The cork oak in the Mountains of Palermo (Italy): ecological insights from the south-eastern edge of its distribution range

doi:10.3832/ifor3360-013

The cork oak in the Mountains of Palermo (Italy): ecological insights from the south-eastern edge of its distribution range

Emilio Badalamenti⁽¹⁾, Riccardo Scalenghe⁽¹⁾, Tommaso La Mantia⁽¹⁾ , Rafael da Silveira Bueno⁽¹⁾, Giovanna Sala⁽¹⁾, Giuseppe Maria Pizzurro⁽¹⁾, Andrea Giaimo⁽¹⁾, Salvatore Pasta⁽²⁾

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, Volume 13, Issue 4, Pages 336-344 (2020)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor3360-013
Published: Aug 07, 2020 - Copyright © 2020 SISEF

Research Articles

PDF Version

Full Text

Citation

Geo-mapping

The uneven presence of the cork oak (Quercus suber L.) within its distribution range is not only determined by its climatic requirements but also by specific edaphic needs. Although most of the natural populations thrive in acidic soils deriving from metamorphic or volcanic rock outcrops, some cork oak populations are found growing in soils deriving from calcareous bedrock, which are considered less suitable. We carried out a multidisciplinary investigation at the south eastern edge of the Q. suber distribution range (Mountains of Palermo, NW Sicily), including soil, floristic, and vegetation surveys, aimed at: (i) assessing the native or introduced origin of some peculiar cork oak populations; (ii) describing the associated plant communities and soils; (iii) identifying the ecological factors which could explain the local adaptation to soils deriving from calcareous bedrock; (iv) discussing the ecological role played by this species in the study area and within its distribution range. The collected information suggest that the detected cork oak stands are native to these areas. We hypothesized that the co-occurrence of high fire frequency, high soil calcium content and erosion, which caused the intermixing of different parent materials, might favor its competitive interactions with other Mediterranean tree species, thus accounting for the local presence of Q. suber. The study of cork oak populations thriving in peculiar substrates at the driest end of the range could be of great importance for the future conservation of this species, which is expected to face growing threats in the coming decades.

Keywords

Mediterranean Evergreen Forest, Soil Chemistry, Vegetation Science, Wildfire, Landscape, Tree Species, Quercus suber

Authors’ address

(1)

0000-0002-8178-354X
0000-0001-7614-4842
0000-0002-7494-742X
0000-0001-8964-8572
0000-0002-4813-7052

0000-0001-6158-2778
Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo. v.le delle Scienze Ed. 4, I-90128 Palermo (Italy)

(2)

0000-0003-3265-9072
Institute of BioSciences and BioResources (IBBR), Italian National Council of Research (CNR), Unit of Palermo, c.so Calatafimi 434, I-90129, Palermo (Italy)

Corresponding author

Tommaso La Mantia
tommaso.lamantia@unipa.it

Citation

Badalamenti E, Scalenghe R, La Mantia T, Bueno RS, Sala G, Pizzurro GM, Giaimo A, Pasta S (2020). The cork oak in the Mountains of Palermo (Italy): ecological insights from the south-eastern edge of its distribution range. iForest 13: 336-344. - doi: 10.3832/ifor3360-013

Academic Editor

Francisco Lloret Maya

Paper history

Received: Jan 27, 2020
Accepted: Jun 06, 2020

First online: Aug 07, 2020
Publication Date: Aug 31, 2020
Publication Time: 2.07 months

Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

Breakdown by View Type

(Waiting for server response...)

Article Usage

Total Article Views: 35323
(from publication date up to now)

Breakdown by View Type
HTML Page Views: 31717
Abstract Page Views: 1591
PDF Downloads: 1553
Citation/Reference Downloads: 3
XML Downloads: 459

Web Metrics
Days since publication: 1567
Overall contacts: 35323
Avg. contacts per week: 157.79

Article Citations

Article citations are based on data periodically collected from the Clarivate Web of Science web site
(last update: Feb 2023)

Total number of cites (since 2020): 2
Average cites per year: 0.50

(no Plumx Metrics available for this paper)

Publication Metrics

by Dimensions ^©

Articles citing this article

List of the papers citing this article based on CrossRef Cited-by.

