Species indicator values as an important tool in applied plant ecology - a review [Review]

摘要

Species indicator values, especially those defined by Ellenberg, have been used widely in applied plant ecology, forestry and agriculture. In spite of being criticised by many, there is a growing interest in using them also outside central Europe in order to analyse trends of change in the vegetation and their underlying environmental variables. Various aspects of indicator values are reviewed: their main features, the most important applications (notably the use of weighted site averages), problems and pitfalls of indicator analyses, the relationship between weighted site averages and measurements as well as their extension to other regions. Some aspects are illustrated using data sets of forest plots from S Sweden. Provided that the limitations of indicator values are recognised, these have a high reliability and can complement or, in some cases, replace measurements to determine the values of environmental variables and to monitor their change.