Glossar

DE: Zeigerwerte Klima für Deutschland

FR: Valeurs écologiques du climat pour l'Allemagne

IT: indici ecologici del clima per la Germania

L, T and K are the climate indicator values for Germany according to Ellenberg et al. (2001). The values describe the climatic conditions at the sites where a species is found most frequently under conditions of typical competition. The data are valid for Western Central Europe, in particular Western Germany, including the adjacent Alps. In general, the values are not based on in-situ measurements but rather on experience or on data from the literature.

Light L (9-level scale, from 1 to 9): The light value describes the average amount of light available when the deciduous species are in full leaf, i.e. between about July and September, and when the sky is uniformly overcast, i.e. under diffuse radiation, in the habitats where the species in question is found most frequently.

1:  Deep shade plant, even in places with less than 1% relative illumination and seldom more than 30% relative illumination, when trees are in full leaf

3: Shade plant, mostly with less than 5% relative illumination, occasionally also in better-lit places

5:  Partial-shade plant, rarely in full light, but generally with more than 10% relative illumination, when trees are in leaf

7:  Partial-light plant, generally in well-lit places, also occurring in partial shade but never in places with less than 30% relative illumination (when trees are in full leaf)

9:  Full light plant, found mostly in full sunlight, never in places with less than 50% relative illumination

(): Values in parentheses refer to seedlings and saplings of trees and shrubs in the forest.

Temperature T (9-level scale, from 1 to 9): The temperature value characterizes the distribution on the altitudinal or temperature gradient (average air temperature during the growing period), from the nival zone to the warmest locations in the lowlands. The T-values were assigned based on the altitudinal distribution of the species in central Europa as shown by the relevant distribution maps.

1: plant growing on extremely cold sites, found only in the alpine and nival zones, i.e. between the timberline and the snowline

3: plant growing on cold sites, found primarily in the subalpine zone

5: plant growing on moderately warm sites, found primarily in the submontane temperate zone but occasionally also in the lowlands and the upper montane zone

7: plant growing on warm sites; in northern parts of Central Europe only in the relatively warm lowlands

9: plant growing on the warmest locations only; mainly in the Mediterranean, but with some populations in very warm locations in the southern parts of Central Europe

Continentality K (9-level scale, from 1 to 9): The continentality value characterises the occurrence of a species on the continentality gradient from the Atlantic coast to Inner Eurasia, in particular with regard to the seasonal and daily changes in temperature, and based primarily on the biogeographical data provided by Rothmaler's Exkursionsflora.

1: eu-oceanic, in Central Europe present only in a few outposts with eu-oceanic conditions

2: oceanic, primarily in Western Europe and in the western parts of Central Europe

4: sub-oceanic, primarily in Central Europe and in some eastern outposts

6: sub-continental, primarily in the eastern parts of Central Europe and in Eastern Europe

8: continental, primarily in Eastern Europe; in Central Europe only in a few outposts with continental conditions

9: eu-continental, primarily in Eastern Europe and in some outposts in the eastern parts of Central Europe; missing in the western parts of Central Europe as well as in Western Europe

Ellenberg H. et al., 2001: Zeigerwerte von Pflanzen in Mitteleuropa. 3. Aufl. Goltze, Göttingen. 262 S. Vgl. auch: www.utb-shop.de/downloads/dl/file/id/27/zusatzkapitel_zeigerwerte_der_pflanzen_mitteleuropas.pdf

Hill M. O., Mountford J. O., Roy D. B. & Bunce R .G. H., 1999: Ellenberg’s indicator values for British Plants. Technical Annex to Volume 2 of the ECOFACT research report series. 46 pp.

Jäger E.J. (ed.), 2011: Rothmaler - Exkursionsflora von Deutschland vol. 3. Gefäßpflanzen: Grundband. Spektrum, Akademischer Verlag. 944 pp.