Marcescent quercus pyrenaica forest on the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

Deciduous forests occur widely in central-western Europe as far south as the Iberian Peninsula. In this area dominated by a Mediterranean-type climate, the marcescent endemic Quercus pyrenaica Willd. serves as an indicator of the southern limit of broad-leaved forests. Its distribution area extends from southwest France to northeast Morocco, occupying—at least potentially—large areas of the peninsula and thus covering a wide variety of environments and ecological niches that we will attempt to identify. Different community types will also be identified, based on current classifications and the latest analysis of these forests. Their uniqueness, the current situation of global change, and real threats to their conservation and existence, have made their study a pressing concern.