Abstract
The importance of mountains for plant diversity and richness is underestimated, particularly when transition zones between different bioclimates are present along altitudinal gradients. Here we present the first floristic data for a mountain area in the island of Sardinia (Italy), which exhibits Mediterranean bioclimates at the bottom and temperate bioclimate at the top. We discovered a very high floristic richness, despite the fact that the number of endemic taxa is not high and the number of exclusive taxa is very low. Many of the detected taxa are at their range periphery and/or ecological margin. We conclude that climate transition zones in Mediterranean mountains and especially on islands are key areas regarding plant biodiversity and should be better investigated and protected.
Highlights
Mountains are a critical landscape and ecosystem; they provide water for the lowlands but are a source of well-being and inspiration for numerous people (Korner 2004)
Mountain biodiversity can be studied at a multitude of scales in space, time and function (Molau 2004)
The populations we have examined in the Marghine-Goceano range have the characters of Malus domestica, not M. sylvestris
Summary
Mountains are a critical landscape and ecosystem; they provide water for the lowlands but are a source of well-being and inspiration for numerous people (Korner 2004). Mountains biota are determined by a series of climatically different life zones over short elevational distances (Rahbek 1995, Korner 2000, Hemp 2002, Korner and Paulsen 2004), which often result in areas of high biodiversity of high conservation interest (Korner 2004). Those areas are under high threat regarding climate change, as it is expected that they experience drastic changes (Inouye 2008). The high genetic differentiation between populations underlines the conservation relevance of those populations
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