This document discusses how taxonomic changes can affect syntaxonomy (the classification of plant communities) using examples from Macaronesia. It summarizes the dominant vegetation types and characteristic plant alliances in the Azores, Madeira, and Canary Islands. While some alliances are shared between locations, consistent analysis across ecological levels found the forest vegetation to be distinct, with few shared elements. This led to separate vegetation classifications for each region that better reflect the finer-scale differences observed. The document argues that geobotany can be a fully consilient practice by iteratively refining understandings across levels to develop a globally consistent model.

1. Comment les changements des modèles taxonomiques
affectent-ils la syntaxonomie? Quelques exemples en
Macaronésie
Fundo da Caldeira do Faial (Faial, Açores)

2. Consilience refers to the principle that evidence from independent,
unrelated sources can "converge" to strong conclusions. That is, when
multiple sources of evidence are in agreement, the conclusion can be very
strong even when none of the individual sources of evidence are very strong
on their own. (E. O. Wilson)
#1 Corolary of Consilience: a given organization level seeks its causal
principles in the previous level, i.e. there should be cause-effect consistency in
explaining one level as a function of the previous
#2 Corolary of Consilience: emergent properties are alone what defines
each level.

3. GEOBOTANY is an scientific integrative practice across organization
levels in the description of NATURE that are ever more complex and
of larger scale.
Object:
species
Discipline
:
taxonomy
Object: plant
community
Discipline:
phytosociology
Object: sucessional
unit (v.s.)
Discipline:
synphytosociology
Object: topographicv
sequence (g.s.)
Discipline:
geosynphytosociology
Object:
synchoria
Discipline:
biogeography
QUESTION: should information from the models of high-levels
contribute to reshape the low-level ones?

4. QUESTION paraphrase: can Geobotany be a fully consilient scientific
practice, approaching a global consistent model across levels?
CRITICISM: “explanation must be found on each level itself”:
“you shouldn´t use synecology or biogeography as taxonomical characters”
“you shouldn´t use synchoria to do biogeography” & etc.
“What YOU do is confirmation bias”.
Object:
species
Discipline
:
taxonomy
Object: plant
community
Discipline:
phytosociology
Object: sucessional
unit (v.s.)
Discipline:
synphytosociology
Object: topographicv
sequence (g.s.)
Discipline:
geosynphytosociology
Object:
synchoria
Discipline:
biogeography
GEOBOTANY is a case of scientific CONSILIENCE
[#1 A strange loop arises when, by moving only upwards or downwards through a hierarchical system, one finds
oneself back where one started. (D. Hofstadter)]
[#2 Iteration is the act of repeating a process with the aim of approaching a desired goal, target or result .]

5. An example: Madeira and Azores:
• BIOCLIMATOLOGY
– AZORES
• Temperate
submediterranean
humid to ultra-hiper-
humid
– MADEIRA
• Temperate
submediterranean and
Mediterranean
semiarid to
ultrahiperhúmido
– CANARIES
• Mediterranean arid to
hiperhumid
– CAPE VERDE
• Tropical semiarid to
semidesertic
Euphorbia canariensis, Tenerife
Ilex azorica, Laurus azorica, S. Miguel (Açores)

6. What are the vegetation types predominant in the landscape?
What are the syntaxa most characteristic and diverse in each archipelago?
Azores: perennial grasslands (+), forest vegetation (-)
TOLPIDO AZORICAE-HOLCETEA RIGIDI (2012)
LAURO AZORICAE-JUNIPERETEA BREVIFOLIAE (2002)
Madeira: forest vegetation (+), grasslands (-):
PRUNO HIXAE-LAURETEA NOVOCANARIENSIS (2002)
PARAFESTUCETALIA ALBIDAE(2002)

7. There are vicariant alliances…
Culcito-Juniperion brevifoliae ≈ Polysticho-Ericion arboreae
≈ Myrico-Ericion arboreae
≈ (?) Cisto-Pinion canariensis
Dryopterido-Laurion azoricae ≈ Sibthorpio-Clethrion arboreae ≈ Ixantho-Laurion
novocanariensis
Myrico-Pittosporion undullati ≈ Visneo-Apollonion barbujanae
≈ (?) Mayteno-Oleion maderensis
≈ (?) Mayteno-Juniperion canariensis
Ranunculo-Geranion canariensis ≈ Pericallion malviflorae
Festucion francoi ≈ Deschampsion-Parafestucion albidae

8. ALIANÇAS DE VEGETAÇÃO
ZONAL
Itc 515 Itc < 240
Inframediterrânico Termomediterrânico Mesomediterrânico Supramediterrânico
Infratemperado Termotemperado Mesotemperado Supratemperado ( e Orot.)
Vegetação florestal e pré-
florestal
Culcito-Juniperion brevifoliae
Dryopterido-Laurion azoricae
Myrico-Pittosporion undulati
Sibthorpio-Clethrion arboreae
Visneo-Apollonion barbujanae
Polysticho-Ericion arboreae
Euphorbion melliferae
Myrico-Ericion arboreae
Bystropogono-Telinion maderensis
Ixantho-Laurion novocanariensis
Telino-Adenocarpion foliosi
Mayteno-Oleion maderensis
Aeonio-Euphorbion canariensis
Mayteno-Juniperion canariensis
Vegetação herbácea vivaz
Festucion francoi
Tolpido-Agrostion congestiflori
Pericalion malviflorae
Ranunculo-Geranion canariensis
Deschampsio-Parafestucion albidae

