The class Querco-fagetea sylvaticae in Sicily: an example of boreo-temperate vegetation in the central mediterranean region.

Abstract

A syntaxonomical revision of the Querco-Fagetea sylvaticae class in Sicily, based on literature data and unpublished relevés, is presented. This class groups the mesophilous woods characterized by the dominance of deciduous trees (e.g. Fagus sylvatica, Quercus sp. pl., Acer sp. pl.), and more rarely by conifers (Taxus baccata, Pinus nigra subsp. calabrica), as well as by other broadleaved trees, such as Betula aetnensis, Populus tremula, Castanea sativa. In Sicily, these woody communities are widely spread in the northern and north-eastern sectors of the island, chiefly on the highest peaks (Madonie, Nebrodi, Peloritani, and Etna). Such class is represented in Sicily by two orders, both floristically and ecologically well differentiated: Fagetalia sylvaticae, with the sole alliance Geranio versicoloris-Fagion sylvaticae, and Quercetalia pubescenti-petraeae, with the endemic alliance Pino calabricae-Quercion congestae. On the whole, 22 associations have been recognized within the Querco-Fagetea class, and for each of them nomenclature, floristic settlement, structure, ecology, syndinamic relationships, and chorology are examined.