Sociological Analysis Essay

Chapter-3 Phytosociological Analysis

Introduction

In this chapter focuses and deals with Quantitative vegetation explanation of plant communities. Phytosociology involves plant communities within a habitat, their floristic composition, development and the social relationships between them.

Probably every science has periods in its development when some phase was in fashion and courted by the scientifically sophisticated. In botany, emphasis has at one time or another been placed on taxonomy, geography, ecology, physiology, vascular anatomy, embryology, cytology, genetics and molecular biology. In the same way, ecology has experienced vogues in the study of physiological ecology, growth-form adaptation, succession, quadrat analysis of the community, atmometry, hydrogen-ion concentration of the soil, osmotic concentration of cell sap, pollen analysis, etc. (Stanley A. Cain, 1950).

According to Frenedozo-Soave (2003) a phytosociological study gives information about the

It also reveals important information on other components, as its structure affects the flow and movement of energy, water and nutrients through the ecosystem of a region (Conant and Risser, 1974).

Depending on the interest and objectives, the vegetation characteristics have been described in various ways viz. physiognomic approach wherein the growth form and life form of the dominant or co-dominant plants is studied; floristic approach which focuses mostly on the analysis and synthesis of floristic composition of plant communities by studying their quantitative characteristics. This method offers numerous advantages measuring the basic properties like richness and diversity, which are indicative of the organization and structural heterogeneity of a community (McIntosh, 1967) and so has been used