Relating Plant Biodiversity in Forests with the Spatial Scale of Ecosystem Processes

Table 2

Average percent cover of plant species (sum of cover percents ∑^𝑁_𝑛=1𝐷 divided by the number of relevés 𝑁) in four widespread beech (Fagus sylvatica) forest ecosystem types of the North-Central European lowlands (Table 1). Percent covers below 1% are not considered.

Species	European beech forest ecosystem type
	1	2	3	4
	Mercuriali-Fagetum sylv.	Melico-Fagetum sylv.	Milio-Fagetum sylv.	Majanthemo-Fagetum sylvaticae
Tree layer
Acer pseudoplatanus	3
Fraxinus excelsior	2
Tilia cordata	2
Ulmus glabra	1
Carpinus betulus	3	1
Fagus sylvatica	67	82	82	69
Quercus petraea	1	2	1	6
Quercus robur	1		1	1
Pinus sylvestris				1
Shrub layer
Sambucus nigra	2
Acer campestre	1
Fraxinus excelsior	1
Rubus idaeus	1	1	1
Fagus sylvatica	3	3	3	9
Herb layer
Mercurialis perennis	25
Aegopodium podagraria	8
Anemone ranunculoides	3
Sanicula europea	2
Impatiens parviflora	2
Glechoma hederacea	1
Impatiens noli-tangere	1
Dryopteris filix-mas	1
Corydalis cava	1
Circaea lutetiana	1
Geranium robertianum	1
Geum urbanum	1
Stachys sylvatica	1
Elymus caninus	1
Pulmonaria obscura	1
Hordelymus europaeus	1
Hepatica nobilis	1
Dentaria bulbifera	1
Polygonatum multiflorum	1
Melica uniflora	8	21
Lamium galeobdolon	11	8
Ranunculus ficaria	13	1
Urtica dioica	2	1
Deschampsia cespitosa	1	1
Festuca gigantea	1	1
Stellaria holostea	2	1
Carex sylvatica		1
Milium effusum	3	10	8
Galium odoratum	8	15	5
Brachypodium sylvaticum	4	1	1
Dactylis polygama	1		1
Viola reichenbachiana		1	1
Festuca heterophylla			4
Anemone nemorosa	9	16	10	1
Oxalis acetosella	6	11	9	1
Poa nemoralis		1	4	1
Carex pilulifera			1	1
Maianthemum bifolium			1	2
Convallaria maialis				2
Deschampsia flexuosa				2
Calamagrostis epigeios				2
Moss layer
Atrichum undulatum		1
Polytrichum formosum				1