Hidden biodiversity in the Arctic – a study of soil seed banks at Disko Island,Qeqertarsuaq, West Greenland

Seed dispersal is a key process in plant community dynamics, and soil seed banks represent seed dispersal in time rather than in space. Despite their potential importance, seed bank dynamics in the Arctic are poorly understood. We investigated soil seed banks and corresponding plant community composition in three contrasting vegetation types in West Greenland, viz. dwarf shrub heaths, herb slopes and fell‐fields. Through germination testing, 31 species were documented in soil seed banks. All of these were herbaceous, while no dwarf‐shrub species, which represents the dominating growth form in the above‐ground vegetation, were emerging from the seed bank. Consequently, across vegetation types, the lowest similarity between seed bank and above‐ground vegetation was found in dwarf shrub heath. Nine plant species were exclusively found in seed bank, all of which were non‐clonal forbs. Seed bank size (total number of seeds) and species richness seemed to increase with the level of natural disturbance. Additionally, we examined the effect of different experimental light and temperature conditions on the quantity and diversity of germinating seeds. The difference in diversity in vegetation and seed bank at the species level will impact population dynamics, regeneration of vegetation after disturbances and its potential to respond to climate change.     

Floristical and ecological characterization of the polar desert zone of Greenland

Abstract. Species composition and biomass of four plant communities were investigated in two coastal polar desert areas in eastern North Greenland, bordering the North East Water Polynya - an ice-free sea area kept open by upwelling - and compared with inland areas in North Greenland. Herb barren, the poorest type, has a species richness of 6 species/m², a cover of 0.7 %, and an aboveground biomass of 0.6 g/m² (vascular plants). The richest type, Saxifraga oppositifolia snowbed, has 10 species/m², 5.0 % cover, and 11.2 g/m² biomass. A floristic and vegetation boundary exists a few kilometres from the coast. The coastal areas bordering the North East Water Polynya had an impoverished flora and vegetation compared to areas near the ice-covered sea, possibly caused by very low summer temperatures and high frequency of clouds. A new delimitation of the polar deserts of Greenland is proposed on the basis of the number of vascular plant species, the occurrence of species with a specific inland distribution in North Greenland and the dominating life forms. At present the polar desert zone includes only areas within a zone up to ca. 15 km from the outer coast of high arctic Greenland - north of ca. 80° N. Large areas formerly classified as polar deserts in eastern North Greenland, as well as in Washington Land in western North Greenland, are excluded. New floristic data confirm that Greenland is correctly included in the Canadian province of the arctic polar deserts, whereas there is no reason for subdividing the polar deserts of the Canadian province.     

Birch woodlands and tree growth in southern Greenland

Inland areas in SW Greenland south of lat. 67°N have thermic conditions which are subarctic or just border on subarctic situations, but natural woodlands of Betula pubescens coll. and Sorbus groenlandica, though not covering vast areas, are confined to favourable places from lat. 60°15′ to 61°15′N. Alnus crispa forms thickets in middle fjord – or inland areas between 61° and 67°. Apart from those depending on human activities, the factors limiting hardwood tree growth in Greenland are climatic and due either to hyperoceanic conditions in coastal mountains or skerries (too low summer temperatures) or high degree of continentality, resulting in extremely low precipitation (e.g. Søndre Strømfjord inland with subarctic steppes and salt lakes). Boreal (including sylvicolous) species, e.g. Cornus suecica, reach far north of the areas inhabited by low birch woodlands, but boreal species dominate the flora of the treeless skerries in South Greenland as well as areas at the head of the fjords where birch trees locally reach heights of 6–7 m.     

Climate and coastal dune vegetation: disturbance, recovery, and succession

The sand dune habitats found on barrier islands and other coastal areas support a dynamic plant community while protecting areas further inland from waves and wind. Foredune, interdune, and backdune habitats common to most coastal dunes have very different vegetation, likely because of the interplay among plant succession, exposure, disturbance, and resource availability. However, surprisingly few long-term data are available describing dune vegetation patterns. A nine-year census of 294 plots on St. George Island, Florida suggests that the major climatic drivers of vegetation patterns vary with habitat. Community structure is correlated with the elevation, soil moisture, and percent soil ash of each 1 m² plot. Major storms reduce species richness in all three habitats. Principle coordinate analysis suggests that changes in the plant communities through time are caused by climatic events: changes in foredune vegetation are correlated with temperature and summer precipitation, interdune vegetation with storm surge, and backdune vegetation with precipitation and storm surge. We suggest that the plant communities in foredune, interdune, and backdune habitats tend to undergo succession toward particular compositions of species, with climatic disturbances pushing the communities away from these more deterministic trajectories.     

