XVI International Botanical Congess

The urban profiles consist of comprehensive lines of quadrats of 25 ha. The aim of the study is to compare the species composition with urban structure like different types of buildings and habitat diversity along the profiles. The results support the hypothesis of intermediate disturbance. The highest species numbers were observed in suburban areas, where the habitat diversity is higher than in central or rural areas. The proportion of original species varies from 90% (rural) to 20% (urban). The proportion of non cultivated neophytes remains low through the whole profile line, which reflects the resistance of Finnish urban nature against invasive alien species. Some species groups like sedges, ferns and orchids are clearly urbanophobic and can be found only in rural or outer suburban areas. .