In:
Ecologia mediterranea, PERSEE Program, Vol. 30, No. 2 ( 2004), p. 137-146
Abstract:
In this study the effects of wood-pasturage on species composition and forest structure in the Quercus frainetto forest of Folói are described. This is the most extensive broadleaved forest of Peloponnese and southern Greece and unique in that there is evidence of several thousand years of existence. The variation in plant species composition among, and the differences between , grazed and ungrazed forest stands are analysed by means of ordination (correspondence analysis). Species indicative for grazing or its withdrawal are listed. Annuals and certain perennials with good regeneration capacity are indicative for grazed plots , while a dense shrub layer with Arbutus unedo and Erica arborea is related to ungrazed plots. Generally, in the absence of grazing the development of the herb and shrub layer is enhanced. Forest stands in exclosures tend to produce denser canopies, oak rejuvenation is more abundant, and the trees are higher and more vital than outside . In grazed woodland , litter and organic matter are less abundant and the degree of parasitism by Loranthus europaeus is higher. Our results suggest two possible conservation options for the study area, viz. (a) controlled grazing regime in the framework of a traditional but sustainable agro-silvopastoralistic system or (b) a concept towards a natural forest ecosystem.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0153-8756
DOI:
10.3406/ecmed.2004.1454
Language:
French
Publisher:
PERSEE Program
Publication Date:
2004
SSG:
12
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