Vegetation-environment relationships in Mediterranean mountain forests on limeless bedrocks of southern Anatolia, Turkey

The forest resources of south Anatolia (Turkey) are characterized by degradation due to wood extraction, overgrazing and fire. In the context of forest restoration, afforestation, conservation, utilization and sustainability, vegetation-environment relationships need to be known. In the study, a data set from Mediterranean mountain forests on limeless bedrocks of southern Anatolia, consisting of species cover and environmental measures in 56 sample plots, was examined with canonical correspondence analysis. Results illustrated two vegetation gradients related to factor complexes of altitude-aspect and pH-total calcium carbonate. Axis I of the ordinate was strongly related to altitude, aspect, available water percentage of Bv, field capacity percentage of Bv, schistose quartzite and soil stoniness percentage. Axis II was strongly related to total lime percentage of Ah, total lime percentage of Bv, pH of Bv, schistose quartzite, pH of Cv, pH of Ah, slope degree, respectively. Species richness was correlated to pH-total calcium carbonate gradient whereas total vegetation cover was correlated to altitude-aspect gradient.