Diversity of Floodplain Forests in the Igneada Region (NW Thrace - Turkey)

Abstract

The work deals with the floodplain forests of the Igneada region (NW Trace, Turkey). 69 relevés were sampled from wet to mesic sites according to the Braun-Blanquet approach and analyzed using different multivariate methods. The dataset was divided into five groups (associations), which demonstrate the diversity of forests in the region. In the wettest sites, forests dominated by Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus angustifolia appear; on wet and nutrient rich sites along rivers there are forests dominated by Ulmus laevis and Fraxinus angustifolia; on wet and less nutrient rich sites Ulmus minor and Fraxinus angustifolia appear; on humid sites Fraxinus angustifolia and Carpinus betulus forests thrive and on mesic sites Carpinus betulus forests appear. The ecological conditions are estimated by bioindicator values and the gradient from wet and nutrient rich forests to mesic and nutrient poor forests is presented by numerical analysis. The species richness and geo-elemental structure for each community is evaluated. Finally, a syntaxonomical scheme is proposed and the following associations were determined

Vegetation of Deciduous Forests in the Balkan Peninsula*

“…This vegetation seems to be to a large extent azonal and does not show a special geographic pattern. In lowlands, such stands are often in contact with zonal oakhornbeam forest in the north and with thermophilous deciduous forest in the south; pine forests can sometimes be found on old gravel deposits [46][47][48][49][50].…”

“…Oak-hornbeam forests of the Balkans are classified into ErythronioCarpinion betuli; within this framework two suballiances can be distinguished, as moesian oakhornbeam forests Aceri tartarici-Carpinenion and illyric oak-hornbeam forests Lonicero caprifolii-Carpinenion. Hornbeam forests in the southeastern part of the Balkans can be classified into CastaneoCarpinion orientalis, which has its center of distribution in northern Anatolia [49,73].…”

“…This vegetation seems to be to a large extent azonal and does not show a special geographic pattern. In lowlands, such stands are often in contact with zonal oakhornbeam forest in the north and with thermophilous deciduous forest in the south; pine forests can sometimes be found on old gravel deposits [46][47][48][49][50].The majority of these forests are classified into Alno-Populetea albae, which encompass floodplain and riverine forests of the Eurosibirian and Mediterranean regions. The class is divided into two orders, which reflect macroclimatic conditions: Populetalia albae in the Mediterranean region and Alno-Fraxinetalia in the temperate region.…”

“…Riparian willow forests, appearing mainly on lowland alluvia, are classified within Salicetea purpureae, Salicetalia purpuraea and Salicion albae. Mesotrophic forests appearing in waterlogged sites are classified into Alnetea glutinosae, Alnetalia glutionsae and Alnion glutinosae [46][47][48][49][50][51][52]. …”

Ecological indicator values of forest communities in Zonguldak-Çitdere region

“…However, using mean EIVs for vegetation analysis and comparing plant communities in different ecological conditions is widely accepted (Hill et al, 2000;Zelený and Schaffers, 2012). Recently, using indicator species in vegetation analysis have been increased in Turkey (e.g., Kavgacı et al, 2011;Kavgacı et al, 2010;Kavgacı and Carni 2008;Kavgacı, 2007) and also some studies were carried out for determining plant indicator values (Sürmen et al, 2014).…”