Diversity of forest vegetation across a strong gradient of climatic continentality: Western Sayan Mountains, southern Siberia

Southern Siberian mountain ranges encompass strong climatic contrasts from the relatively oceanic northern foothills to strongly continental intermountain basins in the south. Landscape-scale climatic differences create vegetation patterns, which are analogous to the broad-scale vegetation zonation over large areas of northern Eurasia. In their southern, continental areas, these mountains harbour forest types which potentially resemble the full-glacial forests recently reconstructed for Central Europe. To identify forest vegetation–environment relationships in the southern Siberian mountain ranges, forest vegetation of the Western Sayan Mountains was sampled on a 280 km transect running from the northern foothills with oceanic climatic features to the continental Central Tuvinian Basin in the south. Based on the species composition, vegetation was classified into hemiboreal forests, occurring at drier and summer-warm sites with high-pH soil, and taiga, occurring at wetter, summer-cool sites with acidic soil. Hemiboreal forests included Betula pendula-Pinus sylvestris mesic forest, Larix sibirica dry forest and Pinus sylvestris dry forest. Taiga included Abies sibirica-Betula pendula wet forest, Abies sibirica-Pinus sibirica mesic forest and Pinus sibirica-Picea obovata continental forest. Hemiboreal forests were richer in vascular plant species, while taiga was richer in ground-dwelling cryptogams. Vegetation–environment relationships were analysed by indirect and direct ordination. Winter and summer temperatures and precipitation exerted a dominant influence on species composition. Soil pH was also an important correlate of species composition, but this factor itself was probably controlled by precipitation. At a more local scale, the main source of variation in species composition was topography, producing landscape patterns of contrasting plant communities on slopes of different aspects and valley bottoms. The response of tree species to major environmental factors was expressed with Huisman–Olff–Fresco models. Larix sibirica appeared to be most resistant to drought and winter frosts, Pinus sibirica was adapted to low temperatures both in winter and summer, and Picea obovata had an intermediate response to climate. Betula pendula, Pinus sylvestris and Populus tremula were associated with the warmest sites with intermediate precipitation, while Abies sibirica was the most moisture-demanding species, sensitive to deep winter frosts.     

Post-glacial vegetation in the South Patagonian territory of the giant ground sloth, Mylodon

By comparison with the major modern plant communities of southern Patagonia, the changing post-glacial vegetation of the region is reconstructed from macrofossils derived from deposits in the Cueva del Mylodon, Ultima Esperanza, S. Chile. The oldest deposits, carbon-dated as c. 12,400 B.P., comprise dung of the extinct ground sloth Mylodon darwinii and show the animal to have fed entirely on Cyperaceae, Gramineae and species associated with these in the modern cool, wet sedge-grasslands of western Patagonia, communities which would be expected after the retreat of the ice. Overlying deposits of well-preserved, wind-blown leaf-litter permitted some quantitative analyses which show a rise of evergreen forest dominated by Nothofagus betuloides that reached its maximum c. 7000 B.P. and then declined as it was replaced by deciduous N. pumilio forest. A break in the fossil plant record, covering the human occupation about 5643 B.P. and the subsequent final appearance of Mylodon remains, is followed by evidence of mixed evergreen/deciduous forest in which Nothofagus pumilio gradually increases in importance to give deciduous forest some 2500 years ago similar to that found in the environs of the cave in historical times. Comparison with pollen diagrams shows that the modern climatic and vegetation difference between E. Fudgia and Ultima Eeperanza has persisted throughout the post-glacial period.     

