Woods with Quercus petraea in Tuscany (Italy): a vegetation classification approach

Abstract

Abstract. In Tuscany (Italy), oak mixed woods with high cover values of Quercus petraea are rather infrequent but well documented within local and national phytosociological studies, even if, in the literature, not always analyzed and well characterized from the syntaxonomic view point. We gathered 71 published and unpublished Tuscan phytosociological relevés where Q. petraea was dominant or with relevant cover values, that were investigated by means of multivariate analysis. The ecological requirements of the resulting groups were indirectly calculated by means of Ellenberg Indicator Values (EIV), and the fidelity coefficient (PHI) for the diagnostic species of each group was calculated. According to our analysis, five different types of Q. petraea woods were found to be present in Tuscany. Each group was characterized floristically and ecologically, allowing to investigate their syntaxonomic aspects. Thus we have attributed the Tuscan Q. petraea communities to five different associations, two of which already existing and three are here described as new associations. In the end, some conservation aspects of these woods regarding Natura 2000 habitats are discussed. Keywords: Ecology; Distribution; Phytosociology; Sessile oak; Syntaxonomy; Vegetation[es] Bosques de Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. de la Toscana (Italia): clasificación de la vegetación Resumen. En la región de la Toscana (Italia), los robledales con altos valores de cobertura de Quercus petraea son bastante infrecuentes pero están bien documentadas en los estudios fitosociológicos locales y nacionales, incluso si en la literatura no siempre se analizan y caracterizan bien desde el punto de vista sintaxonómico. Recopilamos 71 datos fitosociológicos de esta región publicados y no publicados en los que Q. petraea aparece como dominante o con valores de cobertura relevantes y que se han analizado mediante análisis multivariante. Los requisitos ecológicos de los grupos resultantes se calcularon indirectamente mediante los valores del indicador de Ellenberg (EIV), y se calculó el coeficiente de fidelidad (PHI) para las especies de diagnóstico de cada grupo. Los resultados del análisis mostraron cinco tipos diferentes de bosques de Q. petraea en la Toscana. Cada grupo está caracterizado por un elenco florístico concreto y unos requisitos ecológicos diferenciados que nos ha permitido investigar sus aspectos sintaxonómicos. Así podemos atribuir las comunidades toscanas de Q. petraea a cinco asociaciones diferentes, dos de las cuales ya existen y tres son descritas en este trabajo como nuevas asociaciones. También se discuten algunos aspectos de conservación de estos bosques con respecto a los hábitats Natura 2000.

Checklist of gypsophilous vascular flora in Italy

“…However, documented gypsophilous flora can be found in at least 75 countries (Pérez-García et al 2017, 2018). …”

Validation of syntaxon names and lectotypifications for some Italian vegetation types

“…By virtue of this rule, the syntaxonomic novelties and lectotypifications reported in the articles by Viciani et al (2018Viciani et al ( , 2019 were ineffectively published and are here validated.…”

“…Two phytosociological studies, one concerning the Quercus petraea woods of Tuscany (Viciani et al, 2018), another one concerning communities belonging to Mulgedio-Aconitetea (Viciani et al, 2019), have been recently published in the first issues of the online journal Mediterranean Botany. The works were based on the 3rd edition of the International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature (Weber et al, 2000), and on the version approved by the Working Group on Phytosociological Nomenclature of the International Association of Vegetation Science (IAVS), available at that time.…”

“…Comprehensive discussion on the nomenclatural reasons leading to such decisions are omitted since these were already provided in Viciani et al (2018Viciani et al ( , 2019.…”

An annotated checklist of the vascular flora of the Arezzo administrative province (Tuscany, Italy)

“…− Ref. : Anonymous 1878;Marcucci 1889;Zangheri 1966b;Mercurio 1985b;Vos & Stortelder 1992;Cutini et al 1993;Padula 1995;Viciani 1999;Brullo et al 1999;Checcacci et al 2001;Zingarelli 2006;Peruzzi et al 2016b;Viciani et al 2018− Exs. : 18671912 (FI);1978 (Herb.…”