Identification of regional chorotypes of vascular plants by means of hierarchical cluster analysis based on Floristic Mapping of Austria

This study aims to identify regional chorotypes (floristic elements) of the vascular flora of Austria using quantitative methods. The analysis is based on more than 2 million validated observation records of the project “Floristic Mapping of Austria” and was performed by hierarchical cluster analysis. Species of similar distribution were grouped into clusters and for each cluster of similar species, the main area of distribution was identified and the binding degree of each assigned species was evaluated. A subsequent characterisation of the revealed regional chorotypes was performed by calculating statistical key figures and other parameters. At the cutlevel of 30 identified clusters, the assigned species of 24 clusters showed a satisfactory degree of binding to the clusters. The chorotypes are presented and visualised.