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Aims: The forest vegetation of Turkey has been studied extensively using the Braun-Blanquet approach, but mostly in rather small areas which were not sufficient to provide an integrative phytosociological interpretation. In this study, we formed a regional forest vegetation database and aimed to construct a hierarchical syntaxonomic system using numerical methods. Study area: The Western Euxine province of the Euro-Siberian phytogeographic region of Turkey, extending from the province of Sinop in the east to the Istranca Mountains in the west. Methods: Vegetation data consist of 1526 relevés and 872 species. The dataset was split into coniferous forests and deciduous-mixed forests. For the delimitation of these categories, all relevés where the total cover of deciduous trees reached at least 1/3 of the total cover of tree layer were defined as deciduous-mixed forests, while relevés with a total cover of deciduous trees less than 1/3 were defined as coniferous forests. Classification of these forests was carried out using TWINSPAN. Diagnostic species of vegetation units were defined using both the phi coefficient and constancy ratio. For tree species, the ratio of average cover was taken instead of constancy ratio. The vegetation units were further evaluated using DCA ordination and comparison of environmental variables. Results: The classification of deciduous-mixed forests resulted in 21 units differentiated by edaphic, climatic or phytogeographic factors. These communities were assigned to three classes (Quercetea pubescentis, Carpino-Fagetea, Alno-Populetea), four orders and five alliances. The oak-hornbeam forests of Turkey were described as a new alliance Trachystemono orientalis-Carpinion betuli since there was no valid alliance name available. For coniferous forests, eight communities were determined which are classifed in three classes (Quercetea ilicis, Erico-Pinetea, Vaccinio-Piceetea), three orders and three alliances. Mesic fir forests were assigned to a new alliance Lonicero caucasicae-Piceion orientalis within a new order Abieti nordmannianae-Piceetalia orientalis. Conclusions: In separating coniferous and deciduous-mixed forests prior to the numerical classification, we were able to achieve a classification in good accordance with the current syntaxonomic system used in Europe. The proposed system of higher syntaxa, which is mainly based on the dominant tree species, will provide a more stable and objective framework for future studies on biodiversity, nature conservation and sustainable forest management. Moreover, we provide an overview of the associations corresponding to each vegetation unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The annual editorial of Phytocoenologia 2019 brings bittersweet news about plot-based vegetation classification. On the one hand, the editorial of our Special Issue "Classification Approaches" (issue 48(2)) reported noticeable gaps in several regions of the world. On the other hand, articles in recent Phytocoenologia reach more and more of these underrepresented regions and extend to previously rarely classified plant formations. Our last issues 48(1-4) included several papers applying vegetation classification to address a number of ecological and socio-economical questions. We highlight the classification of steppe vegetation in Pamir Alai and Tian-Shan Mountains in Middle Asia (Nowak et al. 2018, Phytocoenologia 48: 369-391) and acknowledge the authors with the Editor's Award 2018. Our Ecoinformatics Section attracts many submissions, but we regret that in 2018 we did not publish any paper in the Phytosociological Nomenclature Section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A historical overview of the phytosociological method in Europe is presented. Some methodological and procedural differences in the application of the Braun-Blanquet approach, from the selection of the sampling plots to the assignment of relevés to existing or newly described units, are briefly compared. The main advantages and limitations of the phytosociological vegetation classification are reviewed and discussed, also in light of their applications for vegetation mapping and monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The annual Editorial of Phytocoenologia 2018 reflects on the topical coverage of the journal in the years 2015-2017. All continents except Antarctica were present, but contributions from Europe and Asia dominated, South America and Africa were moderately represented and North America and Australia underrepresented. In terms of vegetation types temperate grasslands and forests were the most frequent study subjects, while aquatic and weed communities were hardly addressed at all. We highlight the classification of the petrifying springs in Ireland (Lyons & Kelly 2017, Phytocoenologia 47: 13-32) as a prototypic study we would like to be published in the journal and thus acknowledge the authors with the Editors' Award 2017. Also the two permanent sections, Ecoinformatics (with Long and Short Database Reports) as well as Phytosociological Nomenclature (with nomenclatural proposals and nomenclatural revisions) are important and much used parts of Phytocoenologia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This is the first attempt to describe the diversity of the thorn-cushion and snowbed vegetation of the high mountains of NW Iran. Our main aim was to identify plant communities occurring in these habitats, and to clarify their syntaxonomic position. We also explored the key environmental factors influencing the species composition of these communities. Study area: Sahand Mts. (3707 m a.s.l.), Sabalan Mts. (4810 m a.s.l.) and Bozqush Mts. (3302 m a.s.l.) in NW Iran. Methods: A total of 166 phytosociological relevés were sampled at elevations ranging from 2800 to 3700 m a.s.l. The data set was classified using the TWINSPAN algorithm, and the result of the numerical classification was interpreted through a syntaxonomic system. Floristic differences were evaluated using a Detrended Correspondence Analysis. Results: We distinguished two alliances of thorncushion grasslands: Astragalion polyanthi all. nov. on windswept sites (including three associations) and Astragalion sahendi all. nov. on sites with longer snow cover duration (including two associations). Snowbed communities were classified into seven associations and assigned to the previously described alliance Taraxaco brevirostris-Polygonion serpyllacei. Conclusions: The duration of snow cover (i.e. the time of snowmelt) strongly determines the distribution of the studied communities. Among other ecological factors affecting the species composition are elevation, aspect, slope inclination and soil structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This annual Editorial of 2017 summarizes the developments of the journal Phytocoenologia in the two years following its re-launch in 2015. Both the Editorial Team and the topics and regions of publications are very diverse. Starting with 2015, Impact Factors and CiteScores profoundly improved compared to the previous years, which, together with some other measures, has rendered Phytocoenologia an increasingly attractive publication venue. Narrowing the scope of Phytocoenologia explicitly down to "vegetation survey and classification" was arguably one of the cornerstones of recent success. The bibliometric analyses have also allowed us to demonstrate that both in absolute numbers and with regard to the proportion of such papers, Phytocoenologia can now be considered the leading journal in the field of vegetation classification worldwide. The citation network of Phytocoenologia includes a wide array of journals, although many remain to be covered in the Web of Science, to the bibliometric disadvantage of Phytocoenologia. We shortly present the four Editors' Choice articles of 2016 and a selection of some other outstanding contributions of that volume. The Editors' Award 2016 goes to Rui B. Elias and colleagues for their combination of vegetation classification and distribution modelling to derive a map of the natural vegetation of the Azores. In conclusion, the Editors aim to provide a service to vegetation ecologists worldwide by maintaining and further improving the qualities of Phytocoenologia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]