Late- and post-glacial vegetation immigration patterns in Switzerland

Abstract. General aspects of Swiss late- and post-glacial plant immigration patterns are briefly discussed. The following examples are mentioned: Ericaceae, Plantago alpina, Pinus cembra and Picea abies. The history of flora and Vegetation provides important palaeoecological informations. Moreover, it gives evidence to the stability and age of quaternary plant communities and serve as criteria for gene conservation in situ. Finally, the knowledge of plant immigration ways can be a valuable source of plant breeding research.