Field Botanist term of the day: inclusion

An inclusion is a small area of different soil type within a larger area the soil type. Soil types dictate what types of plants will grow within the soils, we tend to call this an ecological site. An easy way to look at it is to think of a gold course. The main ecological site is the sod and the inclusion is the sand pit. Different plants grow in the sand versus the sod.

I bring this up because from an botanist's perspective these can be a nightmare. You can have an idea of an ecological site due to knowing what the expected soil type will be when you arrive to an area. The past several areas I have surveys have had multiple inclusions in my study area. My surveys consist of 3 transect lines that are 25m long. Yesterday I had an inclusion in each of the lines that were slightly different giving me plants that would be found in a standard grassland, a saline/alkaline soil, and a sandy soil. These all vary greatly. Today was another day of multiple inclusions and a heavy bout of grazing so I had to crouch down constantly to look at the bases of what was left of plants to identify. This was probably the roughest day I have had identifying plants this entire season. Something about trying to get grasses to species that are only 1-2cm tall with none of the primary identifying features. The plant fibers in my knees and hands indicate the rough day, along with the sore back. The Slav squat can only get one so close to the plants.

Current mood: #waningweasel