Iberian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests | |
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Ecology | |
Realm | Palearctic |
Biome | Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub |
Borders | |
Geography | |
Area | 297,804 km2 (114,983 sq mi) |
Countries | |
Conservation | |
Conservation status | critical/endangered |
Protected | 74,552 km² (25%) [1] |
The Iberian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It occupies the interior valleys and plateaus of the Iberian Peninsula. The ecoregion lies mostly in Spain, and includes some portions of eastern Portugal.
The ecoregion covers the interior basins of Iberia's main rivers – the Douro, Tagus, Guadiana, Guadalquivir, and Ebro. It is bounded on the north by the temperate-climate Pyrenees and Cantabrian mixed forests. Spain's interior mountains, which divide the various river basins, are home to the distinct Northwest Iberian montane forests and Iberian conifer forests ecoregions. Separate ecoregions also occupy the coastal lowlands – the Southwest Iberian Mediterranean sclerophyllous and mixed forests to the southwest, Southeastern Iberian shrubs and woodlands to the southeast, and the Northeast Spain and Southern France Mediterranean forests to the east. [2]
The ecoregion has a Mediterranean climate. The ecoregion's interior location means a hot, dry summer. Winters are generally mild, and colder in the northern portion of the ecoregion. [2]
Plant communities include forests, woodlands, maquis shrublands, grasslands, low shrublands, and wetlands. The predominant trees are evergreen sclerophyll broadleaf species and conifers. [2]
Forests of holm oak (Quercus rotundifolia) and cork oak (Quercus suber) were once predominant in plains and valleys with deep alluvial soil. Over centuries most of these forests have been converted to agriculture, pasture, or maquis shrubland. Maquis shrubland is a dense thicket of tall woody shrubs and low trees, mixed with low shrubs, herbs, and grasses. [2]
Olive-carob woodlands and maquis are common in the southern portion of the ecoregion, and in canyons in the northern Douro and Tagus basins. Wild olive (Olea europaea) and carob (Ceratonia siliqua) are the predominant trees, with the shrubs Chamaerops humilis, Pistacia lentiscus, Erica arborea, Erica scoparia, Phillyrea latifolia, Phillyrea angustifolia , and Myrtus communis , as well as lianas and herbs. [2]
Forests of stone pine ( Pinus pinea ) and maritime pine ( Pinus pinaster ) are found on sandy soils and inland dunes, and on soils derived from silicaeous rocks. Stone pines provide edible pine nuts, and the maritime pines provide pine tar. [2]
Areas of the southeast and Ebro valley with limestone, marl, and gypsum-derived soils are home a mosaic landscape, with mixed forest of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) and holly oak (Quercus coccifera), open juniper woodlands of Juniperus thurifera and Juniperus phoenicea , steppe grasslands with Stipa tenacissima and Lygeum spartum , and low shrublands with Artemisia herba-alba, Thymelaea hirsuta, Ononis tridentata, Helianthemum squamatum , and Thymus mastigophorus . [2]
Extensive seasonally-flooded saline wetlands of Suaeda fruticosa, Microcnemum coralloides, Aizoanthemum hispanicum, Arthrocnemum glaucum , and Limonium ovalifolium cover areas with poor drainage. [2]
Traditional agrosilvopastoral landscapes, known as dehesa in Spain and montado in Portugal, are found in the western portion of the ecoregion, and extending into the adjacent Southwest Iberian Mediterranean sclerophyllous and mixed forests ecoregion. They include scattered cork oak ( Quercus suber ) and holm oak trees interspersed with agricultural fields, olives and other fruit trees, and pastures. Dehesas support wildlife as well as livestock and crops, and forest products like cork, honey, mushrooms, and wild game. Over the past century many dehesas and montados were cleared to create larger single-crop fields of grain and other agricultural commodities. [2]
The ecoregion is home to small populations of Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) in the plains of northern Castile, and Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) in the southwest. Year-round resident birds include the Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti) and great bustard (Otis tarda). The woodlands are a wintering area for common cranes (Grus grus), and a breeding area for white storks (Ciconia ciconia) and black storks (Ciconia nigra). [2]
74,552 km2, or 25%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. [1] Some protected areas include Guadiana Valley Natural Park in Portugal, and Sierra Norte de Sevilla Natural Park, Sierra de Hornachuelos Natural Park, Sierra Mágina Natural Park, Sierra de Andújar Natural Park, Monfragüe National Park, Arribes del Duero Natural Park, Lagunas de Villafáfila Nature Reserve, and Sierra de María-Los Vélez Natural Park in Spain.
Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short internodes and leaf orientation which is parallel or oblique to direct sunlight. The word comes from the Greek sklēros (hard) and phyllon (leaf). The term was coined by A.F.W. Schimper in 1898, originally as a synonym of xeromorph, but the two words were later differentiated.
In biogeography, the Mediterranean basin, also known as the Mediterranean region or sometimes Mediterranea, is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and warm to hot, dry summers, which supports characteristic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation. It was a very important part of Mediterranean civilizations.
The Corsican montane broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion, in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, are on the island of Corsica. The ecoregion includes the high-elevation areas of Corsica's mountainous interior.
The Sierra Madre Occidental pine–oak forests are a Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of the Sierra Madre Occidental range from the southwest USA region to the western part of Mexico. They are home to a large number of endemic plants and important habitat for wildlife.
The Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-forests, also known as the Eastern Mediterranean conifer-forests, is an ecoregion in the eastern Mediterranean Basin. It covers portions of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Palestinian territories, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
The woodlands of the Iberian Peninsula are distinct ecosystems on the Iberian Peninsula. Although the various regions are each characterized by distinct vegetation, the borders between these regions are not clearly defined, and there are some similarities across the peninsula.
The Mediterranean woodlands and forests is an ecoregion in the coastal plains, hills, and mountains bordering the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean in North Africa. It has a Mediterranean climate, and is in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.
Mediterranean conifer and mixed forests is an ecoregion, in the temperate coniferous forest biome, which occupies the high mountain ranges of North Africa. The term is also a botanically recognized plant association in the African and Mediterranean literature.
A dehesa is a multifunctional, agrosylvopastoral system and cultural landscape of southern and central Spain and southern Portugal; in Portugal, it is known as a montado. Its name comes from the Latin defensa (fenced), referring to land that was fenced and usually destined for pasture. Dehesas may be private or communal property. Used primarily for grazing, they produce a variety of products, including non-timber forest products such as wild game, mushrooms, honey, cork, and firewood. They are also used to raise the Spanish fighting bull and the source of jamón ibérico, the Iberian pig. The main tree component is oaks, usually holm and cork. Other oaks, including melojo and quejigo, may be used to form dehesa, the species utilized depending on geographical location and elevation. Dehesa is an anthropogenic system that provides not only a variety of foods, but also wildlife habitat for endangered species such as the Spanish imperial eagle.
The Illyrian deciduous forests is a terrestrial ecoregion in southern Europe, which extends along the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It belongs to the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, and is in the Palearctic realm.
The flora of Italy is all the plant life present in the territory of the Italian Republic. The flora of Italy was traditionally estimated to comprise about 5,500 vascular plant species. However, as of 2019, 7,672 species are recorded in the second edition of the flora of Italy and in its digital archives Digital flora of Italy. In particular, 7,031 are autochthonous and 641 are non native species widely naturalized since more than three decades. Additionally, further 468 exotic species have been recorded as adventitious or naturalized in more recent times.
The Italian sclerophyllous and deciduous forests ecoregion, part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, is in Italy. The ecoregion covers most of the Italian Peninsula and includes both evergreen and deciduous forests.
The South Apennine mixed montane forests is an ecoregion in the southern Apennine Mountains of southern Italy and Sicily. It has a Mediterranean climate, and is in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.
The Tyrrhenian-Adriatic sclerophyllous and mixed forests is an ecoregion in southern Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, the Dalmatian Islands of Croatia, and Malta.
Mediterranean forests, woodlands and scrub is a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The biome is generally characterized by dry summers and rainy winters, although in some areas rainfall may be uniform. Summers are typically hot in low-lying inland locations but can be cool near colder seas. Winters are typically mild to cool in low-lying locations but can be cold in inland and higher locations. All these ecoregions are highly distinctive, collectively harboring 10% of the Earth's plant species.
The Aegean and Western Turkey sclerophyllous and mixed forests is an ecoregion in the lands around the Aegean Sea. The ecoregion covers most of mainland Greece, the Greek Aegean Islands, the western coast of Turkey, the southern Vardar river valley in North Macedonia, the southern Struma river valley at the extreme south-western corner of Bulgaria.
The Southwest Iberian Mediterranean sclerophyllous and mixed forests is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It occupies the southwestern Iberian Peninsula, encompassing coastal lowlands and mountains in portions of Portugal and Spain.
The Northeastern Spain and Southern France Mediterranean forests is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It occupies the Mediterranean coastal region of northeastern Spain, Southern France, the Balearic Islands and a small part of Italy.
The Northwest Iberian montane forests is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It lies in the northwestern Iberian Peninsula, includes inland mountains, foothills, and plateaus in northwestern Spain and northeastern Portugal.
The Iberian conifer forests is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It includes the mountain forests of southern and central Spain.