power of potential natural vegetation (and of spatial-temporal scale): a response to Carrión & Fernández (2009)

• Published in: Journal of biogeography Vol. 37; no. 11; pp. 2211 - 2213
• Main Authors: Farris, Emmanuele, Filibeck, Goffredo, Marignani, Michela, Rosati, Leonardo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Oxford, UK : Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-11-2010; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Blackwell Publishing; Blackwell
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biogeography; Biological and medical sciences; Climax concept; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Correspondence: the meaning of potential natural vegetation; Ecological engineering; ecological restoration; Ecological succession; Environmental degradation: ecosystems survey and restoration; Forest ecology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Holocene vegetation; landscape dynamics; Landscape ecology; Landscapes; phytosociology; potential natural vegetation; Restoration ecology; secondary succession; Synecology; Urban ecology; Vegetation; vegetation classification; vegetation science; Concept; Climax concept; Landscape; secondary succession; Biogeography; potential natural vegetation; Vegetation succession; Carcass; Climax; Dynamics; ecological restoration; Classification; Vegetation; vegetation classification; Ecological recovery; Holocene vegetation; vegetation science; Holocene; Plant sociology; landscape dynamics; phytosociology
• ISSN: 0305-0270; 1365-2699
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02323.x

A commentary by Carrión & Fernández (Journal of Biogeography, 2009, 36, 2202-2203) compared Holocene pollen records with models of potential natural vegetation (PNV) proposed in the phytosociological literature and concluded that the predicted PNV resulted from anthropogenic disturbance. However, the authors misinterpreted PNV, leading to two serious flaws in their assumptions: (1) PNV is not defined as a pre-anthropic or climax plant community; and (2) PNV is not a concept restricted to the phytosociological method. Therefore we criticize the conclusions expressed in the commentary, and we stress the need for an interdisciplinary approach based on multi-temporal and multi-spatial scales to achieve a modern framework for the study of plant communities.