Lesson 12 - Alaska Geobotany Center
Lesson 12 - Alaska Geobotany Center
Lesson 12 - Alaska Geobotany Center
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Physiognomy• Physiognomic approaches to describe vegetation are useful tohelp simplify the overwhelming complexity of species-leveldescriptions.• Refers to the general appearance of the vegetation, usuallyincorporating features of its vertical structure and growth forms ofthe dominant plant species.• Many approaches to describing physiognomy have been used.• The current trend is toward development of plant functional typesthat have meaning as far as specific elements of ecosystemfunction.