Seledets V.P., Probatova N.S.

Ecological scales as a source of information on ecological diversity (with special reference to Poaceae of the Russian Far East)

Year: 2003, Issue: XLIX, Pages: 172 - 212

As a further development of ecological scales method we propose the concept of ecological range. We take into consideration ecological amplitude of the species, ecological optimum, type of coenopopulation, dimensions of ecological range, type of habitat, orientation of ecological range in the field of ecological factors, position of ecological optimum in relation to the center of ecological range, the degree of utilization by the species of its ecological range. On the representatives of the Family Poaceae it was shown that characters of ecological range could be applied as indicators of evolutionary changes, ecological differentiation of taxa in connection with evolutionary processes in various taxa (genera, sections, subsections, species). Types of ecological differentiation of taxa have been revealed.

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