Floristic and ecological diversity of stands dominated by Carpinus orientalis in gorges and canyons of eastern Serbia (SE Europe)

Abstract

We investigated stands dominated by Carpinus orientalis Mill. in five gorges and canyons across eastern Serbia. Floristic and ecological analyses were conducted on a dataset of 102 phytosociological relevés collected in the field and 33 relevés from the existing literature. Hierarchical classification distinguished four groups of phytosociological relevés within the dataset. Floristic composition, diversity and phytogeographical characteristics of the groups were determined. These groups occur in ecologically different habitats and differ with respect to ecological gradients. Non-metric multidimensional scaling revealed that the main gradients that influence the variation in the floristic composition were moisture, nutrients, temperature and light. The results obtained in our analyses allowed us to describe the new association Seslerio filifoliae–Carpinetum orientalis ass. nova hoc loco, that occupies very steep and stony slopes, and is developing at altitudes between 80 and 550 m a.s.l. in all aspects.