The presence of Quercus estremadurensis O. Schwarz in Iberian Peninsula - Sintaxonomic and Biogeographic analysis
Creators: name: Vila-Viçosa, Carlos
name: Lomba, Ângela
name: Almeida, Rubim
name: Mendes, Paula
name: Pinto-Gomes, Carlos
name: Meireles, Catarina
name: Mohedano, Rafael
name: Vázquez-Pardo, Francisco M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Quercus estremadurensis
Quercus robur
Geobotany
Phytosociology
Biogeography
Monchique
Campanulo alatae-Quercetum estremadurensis

description: Following PhD thesis work surveys on Monchiquense District, the presence of Quercus estremadurensis O. Schwarz was noticed in the catenal dynamics of Avenello strictae-Quercetum marianicae woodlands, ecologically related to freatic and temporihygrophilous positions. Thenceforth, it has been re-discovered, trough fieldwork and Herbaria research, in several biogeographic territories, namely in the Southwestern and Western part of Iberian Peninsula, following the border between Eurosiberian and Mediterranean macrobioclima-tes, as well as in relictual groves of semi-deciduous woodlands, in humid and hyperoceanic areas. Here, we combine the phytosociological methodology with species distribution modelling (SDMs) to clarify the sintaxonomic affiliation of these rare formations, and to present a spatially-explicit model for its potential distribution. BIOMOD2 ensemble modelling framework was implemented to build Q. estremadurensis potential distribution in the Iberian Peninsula, considering climate, slope, land use and soil, as ecologically relevant determinants, for the species distribution. In the lack of absence data, pseudo-absences have been randomly selected from the studied area excluding available presence points. The predictive <br> performance per variable was assessed using a randomization procedure as implemented in BIOMOD2. <br> Being present in several biogeographic territories, from Portuguese-Divisorian and Algarvian-Monchiquense Sub-Provinces, passing through Luso-Extremadurean and Carpetanan-Leonese ones, we analyze four possible syntaxons occurring in the frame of Quercion broteroi and Aceri granatensis-Quercion fagineae, deeply related to the biogeographic territories where they occur . Ecologically prone to streams and deep valleys, normally in the midst of Pruno-Rubion dense thorn-bushes, mature and pure woodlands are totally absent in all studied territories, due the heavy landscape transformation, which made this study and interpretation of these formations hard and tricky. <br> Also, in the absence of phylogeographic and molecular essays, relating the independence or infra-specific range of Quercus estremadurensis O. Schwarz, inside the broad sense of Quercus robur L., this taxon faces great menace, mainly by introgression features with broad sense Quercus faginea Lam., Q. marianica C. Vicioso / Q. canariensis Willd. and also Q. pyrenaica Willd.
description: Disclaimer: The presented PDF, has updated nomenclatural issues, linked with oak (Quercus L.) taxonomy and forest syntaxonomy in Southern Portugal, namely related with Campanulo alatae-Quercetum estremadurensis ass. nova, which autorship belongs to the present authors, but has been unethically plagiated by colleagues.