RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ECOLOGICAL GROUPS OF PLANTS AND CHEMICAL-PROPERTIES OF SOILS IN FOREST ECOSYSTEMS AT HAMBURG

An analysis of vegetation in connection with soil analyses were carried out at 172 different forest sites at Hamburg. The objective of the investigation was to verify whether there is a relationship between the vegetation units characterized by ecological groups of plants (Ellenberg, 1974) and chemical properties of the soil. The results showed that the floristic mapping and characterization of the site according to the ecological groups of plants allow a rough differentiation of graded subunits in the area investigated. The relationship between the subunits and particular soil chemical properties was not sufficient, to permit a characterization of the soil chemical properties in the ecological estimation of forest sites.