Commonness and rarity in plants with special reference to the Sheffield flora Part I: The identity, distribution and habitat characteristics of the common and rare species

Abstract

By reference to extensive vegetation surveys the habitats of common and rare herbaceous plants and small (<1 m) woody species have been compared for the Sheffield region of Central England. Common species are frequent at sites of high fertility, are strongly represented in habitats which are heavily disturbed or of recent origin and generally have a wide geographical and ecological range in the Sheffield region and within Britain as a whole. Many of the rare species are restricted to the lowland half of the region and most of the species which have become extinct from the region in the recent past were associated with lowland agricultural areas where the pressures of changing land use are greatest. Rare species are concentrated within less fertile sites, particularly those with calcareous soils, and they are often present in species-rich vegetation in ancient habitats. Many rare species have a narrow ecological range, some appear restricted to ‘intermediate’ habitats (either ecoclines or ecotones) and a high proportion are near the northern limit of their geographical range. No single ecological characteristic is totally diagnostic of either common or rare species. Most of the differences between common and rare species in the Sheffield region may be interpreted in terms of the availability of suitable habitats within the region with common species occupying common, and rare species less common, habitats.