(1)

Anonymous (1996)
Linee guida del piano territoriale paesistico regionale [Guidelines of the regional landscape territorial plan]. Assessorato dei Beni Culturali, Ambientali e della Pubblica Instruzione - Regione Siciliana, Palermo, Italy, pp. 615. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(2)

Anselin L, Syabri I, Kho Y (2006)
GeoDa: an introduction to spatial data analysis. Geographical Analysis 38: 5-22.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(3)

Aponte C, García LV, Marañón T (2013)
Tree species effects on nutrient cycling and soil biota: a feedback mechanism favouring species coexistence. Forest Ecology and Management 309: 36-46.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(4)

Aronson J, Pereira JS, Pausas JG (2009)
Cork oak woodlands on the edge: ecology, adaptive management, and restoration. Island Press, Washington, DC, USA, pp. 315.
Gscholar

(5)

Badalamenti E, Pasta S, La Mantia T, La Mela Veca DS (2018)
Criteria to identify old-growth forests in the Mediterranean: a case study from Sicily based on literature review and some management proposals. Feddes Repertorium 129: 25-37.
Online | Gscholar

(6)

Barberis A, Dettori S, Filigheddu MR (2003)
Management problems in Mediterranean cork oak forests: post-fire recovery. Journal of Arid Environments 54: 565-569.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(7)

Barberis G, Mariotti M (1979)
Notizie geobotaniche su Quercus suber L. in Liguria [Geobotanical news about Quercus suber L. in Liguria]. Archivio Botanico e Biogeografico Italiano 55: 62-82. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(8)

Bazan G, Marino P, Guarino R, Domina G, Schicchi R (2015)
Bioclimatology and vegetation series in Sicily: a geostatistical approach. Annales Botanici Fennici 52: 1-18.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(9)

Blasi C, Carranza ML, Frondoni R, Rosati L (2000)
Ecosystem classification and mapping: a proposal for Italian landscapes. Applied Vegetation Science 3: 233-242.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(10)

Blasi C, Filesi L, Fratini S, Stanisci A (1997)
Le cenosi con sughera nel paesaggio tirrenico laziale (Italia centrale) [The cenoses with the cork oak in the Tyrrhenian landscape of Lazio (central Italy)]. Ecologia Mediterranea 23: 21-32. [in Italian]
CrossRef | Gscholar

(11)

Braun-Blanquet J (1932)
Plant sociology. Mc Graw-Hill, New York,London, pp. 439.
Gscholar

(12)

Bresc H (1983)
Disfari et perdiri li fructi et li aglandi: economie e risorse boschive nella Sicilia medievale (XIII-XV secolo) [Undo and lose the fruits and acorns: economies and wood resources in medieval Sicily (13th-15th century)]. Quaderni Storici, Ancona 54: 941-969. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(13)

Brullo S, Gianguzzi L, La Mantia A, Siracusa G (2009)
La classe Quercetea ilicis in Sicilia [The Quercetea ilicis class in Sicily]. Bollettino Accademia Gioenia Scienze Naturali Catania 41: 1-124. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(14)

Bueno RS, García D, Galetti M, La Mantia T (2020)
Past cover modulates the intense and spatially structured natural regeneration of woody vegetation in a pastureland. Plant Ecology 221: 205-218.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(15)

Camerano P, Cullotta S, Varese P (2011)
Strumenti conoscitivi per la gestione delle risorse forestali della Sicilia. Tipi forestali [Knowledge tools for the management of forest resources in Sicily. Forest types]. Assessorato Territorio e Ambiente Regione Siciliana, Litograf Ed. s.r.l., Città di Castello, Perugia, Italy, pp. 192. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(16)

Catalano R, Abate B, Renda P (1978)
Carta geologica dei Monti di Palermo (scala 1:50.000). [Geological map of of the Mounts of Palermo]. Istituto di Geologia e Geodesia dell’Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(17)

Corona P, Dettori S, Filigheddu MR, Maetzke F, Scotti R (2005)
Site quality evaluation by classification tree: an application to cork quality in Sardinia. European Journal of Forest Research 124: 37-46.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(18)

Costa A, Madeira M, Oliveira AC (2008)
The relationship between cork oak growth patterns and soil, slope and drainage in a cork oak woodland in Southern Portugal. Forest Ecology and Management 255: 1525-1535.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(19)

Cucchi C (1963)
Su una nuova stazione di Quercus suber L. in territorio di Deiva (La Spezia) [On a new station of Quercus suber L. in the territory of Deiva (La Spezia)]. Giornale Botanico Italiano 70: 99-109. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(20)

Cutino I, Pasta S, Maggiore CV, Badalamenti E, La Mantia T (2018)
The role of dominant tree cover and silvicultural practices on the post-fire recovery of Mediterranean afforestations. Annals of Silvicultural Research 42: 20-31.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(21)

Dettori S, Filigheddu MR, Deplano G, Molgora JE, Ruiu M, Sedda L (2018)
Employing a spatio-temporal contingency table for the analysis of cork oak cover change in the Sa Serra region of Sardinia. Scientific Reports 8: 16946.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(22)

