Lesson 12 - Alaska Geobotany Center

A modern synthesis of the continuum and association views• Many studies have been done that support both views. Scale and samplingmethods are keys to which view is supported.• Association views are essential to describing, classifying, and mappingthe variation in vegetation. These units are somewhat subjective in nature.The methods of Braun-Blanquet have been applied now throughout theworld to widely divergent vegetation and offer a consistent globalframework for the classification and analysis of vegetation.• The continuum view more realistically describes the transitions in realvegetation, particularly across long gradients. Ordination methods areuseful for detailed studies of the relationship of vegetation to complexenvironmental gradients.