Abstract
This paper presents a numerical analysis of the distribution patterns in Europe and adjoining regions of 242 vascular plant species occurring in the Italian beech forests. The classification of a matrix of species and of 531 Operational Geographic Units (OGUs) led to recognition of 15 different phytogeographic elements (chorotypes). The joint distribution of the species belonging to each chorotype is shown by a chorogram, which is a geographic map obtained by computer processing of the distributional data. Some of the chorograms show the main distributional centers for the beechwood flora in southern Europe: northwestern Balkan Peninsula and eastern Alps, southern Balkan Peninsula, Maritime Alps, northern Apennines, southern Apennines. Only 20% of the species are limited to narrow areas in southern Europe, and were not able to expand considerably their ranges in postglacial times. Migration from the refugia and colonization of vast areas in central and northern Europe led to intensive speciation phenomena, occurring chiefly through the formation of neopolyploid species. Several south European, narrow-ranging species, can be considered as palaeopolyploids with relict character. There is a good relationship between distribution and ecology of the chorotypes.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- OGU:
-
Operational Geographic Unit
- OGS:
-
Operational Geographic Set
- OCS:
-
Operational Character Set
References
Agostini R. 1963. Stazioni eterotopiche di Faggio (Fagus sylvatica) in Calabria. Arch. Bot. Biogeogr. Ital. 39: 219–228.
Agostini R. 1971. Analisi fitosociologica di una cenosi a Faggio a bassa quota in Irpinia. Delpinoa 12–13: 105–113.
Aita L., Corbetta F. & Orsino F. 1974. Osservazioni preliminari sulle faggete e sulle cerrete dell'Appennino Lucano. Not. Fitosoc. 9: 15–26.
Andersen S. Th. 1973. The differential pollen productivity of trees and its significance for the interpretation of a pollen diagram from a forested region. In: Birks J. B. & West R. G. (eds.), Quaternary Plant Ecology. Blackwell, Oxford.
Anzalone B. 1962. Osservazioni fitosociologiche su faggete depresse del Lazio. Ann. Bot. Roma. 27: 120–134.
Bolognini G. & Nimis P. L. 1991. L analisi fitogeografica quantitativa dei boschi: un esempio relativo alle faggete italiane. In: Ferrari C. & Bagnaresi U. (ed.), I Boschi Italiani, pp. 63–84. Soc. Emiliana Pro Montibus et Silvis, Bologna.
Bonin, C. 1979. Contribution a la connoissance de la végetation des montagnes de l'Apennin Centro-méridional. Thesis, Marseille.
Bottema S. 1979. Pollen analytical investigations in Thessaly (Greece). Palaeohistoria 21: 19–40.
Caputo C. 1968. Ricerche sulla vegetazione forestale del gruppo Taburno-Camposauro. Delpinoa 8–9: 93–134.
Crovello T. J. 1981. Quantitative biogeography: an overview. Taxon 30: 563–575.
Daget, P. (ed.) 1980. Atlas d'Areologie Perimediterraneenne. Fasc. I. Naturalia Monspeliensia, num. h. ser. 731 pp.
Ellenberg H. 1988. Vegetation Ecology of Central Europe. IV ed. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 731 pp.
Feoli E. & Feoli Chiapella L. 1974. Analisi multivariata di rilievi fitosociologici delle faggete della Majella. Not. Fitosoc. 9: 55–82.
Feoli E. & Lagonegro M. 1982. Syntaxonomical analysis of beech woods in the Apennines (Italy) using the program package IAHOPA. Vegetatio 50: 129–173.
Ferrari C., Pirola A. & Ubaldi P. 1979. I faggeti e gli abietifaggeti delle foreste demaniali casentinesi in provincia di Forlì. Not. Fitosoc. 14: 41–61.
Gentile S. 1969. Sui faggeti dell'Italia Meridionale. Atti Ist. Bot. Lab. Critt. Pavia 5: 207–306.
Gentile S. 1974. Ricerche sui faggeti dell'Appennino Ligure. Not. Fitosoc. 9: 131–138.
Gerdol R. & Piccoli F. 1980. Contributo alla conoscenza delle faggete del Monte Baldo. Not. Fitosoc. 16: 39–45.
Hierzholzer, R. 1957. Über Waldgesellschaften im nördlichen Apennin. Köln.
Hofmann A. 1960. Il Faggio in Sicilia. Flora et Vegetatio Italica 2: 1–235. Gianasso.
Hofmann A. 1961. La faggeta depressa del Gargano. Delpinoa, 3: 375–405.
Hofmann A. 1974. Dalle Madonie alle Alpi Giulie attraverso le faggete italiane. Not. Fitosoc. 9: 3–14.
Horvat I., Glavac V. & Ellenberg H. 1974. Vegetation Südosteuropas. Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart.
Hultén, E. 1937. Outline of the history of Boreal and Arctic biota during the Quaternary Period. Stockholm. 168 pp., 43 Tabb.
Hultén E. 1968. Flora of Alaska and neighbouring Territories. Stanford Univ. Press, Stanford.
Hultén, E. & Fries, M. 1986. Atlas of North European vascular plants north of the Tropic of Cancer. 3 voll. Kölz, Königsstein. 1772 pp.
Huntley, B. 1988. Glacial and holocene vegetation history-20 ky to present. In: Huntley, B. & Webb, T. III (eds.), Vegetation history, pp. 341–383. Handbook of Vegetation Science. Vol. 7.
Iversen J. 1958. The bearing of glacial and interglacial epochs on the formation and extinction of plant taxa. Uppsala Universitets Årsskrift 6: 210–215.
Jalas J. & Suominen J. 1972–1976. Atlas Florae Europeae. Several voll. comm. Map. Flor. Eur. & Soc. Biol. Fenn. Vanamo, Helsinki.
Jörgensen P. M. 1978. The Lichen Family Pannariaceae in Europe. Opera Botanica 45: 1–123.
Lausi, D. 1964. Vorläufiger Überblick über die Vegetation der Triester Karstdolinen. Acta Bot. Croatica, vol. extraord.: 65–71.
Lausi, D. & Nimis, P. L. 1991. Ecological phytogeography of the southern Yukon Territory (Canada). In: Nimis, P. L. & Crovello, T. J. (eds.), Quantitative Approaches to Phytogeography, pp. 35–122. Tasks for Vegetation Science.
Longhitano N. & Ronsisvalle G. A. 1974. Osservazioni sulle faggete dei Monti della Laga (Appennino Centrale). Not. Fitosoc. 9: 55–82.
Meusel H., Jäger E. & Weinert E. 1965. Vergleichende Chorologie der zentraleuropäische Flora. Band I. 3 vv. Fischer, Jena. Textb. 583 pp, Mapv. 258 pp.
Meusel H., Jäger E., Rauschert S. & Weinert E. 1978. Vergleichende Chorologie der zentraleuropäischen flora. Band II. 2 vv. Fischer, Jena. Textv. 418 pp, Mapv. 421 pp.
Nimis P. L. 1984. Contributions to quantitative phytogeography of Sicily. III. Correlations between phytogeographical categories and environment types. Arch. Bot. Biogeogr. Ital. 60 (3–4): 11–40.
Nimis, P. L. 1989a. La vegetazione boreale delle Alpi: origine ed evoluzione. Annuario EST, Mondadori: 143–148.
Nimis P. L. 1989b. Phytogeographical analysis of a treeline community in northern Yukon (NW Canada). Vegetatio 81: 209–215.
Nimis P. L. & Bolognini G. 1990. The use of chorograms in quantitative phytogeography and in phytosociological syntaxonomy. Fitosociologia 25: 69–87.
Oberdorfer E. 1962. Pflanzensoziologische Excursionsflora fur Südwestdeutschland. Ulmer. Stuttgart. 987 pp.
Oberdorfer E. 1967. Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Vegetation des Nordapennin. Beitr. Naturk. Forsch. Südwestdeutschl. 26: 83–138.
Pignatti S. 1960. II significato delle specie poliploidi nelle associazioni vegetali. Atti Ist. Ven. Sci. Lett. ed Arti 118: 75–98.
Pagnatti S. 1978. Evolutionary trends in Mediterranean flora and vegetation. Vegetatio 37 (3): 175–185.
Pignatti S. 1979. I piani di vegetazione in Italia. Giorn. Bot. Ital. 113: 411–428.
Pignatti S. 1982. Flora d'Italia. 3 voll. Calderini. Bologna.
Poldini L. 1982. Ostrya carpinifolia reiche Wälder und Gebüsche von Julisch-Venetien (NO-Italien) und Nachbargebieten. Studia Geobot. 2: 69–122.
Ronsisvalle A. G. 1979. I boschi di faggio del Gran Sasso d'Italia. Acc. Gioenia Sc. Nat. Catania 13: 87–117.
Ronsisvalle A. G. & Signorello P. 1977. Interesse naturalistico e fitosociologico della faggeta del bosco di Malabotta (Montalbano Elicona-Monti Peloritani). Accad. Gioenia Sc. Nat. Catania 13: 62–71.
Ubaldi D. 1974. Faggeti e boschi montani a cerro nel Montefeltro (Appennino Romagnolo-Marchigiano). Not. Fitosoc. 9: 83–129.
Walter H. & Straka H. 1970. Arealkunde. Floristischhistorische Geobotanik. Ulmer, Stuttgart. 478 pp.
Watts, W. A. 1988-Late-Tertiary and Pleistocene Vegetation history-20 My to present-Europe. In: Huntley, B. & Webb, T. III (eds.), Vegetation history, pp. 155–192. Handbook of Vegetation Science. Vol. 7.
Wildi, O. & Orloci, L. 1988. MULVA-4, a package for multivariate analysis of vegetation data. Swiss Fed. Inst. For. Res. Rep. 122 pp.
Zangheri P. 1977. Flora e vegetazione nel medio e alto Appennino Romagnolo. Webbia 21: 1–450.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nimis, P.L., Bolognini, G. Quantitative phytogeography of the Italian Beech Forests. Vegetatio 109, 125–143 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00044745
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00044745