![]() ![]() The major forests in this area are beech, oak, birch, and fir.īeech forests A forest of European beech and European silver firīeech forests ( Fagus sylvatica) are found in the mountain layer of the Iberian Eurosiberian region from 800 to 1500 metres up. Clumps of thorny shrubs grow also in glades and clearings, such as the wild rose, blackberry bushes, blackthorn, hawthorn and other more or less thorny shrubs this role can also be filled by smaller thorny plants, los piornales, and clumps of broom. Improvement by humans has transformed much of this woodland into meadows, which conserve at their edges remnant hedgerows, "setos", of the species of the primitive forest. The Mediterranean influence is felt in the presence of Holm oaks ( Quercus rotundifolia) with bay laurel, which are situated on the warmest crests and slopes, especially above chalky soil, where the dryness becomes more pronounced. The mountain layer is characterised by the presence of beeches and at times, in the Pyrenees, by silver firs ( Abies alba) these beeches and silver firs occupy the cool slopes with shallow soil. The vegetation is deciduous oak forest: both sessile oaks ( Quercus petraea) and pedunculate oaks ( Quercus robur), with European ash ( Fraxinus excelsior) and hazels in the coolest and deepest soil at the bottom of the valley. However, its influence in the form of communities or defined species extends inwards, especially in the north and west. The mainland extends to the north of Portugal, the greater part of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country, northwest of Navarre, and western Pyrenees. It is characterized by a humid climate which is moderated by the influence of the ocean, with somewhat cold winters and the lack of a distinct dry season. The "Eurosiberian" Atlantic zone extends through northern Portugal, the Galician Massif, Cantabrian Mountains and the western and central Pyrenees. See also: Cantabrian mixed forests and Pyrenees conifer and mixed forests The geological complexity of the majority of Iberian mountains, especially of the Cordillera Bética, Sistema Ibérico, and Pyrenees, also greatly increased the number of new environments to which it was possible to adapt, resulting in today's wide variety of flora. The Iberian Peninsula, located on an important route between Africa and Europe, was enriched by the arrival, following the climate change, of wetland plants, thermophilic plants (those that require a great deal of heat), xerophilic plants (those that require a dry climate), orophilic (sub-alpine) plants, Boreo-alpine plants, and so on, many of which managed to remain, thanks to the diversity of environments that exist in the mountain ranges, and which allowed them to rise in elevation if the climate was too warm, or descend if it became too cold. These brought changes in climate and vegetation. It is now known that the Mediterranean Sea went through great changes in sea level and variations in the relative positions of the continental plates of Europe and Africa. Although the various regions are each characterized by distinct vegetation, the borders between these regions are not clearly defined, and there are some similarities across the peninsula. The woodlands of the Iberian Peninsula are distinct ecosystems on the Iberian Peninsula (which includes Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Gibraltar and Southern France). ( June 2012) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)įorest of cork oaks in the south of Portugal ( Algarve) Furthest extent of the Iberian woodlands. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations.
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