South Apennine mixed montane forests
Encyclopedia
The South Apennine mixed montane forests is an Ecoregion
, in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
Biome
, located in southern Italy
and Sicily
.
This ecoregion is restricted to the high mountain massifs of the regions of Basilicata
, Calabria
and the island of Sicily.
ous evergreen oak Quercus ilex and Quercus suber, coniferous Pinus pinea
(Italian Stone Pine), and deciduous Quercus pubescens, Fraxinus ornus
, Ostrya carpinifolia
forests.
predominate.
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
, in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, defined by the World Wildlife Fund, characterized by dry summers and rainy winters. Summers are typically hot in low-lying inland locations but can be cool near some seas, as near San Francisco, which have a sea of cool waters...
Biome
Biome
Biomes are climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are often referred to as ecosystems. Some parts of the earth have more or less the same kind of abiotic and biotic factors spread over a...
, located in southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
.
This ecoregion is restricted to the high mountain massifs of the regions of Basilicata
Basilicata
Basilicata , also known as Lucania, is a region in the south of Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south, having one short southwestern coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania in the northwest and Calabria in the southwest, and a...
, Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
and the island of Sicily.
Lowest elevations
At lowest elevations the forests are characterized by the dominance of sclerophyllSclerophyll
Sclerophyll is the term for a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes . The word comes from the Greek sclero and phyllon ....
ous evergreen oak Quercus ilex and Quercus suber, coniferous Pinus pinea
Stone Pine
The Stone Pine , is also called Italian Stone Pine, or Umbrella Pine , and Parasol Pine. It is in the pine family Pinaceae and occasionally listed under the invalid name Pinus sativa. The tree is native to the Mediterranean region...
(Italian Stone Pine), and deciduous Quercus pubescens, Fraxinus ornus
Fraxinus ornus
Fraxinus ornus is a species of Fraxinus native to southern Europe and southwestern Asia, from Spain and Italy north to Austria and the Czech Republic, and east through the Balkans, Turkey, and western Syria to the Lebanon.It is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 15–25 m tall with a trunk up...
, Ostrya carpinifolia
Ostrya carpinifolia
Ostrya carpinifolia, the Hop Hornbeam, is a tree in genus Ostrya, in the family Betulaceae, native to Europe.-Distribution:Ostrya carpinifolia is found in Italy, France, Austria, Slovenia, Greece, the Balkans, southern Switzerland and Anatolia.It is found in the medium elevations, in southern...
forests.
Medium elevations
At medium elevations the mixed deciduous forests of Quercus cerris, Quercus pubescens, Quercus frainetto, Castanea sativa, Ostrya carpinifoliaOstrya carpinifolia
Ostrya carpinifolia, the Hop Hornbeam, is a tree in genus Ostrya, in the family Betulaceae, native to Europe.-Distribution:Ostrya carpinifolia is found in Italy, France, Austria, Slovenia, Greece, the Balkans, southern Switzerland and Anatolia.It is found in the medium elevations, in southern...
predominate.
High elevations
At high elevation altitudes there is a 'north-south slopes gradient of plant communities:- South-facing plant communities: On south-facing slopes with cold and dry climate Pinus laricioEuropean Black PinePinus nigra, the European Black Pine, is a moderately variable species of pine, occurring across southern Mediterranean Europe from Spain to the Crimea, in Asia Minor and on Cyprus, and in the high mountains of the Maghreb in North Africa....
is the dominant species. Pinus laricio is also found on Mount EtnaMount EtnaMount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. It is the tallest active volcano in Europe, currently standing high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m higher than it was in 1981.. It is the highest mountain in...
up to the timberline along with the Etna birch Betula aetniensisBetula aetniensisBetula aetnensis. the Etna Birch, is a tree in the family Betulaceae. It is endemic to Sicily....
. Pinus heldreichii leucodermis is found only Pollino Mountains.
- North-facing plant communities: On north-facing slopes Silver fir Abies alba and beech Fagus sylvatica mix with Pinus laricio. Relict stands of the endemic Nebrodi fir Abies nebrodensis appear in the Madonie Mountains. The Etna summits is characterized by a shrub community of Astragalus siculusAstragalus siculusAstragalus siculus, the Sicilian Milkvetch, is a plant endemic to Sicily....
, Berberis aetnensisBerberisBerberis , the barberries or pepperidge bushes, is a genus of about 450-500 species of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from 1-5 m tall with thorny shoots, native to the temperate and subtropical regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and South America. They are closely related to the genus...
, Juniperus communisJuniperus communisJuniperus communis, the Common Juniper, is a species in the genus Juniperus, in the family Cupressaceae. It has the largest range of any woody plant, throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic south in mountains to around 30°N latitude in North America, Europe and Asia.-...
alpina and the Etna tree-broom Genista aetnensisGenista aetnensisGenista aetnensis or Mount Etna Broom is a large shrub or small tree endemic to the island of Sicily, in Italy.It is a very common constituent of the garigue plant communities, Mediterranean shrubby vegetation, around the lower slopes of Mount Etna.Young plants are typical of brooms but as they age...
.