Spatial and functional structure of the population area in plants – the need for differentiation

Abstract

Considering the population as a homogeneous phenomenon in the process of studying its demography devalues the principle of systemic analysis. Therefore, there is a need to improve methods for identifying intra-population components and clari­fying their role in the functioning of the population. This article is devoted to detailing the spatial (and demographic) structure of the population. Within the area occupied by the population, it is necessary to differentiate components that differ significantly in terms of both environmental conditions and population characteristics. Structuring of the population area is proposed in accordance with localization of different functional groups. Namely, it is proposed to distinguish the potential, total, realized, effective and regeneration areas of the population. The potential area refers to the part of the territory with favorable ecological and phytocenotic conditions for the existence of the population. It includes the surrounding territory, which is potentially suitable for colonization. The total area of the population spans the territory within the boundaries of which its individuals of different age states are distributed. The realized area is the total area occupied by population loci and population individuals. It does not include significant unoccupied spaces between loci and individuals. The effective area is part of the territory where reproductive plants are located. The regenerative area refers to the part of the territory where seed sprouts exist and develop to the state of adult reproductive plants. Effective and regenerative areas are of particular importance for preserving rare perennial plant species in nature. They differ significantly in their conditions and volu­mes from the total and realized areas. Besides, they are mostly concentrated locally, not distributed over the entire population area. Differentiation of the structure of the population area into individual components is, in our opinion, a promising methodical approach to ecological research. It is important to differentiate the accounting of various structural components of the population area during population monitoring.