The paper deals with the structure of forest vegetation that is close to its natural condition in the Savinja Alps. Significant groups of forests that have evolved under the influence of complex ecological gradient (altitude) were identified and analysed by classification and ordination of plant communities and structural variables. The analyses expose the complementarity of both techniques and their deficiencies in cases when they were applied solely and independently. The supplementation of structural and ecological variables with vegetational variables is also stressed. The results suggest that a joint application of classification and ordination techniques is a very good solution for the identification and analyses of specific patterns of vegetation in research of natural ecosystems. Several hypotheses were also examined, concerning the strength of antropozoogenic influences, decline of alpine timberline and the role of broad-leaved trees in the former upper mountain virgin forests.
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