UNCORRECTED PROOF 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 57 59 61 63 65 67 69 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 101 103 105 107 109 111 ARTICLE IN PRESS XML:ver:5:0:1 6 jena JNC : 25085 Prod:Type:FTP pp:112ðcol:fig::NILÞ ED:Swarnalatha PAGN: SCAN: Journal for Nature Conservation ] (]]]]) ]]]—]]] The influence of biophysical factors and former land use on forest floristic variability on Saaremaa and Muhu islands, Estonia Anneli Palo a,b , Madli Linder a , Jaak Truu c ,U ¨ lo Mander a,Ã a Institute of Geography, University of Tartu, 46 Vanemuise St., 51014 Tartu, Estonia b Institute of Sustainable Technology, Tallinn University of Technology, 4 Akadeemia St., 51003 Tartu, Estonia c Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, 23 Riia St., 51010 Tartu, Estonia Received 18 June 2007; accepted 15 August 2008 KEYWORDS Afforestation; Biophysical land- scape factors; Canonical correspon- dence analysis; Ellenberg values; Forest vegetation; Hemerophoby de- grees; Indicator species; Land use; Semi-natural wood- lands Q1 Summary On the Estonian islands the woodlands have been used as pastures, hay meadows or temporary fields throughout the history of human settlement. Signs of earlier traditional agricultural practices stretching back centuries may be found in the plant cover and soil characteristics of forest ecosystems. The aim of the study was to find associations between biophysical factors (absolute elevation, geographical location), forests’ historical land use (forest continuity types) and present floristic composition on the islands of Saaremaa and Muhu in Western Estonia. Canonical Correspondence Analysis, Kruskal–Wallis multiple comparison of mean ranks for all groups, frequency tables with Chi-Square tests and indicator species analysis were used. The Ellenberg values and hemerophoby degrees of the indicator species in forest continuity types were compared. Natural forests are associated with the areas of greatest absolute height and hence, in conditions of post-glacial land uplift, of the greatest age, while afforested former semi-natural plant communities are associated with lower (post-glacially younger) and western areas. Semi-natural woodlands covered mainly with deciduous trees, are relatively well preserved in eastern areas. The very sensitive indicators of field layer vascular plant flora are the dwarf shrubs typically found in natural forests. The abundance of species sensitive to human activities (including orchids) is highest in natural forests, but also great in semi-natural woodlands pointing to the high value of these habitats. Knowledge derived from the observed relations between different land use practices and forest vegetation can be used to more precisely determine the conservation value of stands, to forecast the course of their succession, and to choose suitable 1617-1381/$ - see front matter & 2008 Published by Elsevier GmbH. doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2008.08.001 Ã Corresponding author at: Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 46 Vanemuise St., 51014 Tartu, Estonia. Tel.: +372 7 375819; fax: +372 7375825. E-mail address: ulo.mander@ut.ee (U. Mander). Please cite this article as: Palo, A., et al. The influence of biophysical factors and former land use on forest floristic variability on Saaremaa and Muhu islands,.... Journal for Nature Conservation, (2008), doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2008.08.001