Research institutes

Plant communities and indicator plants

The individual plant species do not occur randomly next to each other in permanent grassland. Only species with similar site conditions form a plant community. The plant communities depend on the climatic conditions (dry, moist), the site characteristics (calcareous or silicate source rock) and the management (use, swell).

The number of different plant communities is particularly high in extensively used grassland. Due to the intensification of productive locations and the abandonment of use of less favorable locations, some plant communities have already become very rare. Some plant species are of particular importance due to their strong connection to management or site characteristics. Their occurrence allows conclusions to be drawn about certain location characteristics and can therefore be used as bioindicators. They can be used to quickly determine the site characteristics, to recognize changes or management errors and to monitor the success of measures taken.

With the help of indicator plants, the soil water balance, the acidity of the soil and consequently also the lime requirement of the grassland areas can be assessed and evaluated.

With the help of indicator plants, the soil water balance, the acidity of the soil and consequently also the lime requirement of the grassland areas can be assessed and evaluated.

 (c)HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein