This volume contains a selection of 14 articles dealing with different aspects of biomonitoring and their relation to questions of global change. During the last 10 - 15 years, vegetation changes due to various causes have been more intensively studied in biological and environmental sciences. Especially aspects of global warming lead to a great variety of tasks for vegetation science (see e.g. the articles by Grabherr, Gottfried & Pauli; Carraro, Gianoni, Mossi, KlOtzli & Walther; Walther; Defila; Stampfli & Zeiter; Rothlisberger; Burga & Perret and Moller, WUthrich & Thannheiser). The different aspects of applied biomonitoring related to (possible) environmental changes concern various ecosystems, e.g. Central European beechwoods, Insubrian evergreen broad-leaved forests, thermophilous lowland deciduous forests, dry grasslands of the lower montane belt of the Ticino Alps, alpine mountain peaks of Switzerland and Austria, Swiss alpine timberline ecotones, and high arctic tundra vegetation. The volume is divided into three parts: A. General aspects of biomonitoring (contributions by KlOtzli; Wildi and Labasch & Otte) , B. Examples of applied biomonitoring in Germany and Switzerland (articles by Hakes; Herpin, Siewers, Kreimes & Markert; Defila; Stampfli & Zeiter; Rothlisberger and Ruoss, Burga & Eschmann), and C. Aspects of global change in the Alps and in the high arctic tundra (Grabherr, Gottfried & Pauli; Burga & Perret; Carraro, Gianoni, Mossi, KlOtzli & Walther; Walther and Moller, WUthrich & Thannheiser).

Inhalt
A General aspects of biomonitoring.- Biomonitoring Tasks and limits.- Statistical design and analysis in long-term vegetation monitoring.- Administration levels and tasks of nature conservation efficiency control.- B Examples of applied biomonitoring in Germany and Switzerland.- Monitoring recent vegetation changes in nutrient-rich beechwoods in central Germany.- Biomonitoring Evaluation and assessment of heavy metal concentrations from two German moss monitoring surveys.- Do phytophenological series contribute to vegetation monitoring?.- Species responses to climatic variation and land-use change in grasslands of southern Switzerland.- Little flowers in a mild winter.- Vegetation monitoring on a small-scale restoration site in the alpine belt: Pilatus Kulm, Switzerland.- C Aspects of global change in the Alps and in the high arctic region.- Long-term monitoring of mountain peaks in the Alps.- Monitoring of Eastern and Southern Swiss Alpine timberline ecotones.- Observed changes in vegetation in relation to climate warming.- Laurophyllisation A sign of a changing climate?.- Changes of plant community patterns, phytomass and carbon balance in a high arctic tundra ecosystem under a climate of increasing cloudiness.