Quercus Forest Research Articles

Soil properties and understory herbaceous biomass in forests of three species of Quercus in Northeast Portugal

Aim of study: This paper aims to characterize some soil properties within the first 25 cm of the soil profile and the herbaceous biomass in Quercus forests, and the possible relationships between soil properties and understory standing biomass.Area of study: Three monoespecific Quercus forests (Q. suber L., Q. ilex subsp. rotundifolia Lam. and Q. pyrenaica Willd) in NE Portugal.Material and methods: During 1999 and 2000 soil properties (pH-KCl, total soil nitrogen (N), soil organic carbon (SOC), C/N ratio, available phosphorus (P), and available potassium (K)) and herbaceous biomass production of three forest types: Quercus suber L., Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia Lam. and Quercus pyrenaica Willd were studied.Main results: The results showed a different pattern of soil fertility (N, SOC, P, K) in Quercus forests in NE of Portugal. The C/N ratio and the herbaceous biomass confirmed this pattern. Research highlights: There is a pattern of Quercus sp. distribution that correlates with different soil characteristics by soil characteristics in NE Portugal. Q. pyrenaica ecosystems were found in more favoured areas (mesic conditions); Q. rotundifolia developed in nutrient-poor soils (oligotrophic conditions); and Q. suber were found in intermediate zones.Keywords: fertility; biomass; C/N ratio; cork oak; holm oak; pyrenean oak.

Impact of territorial constraints on the optimization of forest accessibility. GIS Spatial Analysis for Quercus forests in National Park of Peneda-Gerês, northwest Portugal

ArcGIS software was used for timber harvesting planning in four (4) different mountainous forest areas of Peneda-Gerês National Park (PNPG), located in Northwest Portugal. Orographic characteristics, such as slope and watershed systems features were considered. The different manual and mechanical timber extraction and concentration methods were also considered. The different typologies of roads network to access forests were also introduced in the models. The analysis allowed identifying forest areas with different accessibilities and orographic restrictions. Performed analysis also allowed the planning of additional roads necessary for timber extraction optimization, considering optimized site-by-site timber extraction methods. The proposal of accessibility improvement through new roads construction was also considered important for forest fire prevention and for fire direct combat. However, the present proposal of accessibility improvement is merely an academic exercise because nature conservation restrictions severely limit the construction of new forest roads. This methodological approach should be tested in other mountainous forest regions throughout Europe.

Human-derived landscape changes on the northern Etruria coast (western Italy) between Roman times and the late Middle Ages

Anthracological analysis has been carried out in three sites located on the Tyrrhenian coast of central Italy (ancient northern Etruria: the castle of Donoratico, the town of Populonia and the port of Alberese), spanning between the Roman Republican Period and the Late Middle Ages (3rd century bc–13th century ad). The integrated comparison of three different local charcoal data with the regional pollen and microcharcoal data available from northern Etruria showed well that vegetation changes are completely independent of climate and strictly connected to economic and social dynamics characterising the history of this part of central Italy. Indeed, Quercus ilex forests progressively retracted from the 3rd century bc in favour of open macchia formations just during the growing human impact of the Romanisation when intensive agriculture and livestock grazing characterised the economic system. The transition from macchia to deciduous Quercus forest at the end of the Roman Period from the mid-4th to the mid-5th centuries ad and long lasting until the 9th–10th centuries ad was related to economic and cultural factors which led to a phase of land abandonment. Finally, between the 11th and 13th centuries ad, the vegetation cover shifted again towards an open macchia environment at the same time of a re-settlement phase well evidenced also by intensive orcharding. Charcoal data also showed that the expansion of olive and chestnut in central Italy only began in the Late Medieval Period (11th century ad) and not in the Roman Period. This means that extensive cultivation of chestnut and olive has very recent origins and should be attributed to one and the same macro-factor such as the set-up of the economic establishment of the feudal system and the later political organism of the Medieval town.

