Pindus Mountains mixed forests

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Pindus Mountains mixed forests
Olympus forest 3.jpg
Ecoregion PA1217.svg
Map of ecoregion PA1217
Ecology
Biome Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
Borders
Bird species229 [1]
Mammal species68 [1]
Geography
Area39,500 km2 (15,300 sq mi)
Countries
Conservation
Habitat loss36.395% [1]
Protected4.32% [1]

The Pindus Mountains mixed forests constitute a terrestrial ecoregion of Europe according to both the WWF and Digital Map of European Ecological Regions by the European Environment Agency. It belongs to the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, and is in the Palearctic realm.

Contents

The Pindus Mountains mixed forests are situated in the montane parts of the southern Balkans in the wide altitudinal range above 300–500 m. They cover Taygetus on the Peloponnesus in the south, occur in the mountain ranges of Central Greece (including the Pindus), eastern Albania and the southwestern part of North Macedonia, extend to the Drin River valley in the north and occupy 39,500 km2 (15,300 sq. mi) in the three countries.

The ecoregion is landlocked and surrounded by the Aegean and Western Turkey sclerophyllous and mixed forests (in Greece), Illyrian deciduous forests (in Greece and Albania), Dinaric Mountains mixed forests (in Albania to the north of the Drin) and Balkan mixed forests (in Kosovo, North Macedonia and Greece).

The climate of the ecoregion is mostly of Köppen's Mediterranean type with hot summers (Csa).

Flora

Due to the wide altitudinal range of this ecoregion the highest elevations (above 1,000-1,400 m) are covered with coniferous forests, with a mixed broadleaf zone occurring lower. The coniferous forests are dominated by Pinus nigra subsp. nigra var. pallasiana, Pinus heldreichii , Pinus peuce , Abies cephalonica , A. alba and A. borisii-regis , with deciduous European Beech in the north. Juniperus foetidissima occurs widely near the tree line. The dominant species on the lower elevations are remarkably diverse, including Aesculus hippocastanum (in more damp places) and various deciduous oaks ( Quercus frainetto , Q. pubescens , Q. cerris , Q. trojana , Q. petraea ). Evergreen oaks, mainly Q. calliprinos , Q. ilex , and other Mediterranean sclerophyll shrubland species are abundant on dry and rocky south-facing slopes.

Phytogeographically, the ecoregion is shared between the East Mediterranean province of the Mediterranean Region and the Illyrian province of the Circumboreal Region within the Holarctic Kingdom (Armen Takhtajan's delineation).

National parks

Related Research Articles

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Albania is a country in southeastern Europe that lies along the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, with a coastline spanning approximately 476 km (296 mi). Situated on the Balkan Peninsula, it is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe. It is bounded by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east and Greece to the southeast and south.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pindus</span> Mountain range in Greece and Albania

The Pindus is a mountain range located in Northern Greece and Southern Albania. It is roughly 160 km long, with a maximum elevation of 2,637 metres (8652'). Because it runs along the border of Thessaly and Epirus, the Pindus range is known colloquially as the spine of Greece. The mountain range stretches from near the Greek-Albanian border in southern Albania, entering the Epirus and Macedonia regions in northern Greece down to the north of the Peloponnese. Geologically, it is an extension of the Dinaric Alps, which dominate the western region of the Balkan Peninsula.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pindus National Park</span> National park of the Pindus Mountains in Greece

Pindus National Park, also known as Valia Calda, is a national park in mainland Greece, situated in an isolated mountainous area at the periphery of West Macedonia and Epirus, in the northeastern part of the Pindus mountain range. It was established in 1966 and covers an area of 6,927 hectares. The park's core zone, 3,360 hectares, covers the greatest part of the Valia Calda valley and the slopes of the surrounding peaks.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alps conifer and mixed forests</span> Ecoregion in Central Europe

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J.; Ellison, K. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference . University of California Press. ISBN   978-0-520-26256-0.