9. ALIANÇAS DE VEGETAÇÃO
ZONAL
Io <0.3 Io > 24
Árido Semi-
árido
Seco Sub-
húmido
húmido Hiper-
húmido
Ultra-
hiper-
húmido
Vegetação florestal e pré-
florestal
Culcito-Juniperion brevifoliae
Dryopterido-Laurion azoricae
Myrico-Pittosporion undulati
Sibthorpio-Clethrion arboreae
Visneo-Apollonion barbujanae
Polysticho-Ericion arboreae
Euphorbion melliferae
Myrico-Ericion arboreae
Bystropogono-Telinion maderensis
Ixantho-Laurion novocanariensis
Telino-Adenocarpion foliosi
Mayteno-Oleion maderensis
Aeonio-Euphorbion canariensis
Mayteno-Juniperion canariensis
Vegetação herbácea vivaz
Festucion francoi
Tolpido-Agrostion congestiflori
Pericalion malviflorae
Ranunculo-Geranion canariensis
Deschampsio-Parafestucion albidae

10. first models, talks:
THUS, ARE MADEIRA AND THE AZORES SIMILAR OR DISSIMILAR??...
Concrete & paramount questions /doubts (1999 – 2002… 2012):
Is there a forest vegetation class spanning from the Canaries to the Azores?
I.e. is the azorean forest/scrub a subclass of Pruno-Lauretea azoricae? Or a
class of its own?
Are the grasslands in the summit of Madeira similar to those we find in Azores?
Etc…
Carlos Aguiar (with geographer Albano Figueiredo, Madeira)
M. Costa, S. Rivas-Martínez, myself

11. Vaccinium padifolium , Madeira Vacccinium cylindraceum, Azores
There are vicariant elements… dominant taxa in forest and grassland are
common (1999), what are we to do?...
Festucetalia jubatae (Azores & Madeira grasslands, published 1999)
Pruno hixae-Lauretea azoricae, with subclass Juniperenea brevifolii in Azores
(never written down: just a peripatetic syntaxon…)

12. Shared strictly macaronesian endemics
(1999 - 2004)
Laurus azorica
Festuca jubata
Tolpis suculenta
Diphasiastrum maderense
Carex punctata ssp. laevicaulis
Elaphoglossum semicylindricum
Carex viridula ssp. cedeurcreutzii
H dentata & H. suberecta
Dracaena draco
Cedronella canariensis
Examples of shared continental &
macaronesian endemics (dominant
Morella faya
Rubia agostinhoi
Carex peregrina
.
.

13. Laurus azorica (Seub.) Franco Laurus novocanariensis Rivas Mart., Lousã, F. Prieto, Dias, J.C.
Costa & Aguiar = Laurus azorica auct. mad & can. (2002).
Consilient biogeographical, bioclimatical and syntaxonomical reasoning
‘coming from above’: - forest vegetation is strikingly distinct, few shared
elements, thus finer taxonomical atention
Festuca jubata Lowe, MadeiraFestuca francoi Fern. Prieto, C.
Aguiar, E. Dias & M.I. Gut.,
Azores

14. Azores: Rubia agostinhoi Dans. & P. Silva Mad. & Can.: Rubia occidens Capelo, M. Seq. & H. Schaef.
=R. agostinhoi auct. iber., mad. & can.

15. VEGETATION CLASSES Azores
(# assoc.)
Madeira
(# assoc.)
The Canaries
(Tenerife)
(# assc.)
Forest / shrub vegetation
PRUNO-LAURETEA NOVOCANARIENSIS 0 14 8
LAURO-JUNIPERETEA BREVIFOLIAE 13 0 0
CYTISO-PINETEA CANARIENSIS 0 0 5
Vegetação arbustiva e pré-florestal
KLEINIO-EUPHORBIETEA CANARIENSIS 0 0 4
RHAMNO-OLEETEA CERASIFORMIS 0 4 6
PEGANO-SALSOLETEA 0 3 6
Vegetação herbácea vivaz
TOLPIDO-HOLCETEA RIGIDI 15 0 0
STIPO-AGROSTIETEA CASTELLANAE 0 1 0
LYGEO-STIPETEA 0 2 1
MOLINIO-ARRHNATHERETEA 5 6 3
PHRAGMITO-MAGNOCARICETEA 5 4 4
TRIFOLIO-GERANIETEA SANGUINEI 0 2 2
Vegetação rupícola vivaz
GRENOVIO-AEONIETEA 0 6 13
ANOMODONTO-PLYPODIETEA 6 6 3

16. As a consequence…
AZORES :Tolpido azoricae-Holcetalia rigidi , Festucion francoi
Lauro azoricae-Juniperetea brevifoliae
MADEIRA: Parafestucetalia albidae , Deschampsio maderensis-Parafestucion
albidae
Pruno hixae-Lauretea novocanariensis
[Recall #2: Iteration is the act of repeating a process with the aim of approaching a desired
goal, target or result .]

17. QUESTION paraphrase: can Geobotany be a
fully consilient scientific practice, approaching a
global consistent model across levels?...
Thank you.
Oratio ad honorem causam J.-M. Géhu, 2014