Effects of intermediate-scale wind disturbance on composition, structure, and succession in Quercus stands: Implications for natural disturbance-based silviculture

Forest disturbances are discrete events in space and time that disrupt the biophysical environment and impart lasting legacies on forest composition and structure. Disturbances are often classified along a gradient of spatial extent and magnitude that ranges from catastrophic events where most of the overstory is removed to gap-scale events that modify local environmental conditions only. Without question, a paucity of data is available on disturbance events of the intermediate scale (i.e. those events too localized to be classed as catastrophic and too widespread to be considered gap scale). The specific objectives of this study were to quantify and compare canopy structure, understory light regimes, woody species composition, and tree species diversity along a gradient of canopy disturbance caused by an EF1 tornado and to analyze the influence of intermediate-scale disturbance on the successional trajectory of an upland Quercus forest. Statistically significant differences in diversity measures between control (no storm damage), light, or moderate damage class plots were only found in the sapling layer. We documented significant differences (P<0.01) in percent of intercepted PAR between the control and moderate damage classes and between moderate and light classes. Three growing seasons post-disturbance, the understory light regime had largely returned to pre-disturbance conditions. The disturbance event acted primarily as a release mechanism for advanced reproduction in the understory and for stems in the midstory. Our results provide quantitative information on disturbances of this extent and magnitude and can be used to guide silvicultural systems designed to emulate natural disturbance processes, which is an increasingly popular management approach especially on public lands.

Inventario florístico de la cañada La Chacona–Juan Crispín y zonas adyacentes, Depresión Central de Chiapas, México

&#x0D; Se presenta un listado florístico de la Cañada La Chacona-Juan Crispín, Chiapas, dentro de los municipios de San Fernando, Tuxtla Gutiérrez y Berriozábal, Chiapas. Se reportan 642 especies y 31 infraespecies, agrupadas en 107 familias y 412 géneros. En Bosque Tropical Caducifolio, Bosque Tropical Subcaducifolio y Bosque de Quercus dentro de los municipios de San Fernando, Tuxtla Gutiérrez y Berriozábal, Chiapas. El Bosque tropical caducifolio fue el de mayor riqueza. Las familias mejor representadas fueron Fabaceae, Asteraceae y Euphorbiaceae. Tillandsia , Eugenia y Euphorbia fueron los géneros con un mayor número de especies. Las hierbas conformaron la forma de crecimiento más abundante (34.4%). Se encontraron 13 especies endémicas a Chiapas y 19 de distribución restringida. Quince especies están en alguna categoría de riesgo dentro de la Norma Oficial Mexicana (NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010) y 12 se encuentran en la Lista Roja de la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza. Aunque el grado de perturbación de la zona es alto, el área es importante por su riqueza de especies y presencia de endemismos.&#x0D;

Holocene fire regimes, vegetation and biogeochemistry of an ecotone site in the Great Lakes Region of North America

AbstractQuestionAs anthropogenic change pushes ecosystems towards historically novel states, understanding how landscape disturbances interact with climate variability becomes increasingly important. We reconstructed the Holocene vegetation and fire history of a small watershed to investigate the linkages among disturbance regimes, biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem structure. Specifically we asked: (i) how do compositional and structural changes in forest ecosystems modify fire regimes; and (ii) how do changes in fuel type and fire regimes impact biogeochemical cycling?LocationComstock Lake, Wisconsin, USA, a small kettle lake at the modern prairie–forest ecotone in the Great Lakes Region of North America.MethodsWe analysed a lacustrine sediment core from Comstock Lake, Wisconsin, for paleoecological proxies including charcoal quantity and morphotype, pollen composition, magnetic susceptibility, organic matter concentration and stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes. These paleoecological variables were used to reconstruct climate‐mediated shifts in vegetation, fire disturbance and biogeochemical cycling during the last 13 200 calendar years before present (cal yr BP).ResultsForest composition in the landscape surrounding Comstock Lake varied among coniferous forest, deciduous forest and savanna over the Holocene. Independent of the vegetation changes, five distinct fire regimes were identified, ranging from frequent, low‐intensity surface fires to infrequent, high‐intensity crown fires. The main feature of our vegetation reconstruction is a shift from Pinus to Quercus forest that occurred between 10 000 and 11 000 cal yr BP. However, changes in fuel source and forest structure were apparently more important than shifts of species composition in determining fire regimes. We observed an inverse relationship between non‐arboreal fuel sources and biomass burning throughout all five fire regimes. The biogeochemical consequences of fires were apparent during some, but not all regime transitions. Generally, the sediments were composed of relatively small clastic inputs from the catchment and mostly autochthonous organic sources.ConclusionThe location of Comstock Lake on the prairie–forest boundary meant that regional climate signals during the Holocene were filtered through vegetation. Both compositional changes in dominant tree taxa and structural changes in canopy openness influenced fire regimes.

