A contribute to the knowledge of the climatophilous cork-oak woodlands from Iberian southwest

Abstract

This work results as an in-depth study of climatophilous cork-oak woodlands from Iberian southwest, by the necessity to profound the knowledge of this West-Mediterrenean vegetal formations, particularly in the most atlantic territories. Accordingly, we describe a new cork-oak forest association subhumid to humid, thermomediterranean, siliceous, from « Marianico-Monchiquense » sector as a climatophilous serie, named Lavandulo viridis-Quercetum suberis new ass. Their floristic, ecologic and dynamic particularities are exposed. It’s also presented a comparison with the rest of the cork-oak communities described to the Querco rotundifoliae-Oleion sylvestris Barbéro, Quézel & Rivas-Martínez in Rivas-Martínez, Costa & Izco 1986 alliance. Finally, some considerations are made about the conservation status of these sclerophyllous formations and highlighted the most important management policies that aim to protect, recover and increase the value of cork-oak forests.