Disentangling effects of disturbance severity and frequency: Does bioindication really work?

摘要

Ecological disturbances are recognized as a crucial factor influencing the attributes of ecological communities. Depending on the specific adaptation or life cycle, plant species show different responses to disturbances of different magnitudes. Herben et al. (Journal of Vegetation Science, 27, 628–636) proposed six disturbance indicator values (DIVs) that describe the niches of Central‐European plant species along gradients of disturbance frequency and severity. Here, we ask if the DIVs can be used in community ecology for bioindication of disturbance regime?