Analysis of the floristic composition of mountain beech forests on the territory of Serbia and Montenegro

Abstract

The mountain beech forest represents a vast climate-regional belt of vegetation in Serbia, as well as the most economically important forest type, and takes up a significant area in Serbia and Montenegro. This paper focused on a comparison of the floristic composition of a typical mountain beech forest in Serbia and Montenegro in order to determine the differences between the investigated stands. A total of 12 phytocoenological releves were analyzed; 7 on Jastrebac (Serbia) and 5 on Biogradska Gora (Montenegro). CCA analysis showed that significant differences are present among the studied stands. Phytocoenological releves from Montenegro correlated with altitude and assembly, while releves from Serbia have a correlation with slopes. Differences in floristic composition are mostly due to various tree layering. Stands on Mt. Jastrebac are dispersed, which allow the penetration of light on the terrestrial flora, leading to weed growth. The composition of tree layers is quite dense on Biogradska Gora, thus the shrub layer is poor, whereas terrestrial flora is mainly comprised of species that thrive in areas of little light (sciophytes). In the spectrum of floral elements, species of Central European areal type dominate both sites, which expressed extreme mesophilic characteristics of researched stands. In the spectrum of life forms on Mt. Jastrebac, phanerophytes are dominant due to the large number of species in the tree and shrub layer, while geophytes are dominant on Biogradska Gora as a result of dense tree layering, therefore, the ground flora consists of species that can complete the reproductive cycle before trees begin to bloom.