山西五台山高山林线的植被景观

 过草本植物群落的分类和排序,结合对乔木和灌木分布的分析,确定了五台山高山林线的几条植被界线以及五台山森林上限附近植被的性质。结果表明：1）阳坡林线的海拔范围为2 605～2 790 m,阴坡林线的海拔范围为2 810～3 015 m;2）草本植物群落随海拔高度的变化比较明显,阴坡和阳坡从郁闭林到山顶均依次分布林下草本层、林缘草甸、亚高山灌丛草甸、高山草甸,草本植物的分布很好地体现了林线内部景观的差异性;3）海拔高度是高山林线附近草本植物群落空间分异的决定性因素。     

Reindeer grazing and soil microbial processes in two suboceanic and two subcontinental tundra heaths

In oceanic, nutrient-rich Fennoscandian arctic-alpine tundra heaths, grazing by reindeer has been found to increase herbs and graminoids in relation to dwarf shrubs. In continental lichen heaths in the inland with nutrient-poor conditions, however, slowly decomposable dwarf shrubs are favoured by grazing. According to a hypothesis, by favouring easily decomposing plants in nutrient-rich conditions and slowly decomposing plants in nutrient-poor conditions, herbivory enhances soil nutrient cycling in nutrient-rich and retards it in nutrient-poor areas. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the impact of reindeer grazing on soil C and N mineralization between two oceanic and two continental arctic-alpine tundra heaths.
Although soil respiration and microbial metabolic activity were enhanced by grazing in the suboceanic but not in the subcontinental tundra heaths, gross N mineralization rates were higher in the grazed areas in soils from all study sites, indicating that reindeer grazing leads to increased rates of nutrient cycling in both nutrient-poor and nutrient-rich tundra heaths. Thus, in the subcontinental tundra heaths, the increase in soil N concentrations due to mammalian waste products enhances N mineralization rates, even though the organic C quality is not improved by reindeer grazing. There was some site-specific variation in the strength of the reindeer effects on various microbial processes and soil properties, which can be related to spatial variation in grazing intensity and timing, as these factors in turn affect the nutrient sink strength of the vegetation.     

A Preliminary investigation on the Vegetational and Climatic Changes Since 11, 000 Years in Qinghai Lake An Analysis Based on Palynology in Core QH85-14C

Qinghai Lake is the largest inland saline lake in China. it is situated in the northeastern part of the Qinghai Xizang Plateau. This paper is based on the information of the sporo-pollen assemblages of 47 samples from the drill core and surface samples. The general treads of vegetational and climatic changes since 11,000 years B. P. may be subdivided in ascending order as follows: In the first stage which corresponds to zone Ⅰ of the sporo-pollen assemlage, the vegetation during the past of 11,000–10,000 years was represented by a temperate shrub, semi-shrub and steppe, consisting of Chenopodiaceae. Artemisia, Nitraria, Ephedra and Gramineae were predominant. At the same time, some subalpine conifers, Pinus, Picea and Betula, would grow by the side of rivers and lakes, the climate was warmer and wetter than that of the Late Pleistocene. Due to the rising temperature in this zone, the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary might be estimated at about 11,000 years B. P.. The vegetation of the first stage belonges to temperate steppe with a few trees: In the second stage (ZoneⅡ of pollen), the vegetation was characterized by a temperate forest steppe during this period of 10,000 to 8,000 years B. P. Forest area apparently increased and some broadleaf deciduous and need leaf evergretn trees, such as Quercus, Betula, Pinus and Picea, grew by lakes and on mountains. At this time, the climate was warmer and wetter than that of the first stage. In the third stage (Zone Ⅲ) between B,000 and 3,500 years B. P, The vegetation was composed of a temperate mixed broad-leaf deciduous and needle-leaf evtrgreen forest. The needle-leaf evergreen forest consisting of Picea, Pinus, Abies, Betula grew in temperate zone mountains. The climate was relatively warm and wet. The fouth stage (zone IV), the vegetation was dominated by shrub semishrub, dwarf semishrubs, steppe and semi-arbors. Some trees consisting of Betula, Picea, and Pinus decreased in number in the lake regions. Some subalpine cold temperature evergreen trees, such as Abies and picea disappeared from the lake region. This indicated that the climate was warmer and drier during the past 3500–1500 years B. P. than the third zone. In the fifth stage (pollen zone V), the vegetation comprised steppe and desert from 1500 years ago to the present time. Some arborealtrus such as Betula and Pinus were less increased about 500 years B. P. at this time the temperate and wet slightly, rose up. From the above analysis, it is clear that the Qinghai lake region has been confronted with the vegetational and climatic changes since ll,000 years B. P. Therefore, the palynoflora of the Qinghai lake has its significance in Geography and vegetational history.     

Vegetation discontinuities and altitudinal indicator species in mountains of West Greenland: finding the best positions and traits to observe the impact of climate warming in the Arctic

Aims

To delineate boundaries of vegetation belts, characterize these belts by indicator species, plant functional types and plant distribution types, and explore options for climate change monitoring.

