Title
Orocantabrian Juniperus communis subsp. alpina-scrub with Daphne laureola var. cantabrica, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Juniperus sabina on carbonate rocks
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Spain: Cantabrian mountains of Los Ancares to the Massiv Tres Mares (Alto Campoo); province Oro-Cantabria (sectors Ubiñense, Picos de Europa and Campurriano-Carriones)
area frequency
5 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Daphno cantabricae-Arctostaphyletum uva-ursi Rivas-Martínez, Izco & Costa 1971.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Dense Juniperus communis subsp. alpina scrub consisting of nanophanerophytes and chamaephytes of low height and often a creeping growth.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Shrub layer
Juniperus communis subsp. alpina, Cotoneaster integerrimus, Rosa pendulina, Juniperus sabina
Herb layer
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Daphne laureola var. cantabrica, Vaccinium myrtillus, Dryopteris submontana
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Juniperus communis subsp. alpina, Daphne laureola var. cantabrica, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Ecological variants
---
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Juniperus sabina in more continental areas.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
alpine grasslands: Oxytropido pyrenaicae-Elynetum myosuroides; debris fan communities: Linario filicaulis-Crepidetum pygmaeae, Epilobio anagallidifolii-Doronicetum braun-blanquetii, Ranunculo leroyi-Saxifragetum praetermissae, Cystopterido pseudoregiae-Dryopteridetum montanae; rock crevice communities: Anemono pavonianae-Saxifragetum canaliculatae, Potentillo asturicae-Valerianetum apulae, Saxifrago aretioidis-Dethawietum tenuifoliae in the area of the Picos de Europe.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
acidophilous oak forests (F25), species-poor beech forests (F98), species-rich beech forests (F136), open Juniperus thurifera woodlands (K28).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Degraded scrub with Genista legionensis, Lithodora diffusa, Helictotrichon cantabricum, Teucrium pyrenaicum.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Psychroxerophilic subalpine basiphilous pasture meadows (Festucetum burnatii) in the area of the Picos de Europe and east Ubiñense, Saxifrago coniferae-Festucetum burnatii in west Ubiñense; matgrass communities: Polygalo edmandii-Nardetum strictae; chionophilous basiphilous pasture grasslands (Pediculari fallaci-Armerietum cantabricae in the area of the Picos de Europe and from east Ubiñense, Pediculari comosi-Caricetum sempervirentis in central west Ubiñense; pastures with Festuca burnatii, Helianthemum appeninum subsp. cantabricum, Oreochloa confusa. Because of the effect of the high snow sheets in the subalpine oro-Cantabrian areas the climax scrub is replaced on slopes and in basins by more or less hygrophilous meadow vegetation (Armerion cantabricae, Carici Nardenion strictae).
Fires set by herdsmen have long been responsible for annihilating many of the climax stages of this ecological system and have favoured its transformation into pasture land (Festucion burnatii, Genistion occidentalis).
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
---
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
tourism.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
ridges, slopes and basins in the mountains
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
subalpine; 1800-2300 m; oro-Cantabrian
Geology (bedrock)
base-rich limestone (Carboniferous, Devonian)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
browned humus carbonate soil with duff mull, alpine humus carbonate soils; soils tend to decalcification; (calcaric, lithic and rendzic leptosols; stony humic and stony calcaric cambisols)
soil texture
loamy-sandy, stony
soil moisture, water balance
fresh, moderately dry
soil reaction
moderately acidic to alkaline; alkaline
soil fertility
oligotrophic to mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
X
average annual temperature
3-6 °C
average annual precipitation
>1400 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
10-12 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
-4 to -2 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
long remaining snow covers; hyperhumid climate.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Not endangered, often degraded.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Natural communities are worthy of protection since they are rich in endemics.
causes of endangerment
Fires and tourism, livestock management.
required measures for protection and restitution
Protection of the semi-natural remnants.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Spain: Picos de Europe, Valle de San Emiliano.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
---
Most important references (author, year)
Díaz González & Fernández Prieto 1987; Díaz González & Fernández Prieto 1994a; Díaz González & Fernández Prieto 1994b; Díaz González & Penas Merino 1984; Fernández Prieto 1983; García González 1990; Hernandez Hernandez 1987; Ladero Alvarez, Díaz González, Penas Merino, Rivas-Martínez & Valle Gutierrez 1987; Lôpez Pacheco 1988; Lôpez Pacheco & Puente García 1987; Penas Merino, García González & Herrero Cembranos 1995; Perez Morales 1987; Puente García 1988; Rivas-Martínez 1987; Rivas-Martínez, Díaz González, Fernández Prieto, Loidi Arregui & Penas Merino 1984
Compiled by
V. Voggenreiter based on documents by S. Rivas-Martínez; A. Penas Merino and L. Herrero Cembranos
