The Botany of Iceland - 01.12.1930, Page 27
STUDIES ON THE VEGETATION OF ICELAND
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Table 3. The Biological Spectra of Iceland.
N Pt - Pli Ch H G HH Tli
11 1200 m 28 3.7 27 > 44.4 44.4 7.4 » 3.7
10 1100 - 20 » 20 > 50.0 40.0 10.0 > >
!) 1000 - 28 3.7 27 » 40.7 51.9 7.4 > »
8 900 - 26 > 26 > 42.3 50.0 7.7 > >
7 800 - 65 3.2 63 > 36.5 46.0 12.7 1.6 3.2
0 700 - 91 2.2 89 > 29.2 53.9 11.2 3.4 2.2
5-600 - 117 4.5 112 > 25.0 56.3 8.9 5.4 4.5
4 500 - 161 5.2 153 0.7 21.6 54.9 12.4 5.2 5.2
8 400 - 204 7.9 189 1.1 20.1 51.9 12.2 5.8 9.0
Tvídagra 126 5.0 120 0.8 25.0 50.0 12.5 7.5 4.2
Mývatn 166 7.8 154 0.6 24.0 46.1 13.6 6.5 9.2
East Iceland 272 6.3 256 0.8 18.0 51.2 12.5 7.4 10.2
North Iceland 331 7.5 308 1.0 16.6 52.3 11.0 9.1 10.1
Vestfirðir 277 8.2 256 0.8 16.0 53.9 12.5 6.6 10.2
SW Iceland 314 8.3 290 0.7 15.2 51.4 11.4 9.3 12.1
South Iceland 309 6.2 291 1.0 15.1 52.2 11.3 8.9 11.3
The Highland tracts 8—1200.. 40 5.2 38 > 34.2 52.6 10.5 > 2.6
— _ — 3— 800.. 224 7.7 208 1.0 21.2 52.9 11.5 5.3 8.2
The whole of Iceland 375 7.4 349 1.1 15.2 52.4 10.6 9.2 11.5
Tlie Highland tracts 8--1200 . 102 2.0 100 44.0 47.0 8.0 > 1.0
— — — 3— 800. . 638 5.3 606 0.5 24.4 53.1 11.6 4.8 5.6
The wliole of Iceland 1503 5.8 1401 0.9 16.1 52.2 11.7 8.2 10.8
of these diílerences be divided into a lower zone rich in G and HH,
and an upper zone in which these types grow rarer. Ph are only
sparingly represented in the lowest zones. Ch are of the greatest
interest. In llie lowesl zone, hetween 300 and 400 m, the Ch per-
cenlage is 20.1; in the next, 21.6, and henceforth there is a marked
increase 25.0—29.2—36.5, until, in the zones above the 800 ni curve,
we get a Ch percentage varying between 40 and 50 for the individual
zones. For the wliole highland tract the Ch percentage is 21.2.
By means of the life forms it is thus possible to divide the
highland tracts of Iceland into zones delimited and characterised
by the percentage content of tlie individual life forms. It must,
however, be reserved for future and more thorough-going investi-
gations lo do tliis as also to draw a comparison between the Ice-
landic zones on the one hand, and the Scandinavian and Alpine
The liotnny of Icelnnd, Vol. III. *)