Location

Three research sites in the continental inland of West Greenland.

Methods

Based on spatially constrained clustering of 147 vegetation relevés and 145 transect plots of plant communities, boundaries of altitudinal vegetation belts were assessed. Indicators for altitudinal sections were identified from 664 vegetation relevés among vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens and plant functional types using indicator species analysis. The performance of different plant groups along the altitudinal gradient was visualized with response curves.

Results

Boundaries of altitudinal vegetation belts were detected at 400, 800 and 1175 m a.s.l. on north‐facing slopes and at 450, 900 and 1250 m a.s.l. on south‐facing slopes. The resulting four vegetation belts were well defined by 99 indicator species and nine indicator plant functional types. Species, plant functional types and vascular plant distribution types showed clear sequences along the altitudinal gradient, which partly resemble their distribution along the latitudinal gradient.

Conclusions

As an easily observable expansion of shrubs and a decline of mosses and lichens is expected, the boundary at 400/450 m a.s.l. is particularly promising for climate change monitoring. The anticipated replacement of numerous cryophilous by thermophilous indicator species, as well as an obvious shift of plant functional types suggest several monitoring options at 800/900 m a.s.l. The summit areas above 1175/1250 m a.s.l., having a discontinuous plant cover, are considered to be especially vulnerable to fast invasion by species of lower altitudes such as woody plants and sedges. Due to steep gradients and short migration distances in mountains, it can be assumed that these anticipated changes in the study area will be stronger and faster than the already observed changes along the latitudinal gradient in lowland areas of the Arctic.

     

Ecology of heath communities dominated by Cassiope tetragona at Alexandra Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Canada

At a high arctic lowland on Ellesmere Island, heath communities dominated by Cassiope tetragona were widespread, and occurred in a variety of habitats that differred in time of snowmelt, relative site moisture, soil thaw depth, and air and soil temperature. Cover, standing crop, and production were dominated by woody plants, notably Cassiope tetragona and Dryas integrifolia . The Cassiope -dominated heaths were similar in composition to those at other Canadian high arctic localities, but were less similar to localities in Greenland and Spitzbergen. Compositional relationships among Cassiope -dominated heaths in different habitats at the study site may be largely determined by two interrelated environmental factors, time of snowmelt and site moisture.
Aboveground vascular plant biomass was concentrated near the ground surface, resulting in simple vertical structure that takes advantage of relatively warm soil and air temperatures in summer, and a protective snow cover in winter. Aboveground vascular plant standing crop was largely comprised of attached dead tissue, and there were equal proportions of above- and belowground biomass. Low community production was due to dominance by long-lived, slow-growing species, and to short growing seasons and cold temperatures. Overall character of Cassiope -dominated heaths reflects the conservative, stress tolerant growth strategy of the dominant species, Cassiope tetragona .     

Characterization of 10 microsatellite loci for the deep‐sea coral Lophelia pertusa (Linnaeus 1758)

The scleractinian coral, Lophelia pertusa, is distributed globally on continental slopes, mid‐oceanic ridges and in fjords. This species forms cold‐water reefs, which are associated with a diverse animal community. These communities are poorly understood but are currently under threat from human activities. Molecular markers are required to assess the spatial genetic population structure of this key species for management and conservation purposes. Ten polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated for Lophelia pertusa using an enriched partial library technique. Nine loci showed significant differences from Hardy–Weinberg expected genotype frequencies, eight of which showed heterozygote deficiencies.     

Vegetation pattern of mountains in West Greenland – a baseline for long-term surveillance of global warming impacts

Background: Steep environmental gradients, coupled with predicted high temperature rises in the Arctic make arctic mountain vegetation highly suitable for surveillance of changes related to global warming. However, guidelines and baselines for such a purpose are widely lacking since arctic mountain vegetation has been little explored.

Aims: We explore options for long-term surveillance on the basis of a detailed analysis of extant plant community patterns and their underlying environmental conditions in the mountainous inland of West Greenland.

Methods: Distribution, abundance and site conditions of vegetation types were analysed, using 664 vegetation samples and detailed vegetation maps in four altitudinal belts.

Results: Most plant communities had a restricted elevation distribution and were confined to special habitats predominantly defined by mesotopography and soil moisture.

