Objective Combinations of Species

In our research of Dutch grasslands, those are characterized in different ways. This is done to avoid partiality, and became possible because more than one method of botanical analysis has been applied. Namely, the productivity method or dry weight analysis (4, 6, 8, 13), in some cases replaced by estimation of the weight proportions of the species, as well as the 25 cm2 specific frequency (= frequency of occurrence = valency) method, combined with the order- or rank method (2, 4, 5, 8) are used, while in many cases also completing lists of species of the concerning fields are made. To begin with, the grasslands could be distinguished according to those species which were leading in weight proportion. For these so called dominance communities must be referred to 1,3, 11 and 12.