Review article

Diversity of Forest Vegetation in the Hilly Požega Region

Dario Baričević orcid.org/0000-0001-5708-9382
Irena Šapić
Marko Grbeš

Abstract

The paper addresses the results of synecological-phytocoenological research into the forest vegetation of Požeška and Babja Gora. The investigated area, a part of southern Slavonian Mountains, represents an exceptionally valuable site in the vegetation picture of Croatia. So far, regrettably, the forest stands have not been properly investigated, described and evaluated. Field research was conducted using classical phytocoenological methods. In addition to investigating some two hundred localities with diverse forms of forest vegetation, multivariate statistical data analyses were also performed by means of SinTax2000 and Juice 4 software. These analyses provided mutually very similar results and revealed identical general patterns. This resulted in a clear definition of all the forest communities in the study area, as well as the synecological factors crucial for the occurrence and distribution of particular communities. A total of 240 species were identified within the described forest communities, of which some are on the red list of threatened plants in the Republic of Croatia, belonging to both the high and low threat category. The range of floral geoelements confirms the introductory hypotheses and views that the studied area is situated at the crossroads of highly diverse impacts. This is evidenced by a high number of very different floral geoelements and their combinations. In general, the relatively small area with very similar ecological conditions enjoys highly diverse micro-climatic and micro-relief conditions, as manifested by significant species diversity and a high number of plants occurring in a particular community. Broadly speaking, if we described the entire study area in terms of eco-indicator values of plant species occurring in the forest vegetation, we could conclude that the ecological conditions here are exceptionally conducive to the development of vegetation. This is very well reflected in high biological diversity and the abundance of forest vegetation in the hills of Požega.

Keywords

phytocoenological-synecological research; biological diversity; forest vegetation; Požega hills; eco-indicator values

Hrčak ID:

97390

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/97390

Publication date:

15.11.2012.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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