Phytosociology of Atractylis cancellata and Micromeria microphylla communities in southern Italy with insights on the xerothermic steno-Mediterranean grasslands high-rank syntaxa

By

Di Pietro, Romeo
Fortini, Paola
Misano, Giuseppe
Terzi, Massimo

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021-6-30

Original Publication

Plant sociology

Volume

58

Series / Issue

Issue: 1

Pages

133--155

Subjects

Biogeography , limestone pavements , Mediterranean grasslands , micro-garrigue , Murgia Plateau , Syntaxonomy , therophytes

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Pavia Società italiana di scienza della vegetazione 2012-2019

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/pls2021581/07

 

Abstract

In the present paper a phytosociological study on the dry grassland communities identified in the western sector of the Murgia Plateau (Murgia delle Gravine) and in the Lucanian badlands territory is presented. Forty vegetation releves were carried out using the Braun-Blanquet phytosociological approach. Two new associations characterized by a therophytic dominance, namely Lysimachio foeminae-Atractylidetum cancellatae and Campanulo erini-Micromerietum microphyllae, are described and discussed from a syntaxonomic and biogeographic viewpoint. In addition, new phytosociological data concerning the Petrosedum ochroleucum communities developed on limestone outcrops, the perennial Hyparrhenia hirta steppe-like grasslands of the low-altitude areas of the Murgia hills and the small-size Brachypodium distachyum therophytic communities are presented.<br>