The use of large databases to characterize habitat types: the case of Quercus suber woodlands in Europe

The conservation of habitat types has been recognized to be of relevant importance for the conservation of biodiversity and is a major concern in the European Union. With the 92/43/EEC Habitats Directive, the European Commission targeted these habitat types, which conservation must be ensured by Member States. In this context, the Habitat type 9330 “Quercus suber forests” is intended to ensure the conservation of cork oak woodlands in Europe. To support the enhancement of nature conservation policies, in this study we provide a classifcation of cork oak woodlands in Europe using a large vegetation database. We identify four major groups with clear biogeographic diferences and characterize them by lists of indicator species. We also provide distribution maps based on occurrence data and the modelled potential area of distribution as an additional tool for conservation. This study ofers a contribution to the comparative description of the European Q. suber woodlands subtypes and to establish a protocol for habitat monitoring and assessment.

Keywords

European Vegetation Archive Quercus suber woodlands Vegetation databases Vegetation classifcation Habitats Directive Structure and function

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10451/39075

Citation

Agrillo, Emiliano, Alessi, Nicola, Jiménez-Alfaro, Borja, Casella, Laura, Angelini, Pierangela, Argagnon, Olivier, Crespo, Guillermo, Fernández-González, Federico, Monteiro-Henriques, Tiago, Neto, Carlos, & Attorre, Fabio. (2018). The use of large databases to characterize habitat types: the case of Quercus suber woodlands in Europe. Rend. Fis. Acc. Lincei 29, 283–293. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-018-0703-x