A quantitative analysis of the flora and plant communities of a representative midwestern U.S. town

Thirty-eight sites, representing a wide range of habitat types in a representative urban area in Ohio, were sampled for their herbaceous vegetation. Ordination of the sites yielded several major axes: an inner city-rural dichotomy, a gradient related to soil compaction, and a gradient based on the nutrient status of the site. A classification of the sites by means of two-way indicator species analysis revealed the existence of three major community types (residual, managed, and ruderal) and a variety of minor community subtypes. Many of the communities, particularly those of a more ruderal nature. are American analogues of the plant communities common to urban areas in central Europe.