Factors influencing the floristic diversity in the alpine region

The present laureate work investigated the influence of the complex of abiotic site factors — in particular the soil chemical state — and the use by grazing animals on the floristic diversity of homogeneous plant populations in the alpine area. The 57 alpine areas studied are located in the Gesäuse National Park and cover a very broad ecological and thus floristic spectrum. The vegetation surveys were carried out in 2005 according to the BRAUN-BLANQUET method (1964), the soil chemical analysis methods were based on the respective ÖNORM. The Laureat work is based on a subproject of the ALTER-Net Research Network and results from the cooperation between the Higher Federal Education and Research Institute for Agriculture Raumberg-Gumpenstein and the Gesäuse National Park.