98th ESA Annual Meeting (August 4 -- 9, 2013)

August 03 - 09, 2013

OOS 17

The Development of Regional Plot-Based Vegetation Classifications: How Classifications Based on Large Sets of Plot Data Further Our Understanding of Vegetation Ecology and Conservation

Vegetation classifications are commonly used in biodiversity conservation and resource management. When based on analysis of large, geographically and ecologically broad sets of vegetation plot data, they can also reveal previously unrecognized patterns in vegetation and raise interesting ecological questions for further study. Researchers in several states and provinces have been developing regional classifications of native vegetation through numerical analysis of extensive field data from sample plots distributed across broad ranges of upland and wetland habitats. In addition to their use in the development of vegetation classifications, large and actively updated regional vegetation plot datasets are routinely queried for other vegetation and plant ecology studies and are likely to be important resources for future scientists, allowing for investigation of change in plant species associations over time, shifts in native species ranges, and the timing and spread of exotic species invasions in native habitats. This session, centered around the experiences of scientists working with vegetation plot data, will include discussion of the value of large sets of plot data for ecological studies; overviews of the process of analyzing geographically and ecologically broad datasets to produce useful classifications; how plot-based classifications are being applied in biodiversity conservation and forest management; and discussion of the complex issues associated with sampling and classifying aquatic vegetation.