Jahreszeitliche physiognomische Veränderungen einer Landschaft unter botanischem Blickwinkel, dargestellt für die Muschelkalkgebiete in der Umgebung von Göttingen. Teil 1: Analytische Landschaftsphänologie

On the basis of investigations of seasonal changes of plant communities (symphenology), beginning with the recording of phenological data on permanent plots in beech forests since 1981, and long-term personal observations of seasonal landscape changes (landscape phenology) the division of a cultural landscape into geophenophases is introduced for the first time. Example is the colline-submontane cultural landscape around Gottingen. Key criteria for the separation of geophenophases in a cultural landscape are especially phenological events of plant appearance, above all flowering waves of geophenologic species groups with synchronous onset of flowering, besides aspects of vegetative development from sprouting and leafing in spring until autumn coloration and leaf fall, and also effects of agricultural management. For the phenological landscape analysis especially common vegetation types such as wood, arable land and grassland are used, as well as different microbiotopes. In addition to the free landscape, settlement areas such as gardens and parks with their numerous exotic woody plants are included. Many observations show a regular pattern of phenological features leading to the establishment of 12 geophenophases, mainly named by two characteristic flowering woody and herbaceous plants: 1 Corylus-Tussilago phase (before spring), 2 Salix caprea-Anemone nemorosa phase (beginning of spring), 3 Prunus spinosa-Taraxacum phase (early spring), 4 Fagus-Alopecurus pratensis phase (full spring), 5 Quercus robur-Ranunculus acris phase (end of spring), 6 Crataegus laevigataLeucanthemum ircutianum phase (beginning of early summer), 7 Sambucus nigra-Papaver rhoeas phase (end of early summer), 8 Tilia cordata-Cirsium arvense phase (full summer), 9 Clematis vitalbaSolidago canadensis phase (late summer), 10 Hedera-Colchicum phase (early autumn), 11 Full autumn phase, 12 Winter phase. This sequence of geophenophases can be seen as representative for larger parts of central Europe. In the first part analytical aspects of the geophenophases are described (analytical landscape phenology). In the second part quantitative aspects will be summarized (synthetical landscape phenology).