Ecotope Typologies, Ecotope Groups of Plant Species and Ecotope Protection and -Restoration in Hydrological Systems Analysis

Abstract

In descriptions of indigenous flora of the Netherlands special codes have been attributed to all plant species. These codes refer to the preference of species for specific ecosystems. Initially (Van der Maarel, 1971), the coding system was strongly related to the position of the plant species in the plant-sociological classification system (Westhoff & Den Held, 1969). In the 1970’s the coding system was revised and more ecologically oriented (Arnolds & Van der Meijden, 1976). Still objections to this system were voiced concerning the ecological amplitude and the poor relation with abiotic factors. In 1982 the Centre for Environmental Studies (CML) of the State University of Leiden designed a preliminary structure for a national ecotope system (Everts et al., 1982). In 1987 the new ecotope typology was extended (Stevers et al., 1987). CML and the National Herbarium of the State University of Leiden used this new system to generate new codes for wild plant species in the Netherlands (Runhaar et al., 1987).