Disjunct Distribution Patterns in Vascular Flora of the Sudetes

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the disjunctive distribution patterns of vascular plants in the central part of the Sudetes, a mountain range in central Europe. These disjunctions concern mainly species occurring in the highest massifs located over 100 km apart. We studied (1) distribution patterns of 55 taxa in the Sudetes defined on the basis of chorological studies, (2) types of distribution of these plants in Europe based on a hierarchic system of floristic geoelements, and (3) vertical ranges of taxa with a special focus on their absolute minimum and maximum altitudes. The disjunctions were formed during warm periods of the Holocene; in the central part of the Sudetes, there are no relic treeless habitats that could explain the occurrence of the studied species. The largest refugia of these species are in glacial cirques and nival hollows of the Karkonosze Mts. (Poland) and the Hrubý Jesenik Mts. (Czech Republic).