Plant communities of Pitcairn Island, South Central Pacific Ocean
Quantitative surveys of Polynesian Islands are rarely undertaken because of logistical restrictions. However, they are a fundamental requirement for determining the conservation status of fragile island ecosystems. Kingston and Waldren (pp. 31-40) determine the extent to which there are definable plant communities on Pitcairn, and seek underlying environmental gradients influencing these communities. They find that the major gradient affecting the plant composition is altitude, but with large anthropogenic influences also.
