Indicator Geobotany

a division of geobotany that studies vegetation in certain ecological conditions and develops means of using plant cover as an indicator of environmental conditions.

The theoretical basis of indicator geobotany is the idea that all the components of a geographic landscape are closely interdependent. The component most accessible to direct observation is vegetation, which reacts sensitively to all changes in soil, rocks, groundwater, and minerals. Plant communities, as well as certain species of plants, are used as indicators. Indicator geobotany is closely related to plant ecology, physiology, and biochemistry and to biogeography, soil geography, geology, geochemistry, engineering geology, and hydrogeology. The most developed trends in indicator geobotany are in indicating groundwater, rocks, and soils. Indication of minerals by vegetation is usually conducted in close association with biogeochemi-cal prospecting.