Diagnosis of Plant Succession on the Semi-natural Grassland for the Purpose of Wildflower-habitat Conservation

Abstract

(1) We investigated the semi-natural grasslands in Togakushi Plateau, Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, to obtain ecological information of vegetational management for conservation of wildflower-habitat.
(2) Survey was conducted on 66 plots which were classified into five communitiesby dominant species.
(3) The floristic compositions and biological spectra of communities were further defined by their stratification. As a result of the diagnosis of plant succession, we found out that competitive species existed in all communities. Consequently, to maintain the current seral stage, removal of competitive speices by mowing would be required.