A comprehensive classification system of European vegetation, colloquially known as the EuroVegChecklist, was published in 2016 by a team of 32 vegetation scientists led by Ladislav Mucina. It was accepted by the IAVS Working Group European Vegetation Survey (EVS) as the standard classification of European vegetation. While the EuroVegChecklist accepted 1106 alliances dominated by vascular plants, more than 300 new alliances have been described since its publication, and numerous revisions of the syntaxonomical system have been proposed. The EVS has established the European Vegetation Classification Committee to evaluate such proposals if submitted for evaluation, and some changes have been accepted. Updated versions of the classification system with tracked changes compared to the EuroVegChecklist are published in the Vegetation module of the new online database FloraVeg.EU. The most important changes were made to the coastal dune vegetation, Mediterranean pine forests and bogs. The current number of alliances dominated by vascular plants is 1116. The Vegetation module of FloraVeg.EU has been extended with new information not included in the original EuroVegChecklist, in particular, distribution maps for each syntaxon and standardized attributes of 12 variables characterizing the structure, ecology and biogeography of each alliance. Queries combining distribution data with attribute values can reveal different patterns of European vegetation diversity. In addition, the database is complemented by photographs documenting different physiognomies of each European alliance in different parts of its distribution range. Currently, the database contains 4259 photographs of 425 alliances, and the collection of the photographic database is still ongoing.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE STANDARD EUROPEAN VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION
Corrado Marceno'
2024
Abstract
A comprehensive classification system of European vegetation, colloquially known as the EuroVegChecklist, was published in 2016 by a team of 32 vegetation scientists led by Ladislav Mucina. It was accepted by the IAVS Working Group European Vegetation Survey (EVS) as the standard classification of European vegetation. While the EuroVegChecklist accepted 1106 alliances dominated by vascular plants, more than 300 new alliances have been described since its publication, and numerous revisions of the syntaxonomical system have been proposed. The EVS has established the European Vegetation Classification Committee to evaluate such proposals if submitted for evaluation, and some changes have been accepted. Updated versions of the classification system with tracked changes compared to the EuroVegChecklist are published in the Vegetation module of the new online database FloraVeg.EU. The most important changes were made to the coastal dune vegetation, Mediterranean pine forests and bogs. The current number of alliances dominated by vascular plants is 1116. The Vegetation module of FloraVeg.EU has been extended with new information not included in the original EuroVegChecklist, in particular, distribution maps for each syntaxon and standardized attributes of 12 variables characterizing the structure, ecology and biogeography of each alliance. Queries combining distribution data with attribute values can reveal different patterns of European vegetation diversity. In addition, the database is complemented by photographs documenting different physiognomies of each European alliance in different parts of its distribution range. Currently, the database contains 4259 photographs of 425 alliances, and the collection of the photographic database is still ongoing.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.