Numerical classification and ordination of the floodplain forests in the Euxine region of Turkey

Abstract

In this study, the phytosociological structure of floodplain forests in the Euxine region of Turkey was examined from a large-scale perspective. For this goal, all of the published releves were analyzed using the numerical classification and ordination techniques, which are widely used in phytosociological studies all over the world. In summary, a syntaxonomical scheme for floodplain forests with 11 communities (five associations and one alliance were newly identified) was suggested as follows: Fraxino angustifoliae - Ulmetum laevis Slavic 1952 allerietosum petiolatae Kavgaci et al. subass. nov. hoc loco; Fraxino angustifoliae - Ulmetum laevis Slavic 1952 junglandetosum regiae Kavgaci et al. 2011; Leucojo aestivi - Fraxinetum angustifoliae Glavac 1959 alnetosum glutinosae Glavac 1959; Smilaco excelsae - Fraxinetum angustifoliae Pavlov et Dimitrov 2002 prunellotosum vulgaris Pavlov et Dimitrov 2002; Apocyno veneti - Fraxinetum angustifoliae (Ozen 2010) Kavgaci et al. ass. nov. hoc loco; Euphorbio strictae - Fraxinetum angustifoliae (Aydogdu 1988) Kavgaci et al. ass. nov. hoc loco (Alno - Quercion, Populetalia alba, Salici purpureae - Populetea nigrae); Aro hygrophyli - Fraxinetum angustifoliae (Kutbay et al. 1998) Kavgaci et al. ass. nova hoc loco; Pterocaryo pterocarpae - Alnetum barbatae Quezel et al. 1992; Platanthero chloranthae - Fraxinetum oxycarpae Korkmaz et al. 2012; Sambuco ebuli - Alnetum barbatae (Korkmaz et al. 2012) Kavgaci et al. ass. nov. hoc loco (Periploco graecae - Fraxinion angustifoliae Kavgaci et al. all. nova hoc loco, Populetalia alba, Salici purpureae - Populetea nigrae); and Geranio robertiani - Carpinetum betuli Kavgaci et al. 2011 (Carpino betuli - Fagion orientalis, Rhododendro pontici - Fagetalia orientalis, Querco - Fagatea).