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The author comments on the future of ecology as a field of study. He discusses various phases and developments related to history of ecology. He believes that the mainstream development of ecology started with geological understanding of historical plant geography. He defines the role of ecologists which includes and discusses several ecological problems that need to be considered, which include factors associated with biomass, biological rhythm, and sharing of resources.

The article discusses the evidence that the distribution of the freshwater macrophyte Ceratophyllum demersum is influenced by nitrogen supply. The suggestion that Ceratophyllum is a nitrophilous plant may explain why it reaches nuisance levels in British waterways which drain agricultural land and its relative abundance in the predominantly arable counties of the south and east of Great Britain. Also discussed are the sources of summer nitrogen in the Sangwin pond, reservoir of ammonia in the anaerobic hypolimnion and nutrient shortage in Scales pond.

The article examines the phytosociology of Calluna-Arctostaphylos heaths in Scotland and Scandinavia, with focus on the Arctostaphyleto-Callunetum. Arctostaphyleto-Callunetum consists of Arctosphylos uva-ursi, Calluna vulgaris, Deschampsia flexuosa, Erica cinerea, Lathyrus montanus, Pyrola media, Vaccinium vitis-idaea and Hypnum cupressiforme. The association Arctostaphyleto-Callunetum forms a useful reference unit, but its abstract nature must be recognized as shown by alternative manifestations.

The article describes the biological flora of the British Isles, with focus on Dryas octopetala. Dryas octopetala is restricted to a few sites in the north Pennines and the Lake District in England, but it has a wide distribution in North Korea, Japan, Alaska, the Yukon region and in the Swiss Alps. Described are Drays octopetala's geographical and altitudinal distribution, habitat, substratum, soil analysis, response to biotic factors, effect of frost and drought, physiological data and the growth of Mycorrhiza plants.

The article describes the grassland vegetation of the Sheffield region in England. Sheffield lies on the boundary between highland and lowland Britain, with access to the climatic and biological expressions typical of each zone and with an unparalleled range of geographical strata, altitude, aspect and land use. Also discussed are floristic variation, surface soil on separate geological strata and the frequency of occurrence of ten species most commonly recorded in grasslands such as Festuca ovina, Deschampsia flexuosa and Agrostis tenuis, Festuca rubra and Luzula campestris.

The article describes studies on the algae of rock surfaces in North Wales using multivariate techniques. Among the findings are the continuous variation of the vegetation on rock surfaces, correlation of factors with the distribution of the algae, influence of undetected microscopic factors on competition at the cellular level, influence of a group of environmental factors on the vegetation over areas extending to several hundred yards, the terrestrial nature of the algae which is subjected to a constantly and rapidly changing environment and taxonomy arising from the homogeneous environment.

The article compares plant growth and distribution in relation to waterlogging, which means simulated slack moisture regime, with focus on the growth of dune and dune slack plants in Glamorganshire, Wales. The article also investigates the effect of different water regimes on the growth of Agrostis stolonifera, Festuca rubra, Carex flacca and Carex nigra in pots of sand in a glasshouse. The study found that waterlogging caused a considerable reduction of soil compared with the freely draining control treatment and also caused reduction of tiller production by the grasses.

The article discusses the effect of competition by adult Zygophyllum dumosum plants on seedlings of Artemisia herba-alba asso in the Negev Desert of Israel, where a transition zone exists between the Saharo-Sindian and the Irano-Turanian phytogeographic territories. The competition between the two species of desert plants were studied on the assumption that the young plants would be more sensitive than adults to any competitors and would therefore be more demonstrative indicators of competition. Also discussed are the area's geography, soil conditions, vegetation and transplants of Artemisia herba-alba seedlings.

The article examines the phytosociology of Calluna-Arctostaphylos heaths in Scotland and Scandinavia with focus on the North-East Scottish heaths using the techniques of association-analysis and ordination in a complementary fashion. Calluna-Arctostaphylos heaths were located mainly by spotting from the road areas of heath having a physiognomy suggesting that they might contain Arctostaphylos uva-ursi. Within the herb-rich heaths represented by the group of 19 stands, there is a distinction in the behavior of herbs, with such species as Galium verum, Lotus corniculatus and Thymus drucei differing from the others.

The article presents a study on the spatial and seasonal distributions of littoral algae communities at Amchitka Island, Alaska. The study draws concepts and notions coming from other research on various groups of benthic marine algae in the region. The article implies that there are environmental factors affecting the distributions of littoral algae vegetation which are terrestrial climate, sea temperatures, and wave action. The study investigates the connection of the three factors in the marine algal communities of the island.

The article discusses the significant role played by geographic speciation in naming North American ferns, including the taxonomic problems that could likely occur in naming complex plant species where geography has had a major evolutionary role. The author points out that geographic speciation is one of the most important factors in developing a classification that indicates the evolution of a group. Meanwhile, he claims that the taxonomic position of the southern elements of circumpolar fern species need further investigation to verify their present status and to assess their role in the evolutionary history of the species.