Transitional Objects in Hierarchical Classifications, Regionalizations and Periodizations in Geography and Ecology

Abstract

Contrary to a widely held view of transitional (intermediate) objects as being “noise” in a research process, the idea that transitional objects are essential elements of classifications, regionalizations, periodizations and other structural schemes is substantiated. The methodological basis for these propositions is provided by the concepts of descriptive and fuzzy sets and its underlying multi-valued (fuzzy) logic. It is shown that there are several variants for the representation of transitional classes, regions and periods, and some of them allow avoiding “fragmentation” and an excessive increase in the number of transitional elements. It is emphasized that any variants of representation of transitional classes, regions or periods are only the formal (methodological) techniques which serve as a tool that allows more appropriately reflecting the structure of a single object or a set of objects. It is this principle that should determine selection of a particular variant of separation of transitional elements in structural schemes. It is noted that the concepts of the transitional class and the structure of the class lie at the intersection of classification and ordination approaches and allow developing ordination-classification schemes that combine the features of hierarchical classification and ordination. The concepts of transitional elements allowed suggesting new solutions to a number of problems. Communities of dwarf pine (Pinus pumila) are referred to a special class of formations: “hypoarctic krummholz”. Three separate class formations of open woodland communities (woodlandtundra, woodland-meadow and woodland-bog) are identified. Macrocomplexes that include the mountain tundra, subgoletz (subalpine) and, partially, boreal-forest belts of vegetation were referred to a separate goletz (alpine) boreal-forest class. For the subgoletz belt, on the one hand, its independence as the belt of rank II, and, on the other, its transitional nature between goletz and boreal-forest belts of rank I are confirmed. Such solutions allow representing not only the transitional nature of the objects in question but also their uniqueness at a certain taxonomic level.