Zu den nordischen Beziehungen der Vegetation der Alpen )

Abstract

Summary The paper presents a chorologic analysis of the following vegetation monographs: Ellenberg & Klotzli (1972); Mayer (1974) and Braun-Blanquet (1948, 1950), mainly supplemented by Oberdorfer (1977 and 1978). The analysis was based on Meusel et al. (1965, 1978) and Rothmaler (1976). It can be shown that species with a distribution extending into the boreal or arctic zone predominantly occur on wet or acidic soils. Such species are most abundant on sites with soils both wet and acidic. Forests dominated by boreal conifers show a preponderance of species with a nordic distribution pattern also in the ground layer. Some characteristic species of montane conifer forests are, however, confined to them and do not occur in the north. The dwarf-shrub associations above the timberline are as well dominated by species common in the north. Alpine meadows situated above the dwarf-shrub belt contain several arctic-alpine species. Carex species and Poaceae dominating large areas are however confined either to the Central European or to the Central and South European mountain ranges. Arctic-alpine taxa become predominant on extreme sites only; endemic species are admixed even in such communities.