Original paper
Heliophilic mantle communities in Japan
Murakami, Y.; Miyawaki, A.
Phytocoenologia Band 25 Heft 1 (1995), p. 107 - 152
52 references
published: Apr 10, 1995
DOI: 10.1127/phyto/25/1995/107
ArtNo. ESP024002501006, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
It has been about 20 years since the term "mantle community" was first used in Japan. But mantle communities in Japan have not been clearly defined on the whole. The present investigation has been carried out on the Japanese heliophilic (sun-loving) mantle community: the Viti ficifolia-Clematidion terniflorae Murakami in Miyawaki 1983, for the sequel to the study on the Nansei Island (Murakami 1991). By "table work" with releves from all of Japan, 9 associations and 2 communities were classified. Habitats of most of these vegetation units are concentrated in lowland near the coast, and as a whole, so is the alliance. The Viti ficifolia-Clematidion terniflorae characteristically occurred in or faced openland; so this alliance is called the heliophilic (sun-loving) mantle community. In oder to compare the life form spectra of each vegetation unit, the main component species of the mantle community (shrubs and climbers) were classified into three types of growth forms: Rubus-type shrubs, erect shrubs and climbers. The comparison of their cover values shows, that each association and community is dominated by one type of growth form. But in the alliance, as a whole, three types are represented mixed almost equally.
Keywords
phytosociology • mantle community • distribute • life form spectra