Vascular plant communities of a polar oasis at Alexandra Fiord (79° N), Ellesmere Island, Canada

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Botany
• Main Authors: Muc, M., Freedman, B., Svoboda, J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: French
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1989
• Subjects: Plant Science; Arctic; Ellesmere Island; Canada; Alexandra Fiord
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/b89-147; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/b89-147

A cluster analysis was used to apportion 136 stands in a High Arctic lowland among six vascular plant community types. These communities are described on the basis of the average prominence values of vascular species and the total cover of macroalgae, bryophytes, lichens, and vascular plants within the designated clusters of stands. The relationships among the community types was explored by a detrended correspondence analysis. The ordination of stands showed considerable floristic overlap among the most widespread plant communities on the lowland. This largely reflects the microtopographic heterogeneity of the sites, the relatively depauperate flora of the High Arctic, and the considerable ecological amplitude of the most prominent vascular plant species.