Vegetation and landscape from 14th to 17th century AD in Marseille city centre, reconstructed from insect and pollen assemblages

Archaeological excavations performed at “Place du Général-de-Gaulle” in the centre of the city of Marseille provided sediment samples spanning the period 14th–17th century AD and enabled insect and pollen analyses to be made in order to reconstruct vegetation and landscape of the ancient city outskirts. Insect and pollen assemblages reveal that fauna and flora in the area were heavily transformed by agriculture and pastoralism. Stands of Pinus halepensis Mill. (Aleppo pine) and Pinus sylvestris L. (scots pine), deciduous Quercus groves and remnants of Mediterranean Quercus forest with Quercus ilex L. (holm oak) and Phillyrea (mock privet) dominated the landscape. A typical shruby Mediterranean vegetation (“garrigue”) with Cistaceae (rockrose), Lamiaceae (Sideritis) and Scrophulariaceae occurred nearby. Both pollen and insect evidence suggest that Olea europaea L. (olive tree), Ficus carica L. (common fig) and cereals were cultivated. Nitrophilous plants along with dung beetles indicate that livestock was abundant. Herbaceous plant dependent Coleoptera show that a ruderal vegetation associated with wastelands was established, but hygrophilous plants occurred locally in more humid areas. A variety of darkling beetles is recorded, and indicates that ruins and old stone walls were available. High numbers of beetles associated with pieces of wood soaked with seawater agrees with the hypothesis of a shipyard located nearby, and both halophilous ground-beetles and plants (Chenopodiaceae) indicate that saltpans were probably established in the area, as suggested by archaeological and historical data. Comparison between insect and pollen records shows that (1) there is a broad agreement between both records, (2) phytophagous insects may confirm the local presence of plant taxa, (3) the presence of plants not indicated in the pollen record may be revealed by phytophagous insects only, (4) insect data may provide abundant and original information concerning past human activities and anthropogenic environment.

Inventario micobiótico de la región de Tapalpa, Jalisco, México

Se presentan 233 taxa (especies y variedades) de hongos (229 macromicetes y cuatro micromicetes) de la región de Tapalpa, Jalisco. El material estudiado fue recolectado en los años 2000 al 2003, principalmente en bosques de Pinus y Quercus. Se examinaron además otros ejemplares depositados en el Herbario IBUG provenientes de dicha área. Se registran por primera vez de Jalisco 21 taxa. Doscientos cinco especies (88%) pertenecen a Basidiomycota, 22 (9.5%) a Ascomycota y 6 (2.5%) a Myxomycota. Éste constituye el primer inventario micológico de la zona.

