Forest Vegetation of the Bespare Ecovillages in the Western Lesser Caucasus Corridor (Artvin/Turkiye)

Abstract

This investigation was carried out between 2019 and 2020 to reveal the forest vegetation of Bespare villages in Artvin. This vegetation has been studied according to the conventional Braun-Blanquet approach. A total of 96 releves were sampled. The cover-abundance of plant species and environmental data in plots were analyzed using multivariate analyses techniques. Raunkiaer life-form ratios, Shannon-Wiener index values, species richness, and chorological spectrum of syntaxa were calculated and interpreted. EUNIS habitat code and names for described syntaxa were assigned. In the area under review, forest vegetation is represented by Querco polycarpo-Piceetum orientalis ass., Carpino orientali-Quercetum polycarpae ass., Carpino betuli-Piceetum orientalis ass., Thelypterido limbospermae-Alnetum barbatae ass., Rubo caucasici-Fagetum orientali ass., Fago orientalis-Abietum nordmannianae ass., Fago orientalis-Piceetum orientalis ass., Abieti nordmanniana-Piceetum orientalis ass., Pino sylvestris-Piceetum orientalis ass. Two new plant associations were identified. Some previously defined syntaxa names have been re-arranged according to The International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature.