Coastal Dwarf Forest, the New Phytosociological Unit or the Enlargement of Current Syntaxa?

Abstract

The classification of a plant community is of important local and global implications to its study. However, as a unique plant community, coastal dwarf forest constitutes a new vegetation unit that remains to be determined, which resulted in related research scattered and not systematic. Based on the documentary analysis and field investigation, this study tried to reveal the nonrecognized dwarf forest formations of the coastal, presented its particularity in terms of geographical distribution, habitat characteristics, community structure on a global scale, and argued that it was a worldwide, stable, postsuccessional ecosystem that is outside the current vegetation classification system. This result could help to find the most suitable solution for the creation of new phytosociological units or enlargement of the current syntaxa.