Two new species of Cortinarius, subgenus Telamonia, sections Colymbadini and Uracei, from Europe

Two new Cortinarius species are described from European Quercus forests and one new combination is made based on molecular and morphological data. Cortinarius uraceomajalis is a vernal species currently only known from Hungary, Bulgaria and Italy, but likely is common throughout central and south-eastern Europe. Cortinarius uraceonemoralis is a widely distributed species in Europe. The new combination Cortinarius nolaneiformis is based on Hydrocybe nolaneiformis Velen. and is a widespread vernal species in Europe. Cortinarius uraceomajalis and C. nolaneiformis are preliminarily placed in sect. Colymbadini, characterized by having a positive (yellow) UV reaction, while C. uraceonemoralis with a UV negative reaction is placed in sect. Uracei. A neotype is selected for C. colymbadinus and C. uraceus to stabilize the nomenclature. Taxonomic novelties: Cortinarius uraceomajalis Dima, Liimat., Niskanen & Bojantchev, Cortinarius uraceonemoralis Niskanen, Liimat., Dima, Kytov., Bojantchev & H. Lindstr., Cortinarius nolaneiformis (Velen.) Dima, Niskanen & Liimat.

The cultural significance of wild mushrooms in San Mateo Huexoyucan, Tlaxcala, Mexico

BackgroundWe performed an ethnomycological study in a community in Tlaxcala, Central Mexico to identify the most important species of wild mushrooms growing in an oak forest, their significance criteria, and to validate the Cultural Significance Index (CSI).MethodsThirty-three mestizo individuals were randomly selected in San Mateo Huexoyucan and were asked seven questions based on criteria established by the CSI. Among the 49 mushroom species collected in the oak forest and open areas, 20 species were mentioned most often and were analyzed in more detail. Ordination and grouping techniques were used to determine the relationship between the cultural significance of the mushroom species, according to a perceived abundance index, frequency of use index, taste score appreciation index, multifunctional food index, knowledge transmission index, and health index.ResultsThe mushrooms with highest CSI values were Agaricus campestris, Ramaria spp., Amanita aff. basii, Russula spp., Ustilago maydis, and Boletus variipes. These species were characterized by their good taste and were considered very nutritional. The species with the lowest cultural significance included Russula mexicana, Lycoperdon perlatum, and Strobylomyces strobilaceus. The ordination and grouping analyses identified four groups of mushrooms by their significance to the people of Huexoyucan. The most important variables that explained the grouping were the taste score appreciation index, health index, the knowledge transmission index, and the frequency of use index.ConclusionsA. aff. basii and A. campestris were the most significant wild mushrooms to the people of San Mateo. The diversity of the Russula species and the variety of Amanita and Ramaria species used by these people was outstanding. Environments outside the forest also produced useful resources. The CSI used in Oaxaca was useful for determining the cultural significance of mushrooms in SMH, Tlaxcala. This list of mushrooms can be used in conservation proposals for the Quercus forests in the area.

Soil organic matter quality in three Mediterranean environments (a first barrier against desertification in Europe)

The aim of this study was to establish the effect of parent material, climate conditions and vegetation type on soil organic matter (SOM) quality in different Mediterranean environments as an essential step for assessing soil stability; ecosystems in the first barrier against desertification in the western Mediterranean region. Thirty-six samples were taken from the organic-mineral horizon of unreclaimed soils with calcareous, acid metamorphic and calcareous/volcanic substratums; and from beneath three vegetation types (natural forests, reforested forests and scrublands) in areas of significant ecological value. The humus fractions and soil respiratory activity of bulk soil samples were studied, and some structural features of the humic acids extracted were characterized by elemental analysis and visible and infrared spectroscopies. Results indicate that SOM in the surface horizons of the calcareous and calcareous/volcanic areas showed higher biogeochemical transformation, where microbial synthesis in humic acids formation, including condensation mechanisms, prevails. In contrast, the acid metamorphic area showed the greatest differences, and would be considered more fragile in terms of organic matter stability to changes in the biogeochemical system. The results also indicate some differences due to the type of vegetation on soil humus chemistry. Under reforested forests of Pinus in an edaphic acid environment, humic acids showed a marked aliphatic character, displayed higher 2920 cm-1 IR band, well defined typical lignin patterns, and higher E4/E6 ratio, i.e., accumulation of inherited macromolecular substances. The SOM beneath scrubland and natural Quercus forests may be said to be more decomposed (active breakdown of biomacromolecules) than beneath Pinus, humic acids exhibited higher aromaticity and were associated with accumulation of newly formed perylenequinonic chromophors of fungal origin, i.e., was at more advanced and complex stages of humification.