Conclusions: Based on the strong linkage to habitat conditions, horizontal and vertical changes of species distribution and vegetation pattern are excellent indicators for inferring underlying environmental changes on three different scales. The recommendations given concerning climate sensitive species and plant communities, ecotones for setting up observation sites as well as stratification of analysis by habitats can be the basis for establishing long-term surveillance programmes on arctic mountain vegetation.     

Stoichiometry of leaf nitrogen and phosphorus of grasslands of the Inner Mongolian and Qinghai-Tibet Plateaus in relation to climatic variables and vegetation organization levels

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are most commonly the limiting essential elements that affect the functioning of plants and ecosystems. However, their stoichiometry in relation to climatic variables and vegetation organization levels has not been comprehensively characterized. N and P concentrations were measured for 329 leaf samples collected at 132 sites along the 5000 km long China Grassland Transect that traverses the Inner Mongolian and Qinghai-Tibet Plateaus. The patterns of these measurements were analyzed with reference to climate factors, plant species, plant functional groups, grassland communities and grassland ecosystems. The aim was to explore whether geographical patterns of plant leaf elements are related to zonal climatic variables, and at which vegetation organization levels changes of plant leaf N and P stoichiometric characteristics and pattern occur. Results showed that interspecific differences of N and P concentrations were most significant for the three vegetation organization levels of species, community and ecosystem. Plant leaf N and P concentrations were higher, coefficients of variation of N and P lower, and N/P, C/N and C/P ratios were also lower for leaf samples from the cold high altitude Qinghai-Tibet Plateau than for those from the relatively lower altitude and warmer Inner Mongolian Plateau. Correlation of N and P for Inner Mongolian grassland was higher than that for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The study indicates plant species are the most basic unit influencing plant stoichiometric geographic patterns, and that climatic variables affect leaf element concentrations mainly through their effect on changes of plant species composition of vegetation.     

Environmental factors and community dynamics at the southernmost part of the North American Graminetum – I. On the contribution of climatic factors to temporal variation in species composition

Compositional patterns of vegetation and their relationship to temporal and spatial environmental variation, with emphasis on climatic factors, were investigated in plant communities located in the southernmost portion of the North American Graminetum, in central México. Data from 353 samples, obtained in four ecologically contrasting plant communities during 11 years, were analyzed by partial canonical correspondence analysis. Eight climatic variables and eighteen covariables (seventeen edaphic and one resource management) were included in the ordination. A relationship between floristic change and weather variation, once covariables effects were fitted, was examined. Despite a strong contrast in ecological conditions among study sites, a set of four climatic variables was finally found in which each variable contributed independently and statistically (P < 0.01) to the total variance in the vegetation data. Thus, environmental variables other than climatic could not conceal the important role of weather as a mediator of floristic change through time. Summer precipitation and summer maximum temperature showed the highest correlations with the first two species axes, 0.77 and –0.39, respectively. Contribution of these two climatic variables to variance in the vegetation data explained by environmental variables was approximately 81%. Annual species were abundant during rainy years, while abundance of perennial grasses and shrubs showed no clear relationship to weather variation. This study explicitly probes the important role of rain patterns in shaping structure and composition of semiarid communities and considers how other environmental factors can affect plant communities at the southernmost part of the North American Graminetum.     

Dealing with scarce data to understand how environmental gradients and propagule pressure shape fine‐scale alien distribution patterns on coastal dunes

Questions: On sandy coastal habitats, factors related to substrate and to wind action vary along the sea–inland ecotone, forming a marked directional disturbance and stress gradient. Further, input of propagules of alien plant species associated to touristic exploitation and development is intense. This has contributed to establishment and spread of aliens in coastal systems. Records of alien species in databases of such heterogeneous landscapes remain scarce, posing a challenge for statistical modelling. We address this issue and attempt to shed light on the role of environmental stress/disturbance gradients and propagule pressure on invasibility of plant communities in these typical model systems. Location: Sandy coasts of Lazio (Central Italy). Methods: We proposed an innovative methodology to deal with low prevalence of alien occurrence in a data set and high cost of field‐based sampling by taking advantage, through predictive modelling, of the strong interrelation between vegetation and abiotic features in coastal dunes. We fitted generalized additive models to analyse (1) overall patterns of alien occurrence and spread and (2) specific patterns of the most common alien species recorded. Conclusion: Even in the presence of strong propagule pressure, variation in local abiotic conditions can explain differences in invasibility within a local environment, and intermediate levels of natural disturbance and stress offer the best conditions for spread of alien species. However, in our model system, propagule pressure is actually the main determinant of alien species occurrence and spread. We demonstrated that extending the information of environmental features measured in a subsample of vegetation plots through predictive modelling allows complex questions in invasion biology to be addressed without requiring disproportionate funding and sampling effort.     

