New ideas for modern phytosociological monographs

Within the framework of the project 'Plant communities of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and their vulnerability' a team of 22 vegetation scientists, including the authors of the present paper, developed a current synopsis of all syntaxa known from this federal state in NE Germany. This synopsis is based on the classification of more than 50,000 relevés stored in a TURBOVEG database. It was recently published in a two-volume monograph. In the present paper, we present major aspects of the approaches used in the monograph and discuss the experiences gained with them. We also provide an overview of the 12 axiomatic rules that form the classification approach in the monograph; review the application of the central syntaxon concept and its advantages and drawbacks; and examine the importance of nomenclaturally reviewing all syntaxon names, including older synonyms. We furthermore provide an overview of our transparent methodology for assessing plant communities according to their vulnerability and conservation value. Finally, we take stock of what was learned from the project and provide an overview of future tasks.