Vegetation Analysis on Composite Debris Cones

Vegetation cover has been widely recognized for indicating the status and dynamics of physical components of the environment (Ellenberg 1988; Ozenda 2002; Pignatti et al. 2005; Huc 2008). Phytogeomorphology, the study of interdependence of vegetation and landforms (Howard and Mitchell 1985), has become a central topic in environmental studies (Hession et al. 2010; Marston 2010). According to a geo-ecologic approach (Troll 1971), this subject combines aspects of geomorphology and vegetation ecology with climate, soil science, natural hazards, and environmental management at different spatial scales (Kozlowska and Raczkowska 2002; Walker et al. 2004). Interactions between landforms and vegetation cover are particularly evident in mountain areas where ecological factors change along altitudinal gradients within a limited geographical area (Ellenberg 1988). In particular, landform heterogeneity in extreme plant habitats gives rise to environmental diversity (Kruckeberg 2002; Burga et al. 2004; Baroni et al. 2007) and biodiversity gradients (Gentili et al. 2010).