The vegetation history of a coastal stone-age and iron-age settlement at 70°N,Norway

The Holocene vegetation history of the islet of Melkøya at Hammerfest, Norway (70°42N, 23°36E) is documented by several pollen profiles sampled close to excavated stone-age and iron-age settlements. Local paludification began c. 9700 cal B.P. and oligotrophication from c. 7300 cal B.P. onwards. A Betula pubescens—B.nana heath/woodland persisted until c. 8500 cal B.P., when a mixed Betula pubescens—Pinus sylvestris forest developed. Development towards an open heath is recorded from c. 4700 cal B.P. and culminates around 2700 cal B.P. A weak, possibly anthropogenic, impact is recognisable from c. 9200 cal. BP, but a marked local impact by man begins with the climate improvement and local forest development around 8500 cal B.P. The anthropogenic impact on the vegetation was the cutting of local woodland with an increase in grasses and herbs, the latter partly originating from the nitrophilous seashore vegetation. Forest clearance is recognisable at c. 6200 cal B.P., following a short period of re-growth after a burning event. Several anthropogenically related charred layers were formed in the peat before a longer period of abandonment from c. 3100 cal B.P. to c. 2000 cal B.P.     

Multivariate approach to the classification and ordination of the forest ecosystem of Nandiar valley western Himalayas

QuestionsDoes the vegetation composition of the forests of Nandiar Valley correlate with climatic, topographic and edaphic variables? Is it possible to identify plant communities through indicator species in relation to environmental gradients? Can this approach of classification and ordination will be helpful for conservation planning?LocationForests of Nandiar Valley, Moist temperate Western Himalayas Pakistan.MethodsEighty stands were selected for quantitative and qualitative characteristic of vegetation between an elevations of 525–3817 m. Species composition was recorded by using 400 m long transects. GPS, climatic, edaphic and topographic data were recorded for each sampling site. The relationship between habitat types, species composition and distribution along with climatic, edaphic and topographic variables were analyzed using TWINSPAN, Cluster analysis and DCA ordination.ResultsSum 325 vascular plants species belonging to 97 families were recorded. Diversity index and species richness was maximum in the moist temperate zone. Classification and ordination showed that the variance in species data was 7.07. Two-ways indicator species analysis classified the vegetation into eight plant communities. Indicator species analysis revealed that slope aspect, wind speed, temperature, dew point, wet bulb, pH, organic matter and phosphorous were the strongest parameters (p ≤ 0.05) determining plant community composition and indicator species in each habitat. The results also show the strength of the environment – species relationship using Monte Carlo procedures. DCA ordination grouped different species having similar habitat and habitats having common species.ConclusionsThe multivariate analysis of the vegetation along with environmental variables of Nandiar valley confirmed the indicators of each sort of vegetation communities/microclimatic zones which could further be used in conservation planning and management not only in studied area but also in the adjacent regions as well as in the areas exhibit similar sort of climatic, edaphic and topographic conditions.     

The vegetation of the forest-steppe region of Hustain Nuruu, Mongolia

The vegetation of a forest-steppe region in Hustain Nuruu, Mongolia, was studied by a phytocoenological approach. Eleven plant communities were recognized, comprising four steppe communities, two meadow communities, a tussock grassland, two shrub communities, a scrub community and a woodland community. The botanical and ecological characteristics of the different communities are discussed, with reference to the existing classification of Mongolian plant communities. Analysis of the present data indicates that a refinement or extension of the classification system is desirable, especially concerning the steppe(-related) communities. Discussion of the relative distribution of steppe and forest reveals that in the relatively dry location of Hustain Nuruu grassland and shrubland dominate the natural vegetation (88% of the area). Forest covers ca. 5% of the area, it is limited to sites where ground water is within rooting depth: north slopes above 1400 m (Betula platyphylla woodland) and along erosion gullies (fragmentary Ulmus pumila gallery woodland). Under natural conditions forest cover might reach 12%, but it is speculated that wild ungulates could maintain its extension at a lower level. The importance of forest is greater in forest-steppe regions with higher rainfall, but the factors determining the distribution of grassland and forest are expected to be similar.