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The taxonomy of Fagus in western Eurasia. 2: Fagus sylvatica subsp. sylvatica
Author(s) -
Denk Th.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
feddes repertorium
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.24
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 1522-239X
pISSN - 0014-8962
DOI - 10.1002/fedr.19991100510
Subject(s) - fagus sylvatica , beech , biology , botany , geography , homogeneous , range (aeronautics) , ecology , physics , materials science , composite material , thermodynamics
The European beech ( Fagus sylvatica subsp. sylvatica ) is known to be tremendously variable both morphologically and genetically. By undertaking field studies and morphometrical analyses a number of recurrent morphological features turned out to cause this variability. These are mostly reactions of the genus to environmental conditions as to be found, e.g. in dry and warm sites or in humid gorges etc throughout the whole range of Fagus sylvatica subsp. sylvatica. Morphotypes in Italy, the former Yugoslavia, Hungary and Bulgaria, which were described by C ZECZOTT (1933) as Fagus moesiaca , are well within the morphological range of Fagus sylvatica subsp. sylvatica and should be included in Fagus sylvatica s. str. Morphoclinal transitions can be observed in a WE direction, along a vertical belt and to a smaller extent in a NS direction. Only in the easternmost Bulgaria do hybrids with the Oriental beech ( Fagus sylvatica subsp. orientalis ) occur. Scattered populations of transitional forms, however, extend to North Greece, Central and SW Europe. Basically, European beech populations are more homogeneous than those occurring from Turkey to Iran. This might be explained by fewer and smaller refugia during the Pleistocene period as well as by the late initiation of postglacial recolonization in Europe.