Vegetation of oak-hornbeam, scree and ravine forests at lower altitudes in Transcarpathia, Western Ukraine
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Tuexenia |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | research paper |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.14471/2017.37.021 |
| Field | Botany |
| Keywords | Carpinion betuli; Eastern Carpathians; forest vegetation; Pannonian Basin; phytosociology; syntaxonomy; Tilio platyphylli-Acerion |
| Attached files | |
| Description | Transitional between the Pannonian Basin and the Eastern Carpathians the Transcarpathian Ukraine (Transcarpathia) has a diverse geology including Quaternary sediments, volcanites, limestones and flysch, and its climate at low altitudes is relatively warm and humid. We conducted a field survey in June 2016 focusing on mesophilous forest vegetation along a transect covering almost the whole low-altitudinal part of Transcarpathia. We recorded 54 relevés in the field and further digitized 22 relevés from literature. Using classification analysis, we distinguished three clusters of oak-hornbeam forests (alliance Carpinion betuli; 1–3) and three clusters of scree and ravine forests (alliance Tilio platyphylli-Acerion; 4–6): (1) Slightly wet Pannonian oak-hornbeam forests occurring in the lowland part of the region (Circaeo-Carpinetum); (2) Mesophilous oak-hornbeam forests (Carici pilosae-Carpinetum); (3) Xero-mesophilous oak-hornbeam forests (a drier subtype of the Carici pilosae-Carpinetum and the association Primulo veris-Carpinetum); (4) Mesophilous scree forests (Phyllitido-Aceretum); (5) Forests of steep slopes (Aceri-Tilietum) and transitions to mesophilous oak-hornbeam forests (Carici pilosae-Carpinetum); (6) Cool and wet scree and ravine forests (Arunco dioici-Aceretum pseudoplatani). Using indirect ordination analysis, three environmental variables (altitude, heat load index and slope) were identified as factors of significant influence on the species composition. These factors well distinguish oak-hornbeam forests from scree and ravine forests. |
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