자연림 군집형 분류에 의한 교란의 정도와 임분 발달 사이의 관련성 검토

The correlation between disturbance intensity and stand development was evaluated on the basis of natural forest community type classification in areas of Baekhaksan (more disturbed area) and Hwangaksan (less disturbed area). The vegetation data were collected by point-centered quarter sampling method, and they were subjected to cluster analysis for classifying community types and to analysis of species composition and species diversity for reviewing ecological characteristics. By the method of cluster analysis, natural forests of Baekhaksan were classified into Quercus forest community, Pinus densiflora community, Q. variabilis community, and Q. mongolica community. Those of Hwangaksan were divided into P. densiflora community, Q. mongolica community, Q. forest community, and Mixed mesophytic community. It is presumed that more developed and less disturbed forest area shows multiple species community pattern and more diversified structure than less developed and more disturbed forest area. In Korean peninsula, the abundance of red pine may play an important indicator to estimate the developmental pattern of the forest after artificial disturbance. The overall evaluation indicated that less disturbed Hwangaksan area had more developed stand pattern with mixed mesophytic community, more complicated species composition, and higher species diversity than Baekhaksan area.

Dos especies nuevas del género Boletus (Boletales: Agaricomycetes) en México

Two new species of the genus Boletus collected in a Quercus Forest from Nuevo León and Tamaulipas states, Mexico, are described and illustrated for the first time for science: Boletus paulae and B. singeri. Boletus paulae belongs to the sect. Luridi and B. singeri to the sect. Subpruinosi of the genus Boletus. Both species are considered mycorrhizal, the first with Quercus fusiformis and Q. polymorpha and the second with Q. canbyi. The specimens are deposited in the Herbaria ITCV and UNL with duplicates in F and ENCB Herbaria. Besides, keys are provided for determining Mexican species of the sect. Luridi and Subpruinosi that grow in Mexico.

Flora y vegetación del cerro El Águila, Michoacán, México

Con base en trabajo de campo realizado entre 2007 y 2010 en el cerro El Águila, la montaña más alta localizada en los municipios de Lagunillas y Morelia, Michoacán, se registraron 105 familias, 343 géneros, 633 especies y 42 taxa infraespecíficos. Las familias más diversas fueron Asteraceae (153 especies), Fabaceae (53) y Poaceae (34). Los géneros con mayor riqueza de especies fueron Salvia (17), Stevia (12) y Verbesina (11). Las especies de hierbas conforman el 72.4% del total de la flora. Se describe la fisonomía y las especies más abundantes de cinco tipos de vegetación. Los bosques de Pinus-Quercus y Quercus son los tipos de vegetación con mayor número de especies (286 y 383, respectivamente). De acuerdo con la NOM-059-ECOL-2010 se consideran cinco Especies Sujetas a Protección Especial ( Cedrela dugesii, Cupressus lusitanica, Dahlia scapigera, Gentiana spathacea y Laelia speciosa ) y una en Peligro de Extinción ( Tilia americana var. mexicana ). Se enfatiza la importancia de coordinar esfuerzos hacia la conservación del cerro El Águila, cuya flora y vegetación se encuentran amenazadas por los cambios de uso de suelo.

Postglacial vegetation history as recorded from the subalpine Lake Ribno (NW Rila Mts), Bulgaria

