Abstract
The orophile flora of the Iberian Peninsula is analysed in order to extract the basic biogeographical patterns of the plant diversity contained in this group. A total of 999 taxa at the level of species and subspecies have been identified as the Iberian cold-adapted plants living in the mountains, representing 15% of the total Iberian flora. Their distribution patterns across the six main mountain ranges, including all the ranges with significant areas above 1600 m, have been analysed. Species richness is correlated with the area above that altitude. Four main floristic elements have been distinguished within the orophile flora: the Arctic-Boreal, the European Orophile, the Endemic and the Iberian-North African. The first two elements are mainly spread across the northern mountain ranges in a pattern symmetrical to the distribution of the Iberian-North African element. The Endemic element is the largest one and is better represented in the ranges with the highest summits. After an analysis of the taxonomic diversity (TD) of all ranges, it is evident that, if phylogenetic diversity is taken into account, the southern ranges are less diverse than expected, in contrast to the northern ones, in spite of the fact that they host a larger number of endemics. This means that, even when an element contains many species, biodiversity values may be diminished in case those species are phylogenetically related. This particularly concerns the Endemic element, composed mainly of narrowly related geo-vicariants. Concerning the vegetation, the communities inhabiting rupicolous habitats such as crevices and screes, as well as the psychro-xerophilous grasslands, are the main contributors to this flora. The biogeographical distribution of the vegetation units follows a north-south pattern, with a preference for the siliceous mountains in the Boreal and Temperate units and for the calcareous mountains in the case of the Mediterranean units. A number of Iberian units has their optimum in the central siliceous ranges, such as the Nardus grasslands.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Abbott RJ, Brochmann C (2003) History and evolution of the arctic flora: in the footsteps of Eric Hultén. Mol Ecol 12:299–313
Aedo C, Medina L, Fernández-Albert M (2013) Species richness and endemicity in the Spanish vascular flora. Nord J Bot 31:478–488
Aeschlimann D, Lauber K, Moser DM, Theurillat J-P (2004) Flora Alpina, 3 vols. Verlag Haupt, Bern
Aeschlimann D, Rasolofo N, Theurillat J-P (2011) Analyse de la flore des Alpes. 2: biodiversité et chorologie. Candollea 66(2):225–253
Barthlott W, Lauer W, Placke A (1996) Global distribution of species diversity in vascular plants: towards a world map of phytodiversity. Erdkunde 50:317–327
Blanca G, Cabezudo B, Cueto M, Fernández López C, Morales Torres C (2009) Flora Vascular de Andalucía Oriental, 4 vols. Junta de Andalucía. Sevilla, Consejería de Medio Ambiente
Čarni A, Matevski V, Juvan N, Kostadinovski M, Košir P, Marinšek A, Paušič A, Šilc U (2016) Transition along gradient from warm to mesic temperate forests evaluated by GAMM. J Plant Ecol 9:410–433. doi:10.1093/jpe/rtv069
Castroviejo S (1997) The Flora Iberica project: results and problems. Lagascalia 19(1):371–380
Castroviejo S et al (eds) (1986–2016) Flora iberica, 19 vols. Real Jardín Botánico. CSIC, Madrid
Cires E, Fernández Prieto JA (2012) The Iberian endemic species Ranunculus cabrerensis Rothm.: an intricate history in the Ranunculus parnassifolius L. polyploid complex. Plant Syst Evol 298:121–138
Clarke KR, Gorley RN (2006) PRIMER v6: user manual/tutorial. PRIMER-E, Plymouth
Clarke KR, Warwick RM (1998) A taxonomic distinctness index and its statistical properties. J Appl Ecol 35:523–531
Comes HP, Kadereit JW (2003) Spatial and temporal patterns in the evolution of the flora of the European alpine system. Taxon 52:451–462
de Bolòs O, Vigo J (1984–2001) Flora dels Països Catalans. 4 vols. Ed. Barcino, Barcelona
Favarger C (1972) Endemism in the montane floras of Europe. In: Valentine DH (ed) Taxonomy, phytogeography and evolution. Acedemic, London/New York, pp 191–204
Favarger C (1995) Flore et végétation des Alpes, 3rd edn. 2 vols. Delachaux et Niestlé, Lausanne
Favarger C, Küpfer P (1968) Contribution à la cytotaxonomie de la flore alpine des Pyrénées. Collect Bot Barcelona 7(1):325–357
Fernández-Calzado R, Ghosn RD, Gottfried M, Kazakis G, Molero-Mesa J, Pauli H, Merzouki A (2013) Patterns of endemism along an elevation gradient in Sierra Nevada (Spain) and Lefka Ori (Crete, Greece). Pirineos, Revista de Ecología de Montaña 168:7–24
Font X, Pérez-García N, Biurrun I, Fernández-González F, Lence C (2012) The Iberian and Macaronesian Vegetation Information System (SIVIM, www.sivim.info), five years of online vegetation’s data publishing. Plant Sociol 49:89–95
