Types Of VegetationIn Iceland

Contents

Moss Health Vegetation Heath land

Vegetation

Forb And Meadow VegetationSparsely

vegetated

land Snow bed Vegetation

Wood And Shrub Land Vegetation

Aquatic Vegetation

Coastal Vegetation

Geothermal

Vegetation

Coastal

Vegetation

Sparsely Vegetated Land

Land where vegetation cover is 50% or less is often collectively referred to as sparsely vegetated land. Mosses and lichens are much more common in sparsely vegetated mountainous areas than in sparsely vegetated lowland areas.

Forb and Meadow Vegetation

Forb meadows and grasslands vegetation grows where the soil is fertile and sufficiently damp. Grasses dominate grasslands, which may be quite flat and dry. Hayfields, where dandelions and buttercups abound in early summer, are an example of land where forbs and grasses are found in almost equal numbers.

Moss Health Vegetation

Mosses account for more than half of all vegetation cover in Iceland and are particularly dominant in areas where there is little soil and growing conditions are unfavorable. Moss heath is common both in lava fields and at higher altitudes, where vascular plant growth is generally sparse.

Snowbed Vegetation

Snow bed Vegetation

Snow bed vegetation is found in hollows and depressions where snow collects in winter and takes a long time to melt, meaning that the growing season is very short. A number of the hardiest grassland species also grow in snow beds. The most common moss species are Racomitrium spp. and Polytrichum sexangulare.Anthelia liverworts are also common in snow beds, where they are sometimes the dominant species, forming a continuous light grey carpet on the ground.

Heath land Vegetation

Heathland is dry and often hummocky, although hummocks can vary somewhat in size. A number of vascular plant species types can be dominant on heathland, for example grasses, heathers or dwarf shrubs. Vegetation is unevenly continuous. Lichens can also be dominant on heathland.

Wood and Scrubland Vegetation

Birch and tea-leaved willow are the main species of tree found in Icelandic woodlands and shrublands. Birch is the only species of tree to form continuous natural woodlands in Iceland, although the occasional rowan or aspen can be found growing in among the birch trees. Mosses and lichens often abound in forests, both as undergrowth and epiphytes growing on trees.

Aquatic Vegetation

•Vegetation is found mainly in shallow water, for example sheltered inlets and coves. •The leaves of the species float on the surface of the water, largely covering it, while flower spikes rise up into the air. •Aquatic mosses and green algae are also common in the benthos.

Geothermal Vegetation

The species composition of vegetation in geothermal areas often differs from that which grows in areas where the ground is cold. Where geothermal heat is carried to the surface, low acidity tends to characterize the soil, and the concentration of minerals and other chemical compounds and elements is different from that of other ecosystems.

Coastal Vegetation

•Coastal vegetation tends to be quite meager and discontinuous, as there is generally little in the way of soil beyond gravel and sand.• There are no proper beaches in areas where cliffs reach all the way to the sea, and ocean waves are in many places so aggressive that land plants have little opportunity to establish themselves on the few narrow strips of beach that are to be found.