<i>Quercus faginea</i> subsp. <i>tlemcenensis</i> Stands in the Moutas Reserve (Tlemcen, Northwest Algeria)

Abstract

The Zeen oak (Quercus faginea) is a forest species endemic to the western Mediterranean, very remarkable in Algeria; it is an oak with deciduous or semi-persistent leaves. Quercus faginea, is very polymorphic, especially in terms of leaf characteristics, so it would be represented in Algeria by two subspecies: Quercus faginea subsp. baetica (Webb) DC and Quercus faginea subsp. tlemcenensis (DC). The latter, which is of major taxonomic interest, is a species that still resists climatic fluctuations. This stand is a formation at the climatic stage, which covers a large part of the Moutas reserve (488 ha), appears from an altitude of 1100 m and is frequently found where humidity is high. For a decade, our attention has been drawn to its particular behaviour, linked to major processes of change in both climate and biological components. Through this study, we show the importance of this stand, which is in a regressive dynamic phase on which the incidence of disturbances is only the action of anthropogenic climatic factors. Despite its good adaptive strategy, Quercus faginea subsp. tlemcenensis is a species threatened by multiple anthropozoogenic impacts; the latter constitutes a direct threat to the preservation and renewal of biological resources as well as to the ecological balance of the area [1], but the dynamic value of Quercus faginea subsp. tlemcenensis remains appreciated with particular attention by scientists, foresters, conservators and local populations in the region.