Summary

This book fulfils the long-felt need for a modern manual of techniques of vegetation description and analysis. The approach is deliberately non-mathematical with an emphasis on the practical and ecological aspects of the subject. Methods are clearly and simply explained and are demonstrated using a wide range of case studies together with many illustrations, diagrams and tables to aid comprehension. A particular feature of the book is a detailed introduction to computer methods for the analysis of vegetation data and the availability of a disk of programs for personal computers from the authors to complement the text. This book will be essential for field and practical work in quantitative plant ecology and will be invaluable to advanced students, researchers and lecturers in ecology, biogeography, environmental science, botany, agriculture, forestry and biological conservation. "Unlike some notorious predecessors, this user-friendly volume is clearly written, is firmly planted in the real world of problem-solving and hypothesis generation, and through well-chosen examples and illustrations establishes a strong link to contemporary projects in landscape management, impact assessment and wildlife conservation." Professor Philip Grime in The Times Higher Education Supplement "The book is highly readable, which is perhaps surprising considering the complexity of some of the content, and its layout has been well thought out; good use being made of changes in font style for emphasis, diagrams and photographs. The text is partly organized along chronological lines, in which the earliest approaches and techniques are described first. The book aims to explain the various techniques of collecting and analyzing vegetation data in a language that second and third year undergraduates studying plant ecology, and with only a basic understanding of statistical concepts will be able to understand. That it succeeds where so many others with similar objectives have failed is a testament not only to the style in which the text is written, but also to the authors' understanding of the subject matter and their appreciation of the requirements of the students at which the book is targeted." David Taylor, The Geographical Journal Contents The nature of quantitative plant ecology and vegetation science The description of vegetation in the field The nature and properties of vegetation data Basic statistical analysis of vegetation and environmental data Ordination methods I, 1950-70 Ordination methods II, 1970-92 Phytosociology and the Zürich-Montpellier (Braun-Blanquet.) school of subjective classification Numerical classification and phytosociology Computer programs for vegetation and environmental data analysis Quantitative plant ecology, vegetation science and the future