Average Seasonal Phytomass: A Temporally Independent Index of Herbaceous Plant Dominance

Authors

N E. West
G A Reese

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Vegetatio

Publication Date

1984

Volume

57

Issue

2/3

Abstract

Diversity, similarity and dominance in plant communities are usually assessed from data collected at a single date. Herbaceous species have differing periods of growth, making phytomass or cover-weighted indices of diversity, similarity or dominance highly dependent on the timing of data collection. A new way of mathematically expressing residence time is presented. Average seasonal phytomass values can be used to better express dominance throughout a growing season. A similar approach could be used for cover or any other dynamic property of plant growth. These values could then be used in dominance-weighted indices of community similarity and diversity.

Comments

Originally published by Springer. Publisher's PDF available through remote link via JSTOR.

First Page

137

Last Page

141

Recommended Citation

West, N.E. and G.A. Reese (1984). Average seasonal phytomass: a temporally independent index of herbaceous plant dominance. Vegetatio, 57(2/3): 137-141.