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Phytocoenological characteristics of submontane – sub-Pannonian beech forests of northern Croatia

The standard Central European phytocoenological method (Braun-Blanquet 1964) was used to investigate colline and submontane beech forests on loess formations and Tertiary rhomboid sand layers of sub-Pannonian mountains in Croatia. These forests differ from other beech forests in Croatia in terms of floristic composition, physiognomy and ecology. They are basically characterized by the relatively poor and homogeneous floristic composition, the absence of numerous species of the Illyrian alliance Aremonio-Fagion, the constancy of species of Central European beech forests, the distinct dominance of beech and the occurrence of the species Festuca drymeia, Carex pilosa and Rubus hirtus in the layer of ground vegetation. The forests extend from 180 to 500 m a. s. l. and grow on illimerized and brown illimerized soils. The climate is marked with average annual air temperatures of about 10 to 11 ˚C and rainfall from 800 to 1000 mm. These stands have been described similarly in research to date ; however, they have undergone different nomenclature and synsystematic classification. In the majority of the works they are placed in the Illyrian alliance Aremonio-Fagion and its sub-alliance Epimedio-Fagenion, but several phytocoenologists include them into the Central European alliance Fagion. Such discrepancies are most frequently attributed to their transitional character from the Dinaric towards the Pannonian area, the specific pedological-lithological structure, as well as the strong anthropogenic influence which has altered its authentic composition and structure. The paper presents the results of the authors' more recent research and some earlier relevant works related to this topic. The studied beech forests were synoptically and statistically compared with the neighbouring beech forests of the Illyrian character, with beech forests of southern Hungary, and with the Central European association Galio odorati-Fagetum. Their internal classification and other features important for their identity and differentiation from the related syntaxa are given.

Phytocoenological characteristics; submontane - sub-Pannonian beech forests; northern Croatia; Cephalantero longifoliae-Fagetum

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