Relationship between fern vegetation and climatic factors in the urban matrix of the Chugoku district, Japan

Abstract

In this research, the relationship between the species composition of ferns grown in urban anthropogenic habitats and climatic factors was investigated in the Chugoku district, Japan. Results showed that the species composition of ferns in this district was most strongly affected by the warmth index of Kira or solar radiation using TWINSPAN and classification tree analysis. The assumed location of the fern species composition types were illustrated on the map using the classification tree analysis dendrogram. In this map, we pinpointed the areas where subtropical species are predicted to be introduced with rising temperature due to climate change.