Indicator plant
Indicator plants (indicator plants) are plants with a low ecological potency, ie, with a low tolerance to changes in their living conditions. Please indicate, among other things good indication of the condition of the ground and the soil in which they grow, or to the entries of air pollutants, and thus belong to the so-called bio-indicators. A detailed classification of different site parameters give the indicator values according to Ellenberg.
Was first described scientifically the pointer value of wild plants by the agricultural scientist Georg Ernst Wilhelm Crome, who "The soil and its relation to the plants ," describes in his 1812 published book. Were named indicator plants in the agronomic advice literature as the Hausväterliteratur in the 17th century in particular trees and shrubs have been identified as indicators of soil quality. For example, wrote Wolfhelm Hardt Hohberg in the Georgica curiosa ( 1695): " The most certain sign of fruited land [ is ] / when the field - forest and garden trees high and aest - rich / particularly where wild pear apples, cherries and other fruit trees selves by looking to grow and spread. "Before there was scientific description on experience and tradition BASED knowledge of the bioindikativische property of plants.
The ecological value of indicator plants for agriculture and landscape management has been by science only in the second half of the 20th century, especially from the plant ecologists Heinz Ellenberg "rediscovered" and systematically explored. It is important in the research, that correlations between soil reaction and plant growth must be tested on a variety of locations so as not to take delivery of a particular result with close to significance.
Phenological indicator plants called plants, which the ten physiologically and biologically justified " phenological seasons " announce (eg, the flowering of the black elderberry early summer, the flowering of the large-leaved lime midsummer ).
Examples of indicator plants
- Nitrogen-rich soil: ( Nitrophyten ) Stinging nettle, burdock bedstraw, signal, chickweed, Sharp Buttercup, Black Elderberry
- Acid soil: heather, honey Soft grass, sheep sorrel, bilberry
- Basic ( alkaline ) soil: Ordinary Pechnelke, Real Wundklee
- Calcareous soil: anemone, field larkspur
- Moist soil: carbon thistle, globe flower
- Waterlogging: Horsetail, field mint, coltsfoot
- Sandy soil: Sand Sedge
- Compacted soil: Plantain, Creeping Buttercup, Couch Grass, tansy
- Heavy- bottom: Galmeiflora, heavy metal lawn
- Light pointer: Yellow Rockrose
- Shadow Hand: oxalis