Oak-hornbeam forests of central Europe: a formalized classification and syntaxonomic revision

0533868 - BÚ 2021 RIV CZ eng J - Journal Article
Novák, P. - Willner, W. - Zukal, D. - Kollár, J. - Roleček, Jan - Świerkosz, K. - Ewald, J. - Wohlgemuth, T. - Csiky, J. - Onyshchenko, V. - Chytrý, M.
Oak-hornbeam forests of central Europe: a formalized classification and syntaxonomic revision.
Preslia. Roč. 92, č. 1 (2020), s. 1-34. ISSN 0032-7786. E-ISSN 0032-7786
Institutional support: RVO:67985939
Keywords : vegetation classification * syntaxonomy * temperate broad-leaved deciduous forests
OECD category: Plant sciences, botany
Impact factor: 4.167, year: 2020
Method of publishing: Open access
https://doi.org/10.23855/preslia.2020.001

Oak-hornbeam forests (order Caminetalia) are a widespread vegetation type in central Europe. As vegetation ecologists focused on them since the pioneering times of vegetation research, many syntaxonomic units are described. However, classification systems used in various central-European countries suffer from inconsistencies and overlaps of the concepts of particular associations. Currently there is no consistent syntaxonomic system based on numerical analysis of vegetation plots that would be valid for the whole of central Europe. Therefore, the main goal of this study is to provide a revised syntaxonomic system of oak-hornbeam forests across central Europe, develop formal definitions of the associations and include these definitions in a classification expert system. We recognized 13 associations, 9 from the alliance Carpinion bet all (central-European oak-hornbeam forests) and four from the alliance Dythronio-Carpinion (Illyrian and northern Italian oak-hornbeam forests). We prepared an expert system that classified 55% of the releves in a central-European oak-hornbeam forest dataset (n = 6212) at the association level. To stabilize the Carpinion befall association names, we selected nomenclatural type releves for associations that have not been typified so far. In addition. two association names (Poo chaixii-Caminetam and Pseudostellario-Carpinetum) were validated. Ordination revealed the main drivers of species diversity in these forests, including a complex gradient of soil moisture, nutrient availability and geographical position (mainly latitude). Among the climate variables, annual temperature amplitude and mean annual temperature were most closely correlated with species composition.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0313772