattern ................................................
43
IV. Discussion of the Steps used in the Phytosociological Examinqtion of Vegethoti 47
A. The Choice of Stand and the Concept of Uniformity .................... 47
B. Descriptive Methods ................................................ 50
C. Abstract Units of Vegetation ........................................ 52
....................
67
A. Biocoenoseand Geobiocoenose ...................................... 58
.................................... 59
C. Definition of Communities .......................................... GI
D. Physiognomic-Ecological or Florist ir Classification? ....................
G 1
E. Definitionsofunits ................................................ 62
F. Multidimensional Variation ..........................................
63
VI. Discussion .......................................................... 84
Acknowledgement3 ............................................................
66
References ..............................................................
GG
11. The Classification of Vegetation ........................................
40
V. Systems of Classification and Criteria for defining Noda
B. Phylogeny of Plant Communities
I. INTRODUCTION
Plant ecology is the science of vegetation. It has many facets, but its
aim can be stated simply as the attempt to understand and explain the
distribution of plants in terms of habitat and history. Those interested
may look at vegetation in various ways. They may have the eyes of the
plant geographer, whose main concern is with the total flora of a particular region, the distribution patterns of its species and their history ;
or they may have the eyes of the ecologist (sensu stricto) who is interested
rather in the causal relationships between vegetation and habitat ; or of
the phytosociologist who looks st the elaborate organization of plant
communities and the balance of competition and inter-dependence between species; or yet of the autecologist, primarily interested in the
behaviour of single species. But, although different in outlook and aims,
the subject matter of all these is vegetation and their disciplines are
closely associated.
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