AbstractA pollen analysis conducted on a 600 cm core from Lake Ribno (2184 m) in the Northwestern Rila Mountains, supplemented by 13 radiocarbon dates, has revealed the basic stages in its postglacial vegetation dynamics. The lateglacial vegetation, composed of Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae and Poaceae, with stands of Pinus and Juniperus-Ephedra shrubland, dominated in the stadials and partly retreated during the Bølling/Allerød interstadial (14700–12900 cal. yrs. BP). The afforestation in the early Holocene (11600–7800 cal. yrs. BP) started with pioneer Betula forests, with groups of Pinus and Juniperus at mid-high altitudes, and Quercus forests with Tilia, Ulmus, Fraxinus, Corylus below the birch zone. A coniferous belt composed of Pinus sylvestris, P. peuce and Abies was shaped under the conditions of a more humid climate (7800–5800 cal. yrs. BP). The last trees that invaded the study area were Fagus after 4300 cal. yrs. BP and Picea abies after 3400 cal. yrs. BP. Evidence for destructive changes in the vegetation and indications of agricultural and stock-breeding activities (pollen of Triticum, Secale, Plantago lanceolata, Rumex, Juglans) was continuously recorded since the Late Bronze Age (3400–3200 cal. yrs. BP). The postglacial vegetation history in the Northwestern Rila Mountains demonstrated close similarities with that of the Northern Pirin Mountains.

Holocene vegetation and climate on Hokkaido Island, northern Japan

Hokkaido is classified into five regions based on climatic features: the Japan Sea coast, the Pacific coast, the Okhotsk Sea coast, the inland region, and southwest Hokkaido. Holocene vegetation and climate changes at twelve sites selected from these regions are reviewed and compared. On the Japan Sea coast, Picea and Quercus pollen fluctuated at millennial scale, matching with pulses of the Tsushima Current revealed from diatom-based temperature reconstructions in the Japan Sea. A marine core obtained from off the Pacific coast revealed a maritime climate through increasing Betula pollen percentages during the last deglaciation and early Holocene. In summer, dense sea fog resulting from the Oyashio Cold Current and Ogasawara High caused a maritime climate on the Pacific coast. Pollen percentages of Betula ermanii, which is well adapted to the maritime climate in Northeast Asia, increased during this period. Vegetation changes on the Okhotsk Sea coast and in inland regions were similar, indicating similar climatic changes. In these regions, Quercus forests have been distributed steadily since 8000 BP under a warm and moist climate, except for the northern coast, at the Sea of Okhotsk, where Picea and Abies increased slightly since 2000 BP. In southwest Hokkaido, Quercus began to increase 1000 years earlier than in other regions. Fagus crenata migrated from Honshu Island to southernmost Hokkaido around 6000 BP and reached the current northern limit around 1000 BP. The period during which Quercus pollen percentages increased is recognized in almost all regions at around 8000–9000 BP. However, local factors, such as river flooding and local strong winds, also influenced the vegetation changes. Comparison of the vegetation changes in three neighboring regions of Northeast Asia indicate abrupt warming at around 8000–9000 BP and cooling at 2500 BP common to all regions, suggesting global climatic changes.

Pisolithus: a new species from southeast Asia and a new combination

Based on morphological and ITS nrDNA sequence analyses, a species recognized in classical European literature as Lycoperdon capsulifer is transferred to Pisolithus and P. orientalis is proposed as a new species. Pisolithus orientalis basidiomes, collected under Pinus kesiya in Thailand, correspond to Pisolithus sp. 5 sensu Martin et al. Pisolithus sp. 4 sensu Martin et al. is shown to comprise two groups, one equivalent to P. arhizus as collected from Pinus and Quercus forests from Italy and Spain and the other represented by the new P. capsulifer from mixed pine-deciduous forests in England and France.

Vegetation and fire history with their implication for climatic change and fire events since the last deglacial in the Aso Valley, central Kyushu, southwestern Japan: new pollen and charcoal data

