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| 2. |
- Dengler, Jürgen, et al.
(author)
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Working group on dry grasslands in the Nordic and Baltic region – Outline of the project and first results for the class Festuco-Brometea
- 2006
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In: Annali di Botanica N.S.. - 0365-0812. ; 6, s. 73-100
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The vegetation databank established by our working group covers the classes Festuco-Brometea, Koelerio-Corynephoretea, and Trifolio-Geranietea sanguinei in the Nordic and Baltic region, i.e. NE Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, N Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and NW Russia. We aim to use these data to develop a consistent supra-national phytosociological classification of these xerothermic vegetation types in the study area and to analyse their biodiversity patterns. Up to now, we located some 12,500 relevés meeting our criteria, and more than 3,500 of them have already been included in the databank. We give an overview of the properties of these relevés as regards coverage of syntaxa and countries, source types, plot sizes, and cryptogam treatment. We also present first analyses for the basiphilous semi-dry grasslands (Brachypodietalia pinnati) within the Festuco-Brometea. For this group of communities, many different and incompatible classification schemes have been proposed. We give an overview of the alliance and association names that have been in use for them in the study area, accompanied by a nomenclatural assessment. The relevés presently included in the databank have been tentatively assigned to those vegetation classes whose diagnostic taxa were prevailing. Accordingly, more than 2,000 relevés have been placed in the Festuco-Brometea. These show considerable floristic differences compared to stands of the southern temperate Brachypodietalia pinnati alliances Bromion erecti, Cirsio-Brachypodion pinnati, and Agrostion vinealis. The presence degrees of Avenula pratensis and Homalothecium lutescens, for instance, are significantly increased in the study area, and those of Festuca rupicola and Euphorbia cyparissias decreased. An analysis of the species-area relationship yielded a power function with z = 0.09 which is considerably lower than increments determined by nested-plot analyses of this commu-nity type, indicating the probable incompleteness of the species lists for many of the larger plots. Finally, we give an outlook on the future objectives of the working group.
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| 3. |
- Spada, Francesco, et al.
(author)
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Floristic changes along the topographical gradient in montane grasslands in Monti Picentini (Campania, SW Italy)
- 2010
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In: Annali di Botanica. - 0365-0812. ; 9, s. 86-98
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Populations of xerotolerant species (Achnatherum calamagrostis, Stipa crassiculmis subsp. picentina, are scattered along a wide altitudinal gradient on slopes at mid- and high elevation in Monti Picentini, a subcoastal mesozoic limestone ridge in Tyrrhenian Southern Italy. Their stands are widespread in grasslands of mostly secondary origin. At lower altitudes these grasslands replace former deciduous forest communities dominated by oaks or beech, while at higher altitudes they reach the summits, where they apparently merge into the remnants of the still partially grazed, zonal climatogenic, grasslands ranging above the local tree-line. Nevertheless primary stands of these grasslands are to be found around the many clusters of highly dynamic sites of the montane and sub-alpine levels, scattered around screes and rocky outcrops of the prevalently dolomitic morphology of the slopes. This virtual continuity of non arboreal communities across more than 1000 metres of the local topographical gradient, where azonal, relic stands of Pinus nigra s.l. are transitional between the grasslands and the surrounding zonal broadleaved forest vegetation, stresses patterns of the coenological changes between Festuco-Brometea and Elyno-Seslerietea along the catena, which suggest fragmentary persistence of a paleozonation.
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| 4. |
- Spada, Francesco, et al.
(author)
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Phytogeography of Quercus suber L. in Lazio (Central Italy) : a causalistic approach
- 2008
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In: Annali di Botanica. - 0365-0812. ; 8, s. 43-54
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A descriptive statistical approach to the causalistic distribution of Quercus suber in Lazio (Central Italy), based on presence/absence data and mean values of an array of environmental variables standardized on a geographical 6,9 x 5,5 Km grid, shows that only temperature, precipitation, elevation and slope are significant. At this scale, soil conditions and aspect are apparently no limiting factors to the colonization ability of the species. A simulated potential range, based on this parameterization, identifies a larger area than the one occupied by the species today. It suggests that competition and human disturbance might account for the large gaps and discontinuities in the real range. Since inland disjunct outposts still lie either outside or at the boundary of this simulated range, their establishment is likely to have originated under macroclimatic conditions different from the present day ones.
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