Mapping Populations

Abstract

A plant population is the set of the individuals (organisms, phytoindividuals) of the same species that live in a given place at a given moment and interact with each other. A mapping of individuals coincides in part with that of populations, but it is still preferable to keep the two types (phytoindividuals and populations) distinct because they have different meanings and purposes, and because the methodologies used may be different. Maps at this level, at fine (large) scale, are today a useful basis for conservation biology, since threatened species have greater probability of surviving due to the rescue effect involving migration between neighboring populations. On the other hand, maps at broader (smaller) scale become chorological, in that they may contain