Temporihygrophilous Quercus broteroi forests in southern Portugal: analysis and conservation

• Autor(a) principal: Vila-Viçosa, C.
• Data de Publicação: 2012
• Outros Autores: Mendes, P., Del Rio, C.Meireles, Quinto-Canas, R., Arsénio, Pedro, Pinto-Gomes, C.
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/5395
• topic: biodiversity conservation; hieratchical cluster analysis; phytosociology; Quercus broteroi woodlands; Vale do Guizo formation

This article deals with a phytosociological survey of marcescent Portuguese oak (Quercus broteroi) forests in southern Portugal, and presents the results of an analysis of 56 releve´s, combining Braun–Blanquet’s methodology with hierarchical cluster analysis (Ward’s Hierarchical Clustering, based on Bray–Curtis distance). From these results, a new temporihygrophilous Portuguese oak forest association is described. Largely thermomediterranean, upper dry to subhumid, Ulici welwitschiani–Quercetum broteroi occurs on limestone soils within the Coastal Lusitan-Andalusian Province. Its high conservation value – mainly due to its rarity and floristic structure – supports this forest’s integration in Habitat 9240 (Annex B-I from Council Directive 92/43/EEC) in order to ensure its preservation. Based on the results, new biogeographic borders for the Ribatagan-Sadensean Sector are proposed