Ellen Kraus Jun 20, 2008:

I am well aware of the meaning of the two Greek words, I associate them with plenty and cover; if the plants are covered by plentiful earth, they are deep down in the subsoil and thus apt to thrive better than plants on the surface.

Nick Lingris Jun 20, 2008:

Ellen, πληθοκάλυψη comes from πλήθος/πληθύς = abundance and κάλυψη=coverage. There is no "deep" in the word.

Ellen Kraus Jun 20, 2008:

couldn´t it be that what is meant here, is the depth in which the plants are embedded in the soil, the deeper, the higher their ecological value