The Characteristics of Vegetative Composition Among Plants in the Heronries

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to understand phytosociological characteristics and changes, providing basic ecology informations based for heronries. We investigated the 25 heronries sites to have more than a hundred nests in the country. The vegetations of heronries were arranged 8 plant communities that consisted of 60 families, 129 genuses and 167 species including 17 species of exotic species. The communities of heronries were composed of high NCD (Net Contribution Degree) of plants, such as pokeberry (Phytolacca americana), japanese chaff flower (Achyranthes japonica), asiatic dayflower (Commelina communis) including diagnosis species, that was heliophilous and tolerance of eutrophic and/or acidic soil condition, and had the highest composition with the annual plants. As locational condition, they were distributed a favorite feeding place (rice field, stream etc.) inside 0.5 km radius, and located on the eastern slope of the mountain. The vegetative composition among plants in the heronries didn't have plant sociological characteristics for