Giménez E, Melendo M, Valle F, Gómez-Mercado F, Cano E (2004) Endemic flora biodiversity in the south of the Iberian Peninsula: altitudinal distribution, life forms and dispersal modes. Biodivers Conserv 13:2641–2660
Hewitt GM (2004) Genetic consequences of climatic oscillations in the Quaternary. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B 359:183–195
Hsü KJ, Ryan WBF, Cita MB (1973) Late Miocene dessication of the Mediterranean. Nature 242:240–244
Hulten E (ed) (1961) Alpigenous and arctogenous plants. Ranges of circumpolar arctic-montane plants. Recent Advances in Botany 1, Toronto
Kadereit JW, Griebeler EM, Comes HP (2004) Quaternary diversification in European alpine plants: pattern and process. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B 359:265–274
Körner C (2003) Alpine plant life. Functional plant ecology of high mountain ecosystems. Springer, Berlin
Kovar-Eder J, Kvaček Z, Martinetto E, Roiron P (2006) Late Miocene to early Pliocene vegetation of southern Europe (7-4 Ma) as reflected in the megafossil plant record. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 238:321–339
Krijgsman W, Hilgen FJ, Raffi I, Sierro FJ, Wilson DS (1999) Chronology, causes and progression of the Messinian salinity crisis. Nature 400:652–655
Kropf M, Comes HP, Kadereit JW (2006) Long-distance dispersal vs vicariance: the origin and genetic diversity of alpine plants in the Spanish Sierra Nevada. New Phytol 172:169–184
Kropf M, Comes HP, Kadereit JW (2008) Causes of the genetic architecture of south-west European high mountain disjuncts. Plant Ecol Divers 2:217–228
Küpfer P (1974) Recherches sur les liens de parenté entre la flore orophile des Alpes et celle des Pyrénées. Boissieria 23:1–322
Loidi J, Campos JA, García-Baquero G, Biurrun I, García-Mijangos I, Herrera M (2012) Flora und Vegetation in Hochgebirgen der Iberischen Halbinsel: Eine biogeographische Untersuchung. Berichte der Reinhold-Tüxen-Gesellschaft 24:163–177
Loidi J, Campos JA, Herrera M, Biurrun I, García-Mijangos I, García-Baquero G (2015) Eco-geographical factors affecting richness and phylogenetic diversity patterns of high-mountain flora in the Iberian Peninsula. Alp Bot 125(2):137–146
MacArthur RH, Wilson EO (1967) The theory of island biogeography. Princeton University Press, Princeton, p 205
Moreno-Saiz JC, Sainz-Ollero H (1992) Atlas corológico de las monocotiledóneas endémicas de la Península Ibérica e islas Baleares. Col. Técnica. ICONA, Madrid
Ozenda P (1985) La végétation de la chaîne alpine dans l’espace montagnard européen. Masson, Paris
Ozenda P (1995) L’endémisme au niveau de l’ensemble du Système alpin. Acta Bot Gallica 142:753–762
Ozenda P (2009) On the genesis of the plant population in the Alps: new or critical aspects. Compte Redus Biologies 332(12):1092–1103
Ozenda P, Borel J-L (1995) Biocenotic diversity patterns in the alpine and subalpine belt of the mountains in western and central Europe. Colloques Phytosoc 23:723–735
Pawłowski B (1970) Remarques sur l’endémisme dans la flore des Alpes et des Carpates. Vegetatio 21:181–243
Peñas J, Pérez-García FJ, Mota JF (2005) Patterns of endemic plants and biogeography of the Baetic high mountains (south Spain). Acta Botanica Gallica 152(3):347–360
Rivas-Martínez S, Asensi A, Molero J, Valle F (1991) Endemismos vasculares de Andalucía. Rivers 6:5–76
Rivas-Martínez S et al (2007) Mapa de series, geoseries y geopermaseries de vegetación de España (Memoria del Mapa de vegetación de España) Parte I. Itinera Geobot 17:5–436
Sainz-Ollero H, Hernández-Bermejo E (1985) Sectorización fitogeográfica de la Península Ibérica e islas Baleares: la contribución de su endemoflora como criterio de semejanza. Candollea 40:485–508
Somerfield PJ, Clarke R, Warwick RM, Dulvy NK (2008) Average functional distinctness as ameasure of the composition of assemblages. ICES J Mar Sci 65:1462–1468
Stebbins L (1984) Polyploidy and the distribution of the arcticalpine flora: new evidence and a new approach. Bot Helv 94:1–13
Stebbins L (1985) Polyploidy, hybridization, and the invasion of new habitats. Ann Mo Bot Gard 72:824–832
Suc P (1984) Origin and evolution of the Mediterranean vegetation and climate in Europe. Nature 307:429–432
Warwick M, Clarke KR (1995) New 'biodiversity' measures reveal a decrease in taxonomic distinctness with increasing stress. Mar Ecol-Prog Ser 129:301–305
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Loidi, J., Biurrun, I., García-Mijangos, I., García-Baquero, G., Herrera, M., Campos, J.A. (2017). The High Mountain Flora and Vegetation. In: Loidi, J. (eds) The Vegetation of the Iberian Peninsula. Plant and Vegetation, vol 13. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54867-8_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54867-8_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-54866-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-54867-8
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)