| Abstract: | Abstract. Vegetation was sampled at 170 plots in five mires in the Italian Alps to characterize the distribution of plant species along the main environmental gradients. Water-table depth, water pH, electrical conductivity, Ca-, Mg-, K- and Na-concen-trations in soil pore water, shade intensity, and distance from the mire margin were determined at each plot. At mire margins the water table was deeper than in the mire expanse, and K-, Ca- and Mg-concentrations, and conductivity were higher. The first and by far most important axis of a DCCA-ordination was interpreted as a gradient of water-table depth, in relation to the distance from the mire margin, whereas the second axis was mainly associated with water pH. |
