végétation

Végétation refers to the collective plant life of a region, including the species present, their abundance, and the structure of plant communities. It covers all growth forms—grasses, shrubs, trees, and climbers—and is shaped by climate, soils, topography, and disturbance history. In studying landscapes, végétation is described in terms of cover, dominance, and vertical stratification.

Natural vegetation types include forests, grasslands, deserts, tundra, and wetlands. These broad categories host diverse ecosystems and can be further subdivided by features such as leaf phenology (deciduous vs. evergreen), plant height, and the presence of understory layers.

Determinants of végétation include climate (temperature and precipitation patterns), soil properties, slope and aspect, water availability, fire regimes, grazing pressure, and human land use. Disturbances such as fire, storms, and land clearing continually reshape vegetation through ecological succession and mosaics of different stages.

Terminology and assessment involve mapping and classifying vegetation through remote sensing and field surveys. Productivity is measured as gross and net primary production, while indicators such as biomass and leaf area index are used to describe vegetation status and function.

Importance and threats: végétation underpins biodiversity, regulates climate and hydrology, protects soils, and provides resources and ecosystem services. It faces pressures from deforestation, agricultural expansion, urbanization, invasive species, and climate change. Conservation and restoration efforts aim to preserve native vegetation, maintain ecosystem services, and rehabilitate degraded landscapes.