Acidophilous grasslands in the Locarnese region (Southern Switzerland): description and classification of main plant communities

By

Lagnaz, Danièle
Trotta, Giacomo
Prunier, Patrice
Krüsi, Bertil
Boscutti, Francesco

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023-9-28

Original Publication

Plant sociology

Volume

60

Series / Issue

Issue: 2

Pages

71--91

Subjects

dry meadows , Festuco-Brometea , Insubria , Molinio-Arrhenatheretea , Nardetea strictae , Pastures , Phytosociology

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Pavia Società italiana di scienza della vegetazione 2012-2019

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/pls2023602/05

 

Abstract

This paper presents a phytosociological study of dry and mesophilous meadows and pastures in the Locarnese region (Insubria - Southern Switzerland). Seventy-one vegetation relevés were analysed using both hierarchical classification and nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination. Seven main clusters were identified and described as follows: (i) xerophytic grasslands on sandy soil dominated by Koeleria macrantha; (ii) mesophilous meadows with Arrhenatherum elatius and Centaurea transalpina; (iii) semi-dry meadows with Chrysopogon gryllus; (iv) semi-dry grasslands with Carex fritschii and Thalictrum minus; (v) nutrient-poor Phyteuma betonicifolium-Festuca nigrescens montane zone grasslands; Nardus stricta grasslands dominated by (vi) Festuca paniculata or (vii) Carex pilulifera. From a phytosociological point of view, a new association named Phyteumo betonicifolii-Festucetum nigrescentis, classified into the Nardo strictae-Agrostion tenuis alliance was proposed. In addition, we confirmed the presence of the Holco-Chrysopogonetum grylli association, within the Bromion erecti, which up to now was provisional only.