Miguel Ladero

Floristic composition patterns of Mediterranean annual non-nitrophilous grasslands in Eastern Portugal

Abstract Helianthemetea guttati communities are pioneer spring and early summer ephemeral grasslands, dominated by non-nitrophilous therophytes. In Continental Portugal, these communities have not yet been fully investigated, and thus the objectives of the present study are: (1) to identify community types in therophytic grasslands; (2) to recognize those communities that configure the European priority habitat 6220* (pseudo-steppe with grasses and annuals); (3) to establish environmental gradients underlying their spatial variation; (4) to assess how floristic composition is affected by land use factors. Vegetation sampling using phytosociological methodology was carried out on 80 grasslands. Modified Twinspan classification and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was applied for the classification and ordination of relevés whereas partial CCA (pCCA) and variation partitioning were used to assess the relative influence of individual land use factors. Some 270 species were identified across 11 community types whose floristic patterns were mainly explained by environmental gradients related to altitude and soil type while land use variables could only explain a small part of the floristic variation. Based on biogeography and the determination of diagnostic species, four phytosociological new associations and a new subassociation are proposed: Holco-Brachypodietum distachyi, Holco-Micropyretum tenellae, Micropyro-Anthoxanthetum aristati and Leontodonto-Vulpietum bromoidis vulpietosum membranaceae.

Patterns of floristic composition of Mediterranean meadows and mesophytic grasslands in eastern Continental Portugal

It is becoming increasingly necessary to gain a deeper understanding of the ecological gradients underlying the floristic pattern of meadows and grasslands, because their distribution area and dynamics may be affected by the increased dryness resulting from climate change. Thus, the objectives are (1) to identify community types in Molinio–Arrhenatheretea meadows and Stipo giganteae–Agrostietea castellanae grasslands in Eastern Continental Portugal; (2) to recognize those communities that configure habitat types of the European Union Habitats Directive; (3) to establish environmental gradients underlying their spatial variation. Combining the Braun–Blanquet approach with numerical analysis, 292 relevés and 448 species were classified and ordered using two-way indicator species analysis (Twinspan classification) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). Partial CCA was applied to assess the relative influence of land use factors. About 17 community types were identified and those floristic patterns were mainly related to environmental gradients linked to pedological factors and humidity gradients. Based on biogeography and the determination of diagnostic species, four new phytosociological associations were proposed: Mentho pulegii–Cyperetum badii ass. nova hoc loco; Trifolio resupinati–Menthetum suaveolentis ass. nova hoc loco; Mentho suaveolentis–Holcetum lanati ass. nova hoc loco and Festuco amplae–Brachypodietum phoenicoidis ass. nova hoc loco.

The Duero Basin

The Spanish North Plateau or the Spanish Duero basin is located in the southern foothills of the Cantabrian Ranges in the north-western quadrant of the Iberian Peninsula. It was formed by the action of the Duero river and its tributaries on both the right and left. The climate can be considered continental between dry and humid. The vegetation in this territory is very varied, and several groups can be differentiated based on their structure and physiognomy, and based on the soil and climate variability in this area. These groups are: (1) Forest and woodlands dominated by Quercus rotundifolia, Quercus pyrenaica, Quercus faginea, Juniperus thurifera, Juniperus oxycedrus. (2) Riparian ecosystems formed by willows (Salix neotricha), poplars (Populus alba and Populus nigra), ashes (Fraxinus angustifolia), alders (Alnus glutinosa), elms (Ulmus minor) and shrubby willows (Salix salviifolia, Salix elaeagnos subsp. angustifolia). (3) Seral scrub, including spiny nanoshrublands dominated by Rosa sp. pl., Rubus sp. pl., broom communities formed by several species in the genera Cytisus and Genista, hygrophilous or non-hygrophilous heathlands, with a predominance of species from the genus Erica, secondary scrub communities dominated by Cistaceae and Lamiaceae or Thymus sp. pl. communities, and nitrophilous scrub dominated by Artemisia sp. and Santolina sp. (4) Gypsophilous vegetation. (5) Grasslands of a wide diversity starting with communities of Nardus stricta, and continuing with communities of Celtica gigantea, Poa bulbosa, Agrostis castellana, rushy pastures dominated by Juncus sp. pl., meadows, communities of Festuca elegans subsp. merinoi and Stipa sp. pl. (6) Herbaceous ruderal and assorted vegetation with widely differing communities of the Stellarietea mediae, with both a roadway ruderal character and also present in rain-fed and irrigated croplands and grasslands produced by human and animal action. (7) Aquatic vegetation, including riparian herbaceous communities, peat bogs, lakes and pools communities, reed communities, reed beds, megaforbic communities and pioneer annual and dwarf perennial isoetid communities on periodically flooded bare soils. (8) Salt marshes. (9) Rock vegetation. (10) Vegetation series.

17. Nuevos nombres para dos subasociaciones de Poo bulbosae-Trifolietum subterranei Rivas Goday 1964

Nuevos nombres para dos subasociaciones de Poo bulbosae-Trifolietum subterranei Rivas Goday 1964.

Le Teucrio salviastri—Quercetum rotundifoliae, nouvelle association forestière de chêne à feuilles rondes des montagnes du centre—nord du Portugal

Abstract Here is proposed a new Quercus rotundifolia Lam. forest association, silicicolous, upper mesomediterranean to supramediterranean, subhumid to humid, present in the « Estrelense, Toledano—tagano et Galaico-português » sectors, with a edaphoxerophilous character, named Teucrio salviastri—Quercetum rotundfoliae ass. nov. Their floristic, ecologic and dynamic particularities are exposed. Its also presented a comparison with the others holm—oak communities described in the Paeonio broteroi—Quercenion rotundifoliae Rivas-Martínez in Rivas-Martínez, Costa & Izco 1986 sub—alliance and ecologically present in the meso—and supramediterranean bioclimatic levels.

El paisaje vegetal de Extremadura, España

Abstract The landscape vegetation of Extremadura, Spain. - The main goal of this work is to gain insight into the landscape of region of Extremadura, located in the suothwest quadrant of the Iberian Peninsula. Owing to ecological factors such as temperature, rainfall and soil types, the predominant landscape of the territory is formed by Mediterranean clymatophylous series, whose main emplacements vary a function of the bioclimatic floor. Thus, the mesomediterranean feactures the holm oak (Quercus rotundifolia) and the cork oak (Quercus suber); the supramediterranean, the oak (Quercus pyrenaica), and the oromediterranean, formations of genista (Cytisus oromediterraneus, Echinopartum barnadesii, Genista cinerea subsp. cinerascens).Edaphohygrophylous series are represented by stands of alder (Alnus glutinosa), ash (Fraxinus angustifolia), willow (Salix sp. pl.), box-leafed broom (Securinega tinctoria) and oleander (Nerium oleander). In order to complete our knowledge of this landscape, of special relevance ...

La reconversión ganadera y forestal de las áreas marginales en España

Abstract Dentro de la sesion 5, “La vegetazione dei coltivi e dei pascoli abbandonati: sindinamica e sintassonomia”.