To better understand the response of forest vegetation to climate and fire regimes with reference to human activities over the last deglacial period in the Aso Caldera, central Kyushu, southwestern Japan, a 33.9 m long sediment core was examined in order to reconstruct the vegetational and fire history using pollen and charcoal analyses. The results show that a cool temperate broad-leaved deciduous forest, dominated by Quercus (deciduous oaks) with Carpinus and Fagus, prevailed in the Aso Valley from ca. 14.6 ka cal. b.p., indicating warming since the last glacial period. The landscape was presumably covered by a mosaic of deciduous Quercus forests and terrestrial Artemisia communities. Around 12.8–11.7 ka cal. b.p., Quercus dominated the forest and fires occurred frequently. Co-expansion of distinctive Ulmus–Zelkova and Celtis–Aphananthe forests coupled with a progressive retreat of Quercus in the early Holocene could reflect a strengthening of the East Asian summer monsoon under mild and humid climate conditions. Around 8 ka cal. b.p., significant increases in Cyclobalanopsis (evergreen oaks), Castanopsis/Castanea and Podocarpus indicate a further warming, in particular an increased winter temperature. Warm temperate lucidophyllous forests, dominated by Cyclobalanopsis, flourished after 7.3 ka cal. b.p., probably corresponding to the “Holocene Climatic Optimum” interval. Progressive expansion of Quercus at the expense of Cyclobalanopsis began around 6.4 ka cal. b.p. and paralleled an increase in charcoal until ca. 4.8 ka cal. b.p.; this could be evidence of fire disturbance induced by the early-middle Jomon people. The disturbed evergreen forest experienced a temporary recovery but then opened again from 3.6 ka cal. b.p. due to extensive fire deforestation, as suggested by the high charcoal levels during this time. Human exploitation and buckwheat (Fagopyrum) agriculture may have contributed to the opening of the forest, which allowed secondary forests (primarily Pinus and Quercus) and herbaceous communities (mainly Poaceae) to spread. These results are discussed in comparison with other high-resolution pollen data from western Japan to better elucidate the vegetation and fire history over the last deglacial in the Aso Caldera.

The Flora of the Tenancingo-Malinalco-Zumpahuacán Protected Natural Area, State of Mexico, Mexico

Abstract. The Malinalco-Tenancingo-Zumpahuacan Protected Natural Area measures roughly 150 km2, within the eponymous municipalities in the State of Mexico. We undertook a comprehensive flora of the region to obtain a database with 7,187 records. The identified specimens comprise 165 families, 724 genera, and 1,704 species. The most representative families are Asteraceae with 85 genera and 191 species; Leguminosae with 51 genera and 136 species (Fabaceae 79, Mimosaceae 43 and Caesalpiniaceae 14); Poaceae with 40 genera and 89 species; and Orchidaceae with 40 genera and 90 species. We identified six distinct types of vegetation: tropical deciduous forest, tropical subdeciduous forest, montane mesophytic forest, Quercus forest, Pinus-Quercus forest, and gallery forest. In addition, we provide a list of 287 endemic species and 336 new species reports for the State of Mexico.

Predicting distributional change of forest cover and volume in future climate of South Korea

This study was performed to estimate the forest cover and volume change using the potential forest cover map and National Forest Inventory (NFI) data of South Korea. The regression models were developed to predict mean diameter at breast height (DBH), tree height (h) and number of trees (Nha) for Pinus densifloraroman Pinus koraiensisroman Pinus rigidaroman Larix kaempferiroman Castanea crenata and Quercus spp. stand using NFI data. The second step was to prepare potential forest cover maps after 50 and 100 years using the Hydrological and Thermal Analogy Groups (HyTAGs), and then we compared the produced map with the present forest cover map. For the area where forest cover is changed after 50 years, therefore, the volume could be calculated using regression models and DBH and tree height estimated by “age class 1” in this study. On the other hand, the volume of unchanged forest area could be predicted with DBH k+5 and Nhak+5 adding age class 5 (50 years) to the present age class k on the forest cover map. The forest volume after 100 years was also calculated with the same process of after-50 years. As a result, it was predicted that the forest cover would be changed rapidly into Quercus spp. forests for the coming 100 years, accompanying the diminution of coniferous forest. The forest volume would dramatically decrease by 358,719,160 m3 for the coming 50 years because about 80% of coniferous forests are changed into young forests of Quercus spp. by climate change. The forest volume after 100 years would increase to 315,810,920 m3 due to the growth of young forest during 50 years. However, it should be noted that the change of forest cover and volume was estimated without the consideration of mortality, thinning, and tree planting in this study.