Dettori S, Filigheddu MR, Gutierrez M (2001)
La coltivazione della Quercia da sughero [The cultivation of the cork oak]. Dipartimento di Economia e Sistemi Arborei Università degli Studi di Sassari, Tipografia TAS, Sassari, Italy, pp. 140. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(23)

Di Benedetto G, Maugeri G, Poli Marchese E (1985)
Principali tappe del dinamismo della vegetazione nelle sugherete della Sicilia Sud-Orientale [Main stages of the dynamism of vegetation in the cork oak forests of south-eastern Sicily]. Notiziario della Società Italiana di Fitosociologia 19: 5-12. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(24)

Dias FS, Miller DL, Marques TA, Marcelino J, Caldeira MC, Orestes Cerdeira J, Bugalho MN (2016)
Conservation zones promote oak regeneration and shrub diversity in certified Mediterranean oak woodlands. Biological Conservation 195: 226-234.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(25)

Dormann FC, McPherson JM, Araújo MB, Bivand R, Bolliger J, Carl G, Davies RG, Hirzel A, Jetz W, Kissling WD, Kühn I, Ohlemüller R, Peres-Neto PR, Reineking B, Schröder B, Schurr FM, Wilson R (2007)
Methods to account for spatial autocorrelation in the analysis of species distributional data: a review. Ecography 30: 609-628.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(26)

Duque-Lazo J, Navarro-Cerrillo RM, Ruíz-Gómez FJ (2018)
Assessment of the future stability of cork oak (Quercus suber L.) afforestation under climate change scenarios in Southwest Spain. Forest Ecology and Management 409: 444-456.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(27)

Duro A, Piccione V, Scalia C, Zampino D (1993)
Precipitazioni e temperature medie mensili in Sicilia relative al sessantennio 1926-1985 [Average monthly rainfall and temperatures in Sicily for the sixty years 1926-1985] In: Proceedings of the “5° Workshop del Progetto Strategico CNR Clima Ambiente e Territorio del Mezzogiorno” (Piccione V, Antonelli C eds). CNR editore, Amalfi, Italy, pp. 17-103. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(28)

EUFORGEN (2019)
Distribution map of cork oak (Quercus suber). European Forest Genetic Resources Programme - EUFORGEN, Rome, Italy, web site.
Online | Gscholar

(29)

Fierotti G (1988)
Carta dei suoli della Sicilia (scala 1:250.000) [Soil map of Sicily]. Regione Siciliana, Assessorato Territorio e Ambiente, Palermo, Italy. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(30)

Gogorcena Y, Molias N, Larbi A, Abadía J, Abadía A (2001)
Characterization of the responses of cork oak (Quercus suber) to iron deficiency. Tree Physiology 21: 1335-1340.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(31)

Guarino R, Cusimano D, Ilardi V, Pasta S (2017)
Syntaxonomic list of the vegetation units. In: “Botanical Excursions in Central and Western Sicily. Field Guide for the 60th IAVS Symposium” (Guarino R, Pasta S eds). UNIPAPRESS, Palermo, Italy, pp. 281-370.
Gscholar

(32)

Guarino R, Pasta S (2017)
Botanical excursions in Central and Western Sicily. Field Guide for the 60th IAVS Symposium. UNIPAPRESS, Palermo, pp. 604.
Gscholar

(33)

Gussone G (1842)
Florae Siculae Synopsis exhibens plantas vasculares in Sicilia insulisque adjacentibus hucusque detectas secundum systema Linnaeanum dispositas [Synopsis of flora of Sicily including vascular plants in Sicily and surrounding island, classified according to Linnaean taxonomy]. Typography Tramater, Naples, Italy, pp. 582. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(34)

Houston Durrant T, De Rigo D, Caudullo G (2016)
Quercus suber in Europe: distribution, habitat, usage and threats. In: “European Atlas of Forest Tree Species” (San-Miguel-Ayanz J, de Rigo D, Caudullo G, Houston Durrant T, Mauri A, Luxembourg eds). Publication Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, pp. 164-165.
Online | Gscholar

(35)

INFC (2007)
Le stime di superficie 2005 - Prima parte. Inventario nazionale delle foreste e dei serbatoi forestali di carbonio [Estimates of surfaces for 2005 - First part. National inventory of forests and carbon forest pools]. CRA - Istituto Sperimentale per l’Assestamento Forestale e per l’Alpicoltura, Trento, Italy, pp. 409. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(36)

IUSS Working Group (2015)
World reference base for soil resources 2014, update 2015. World Soil Resources Reports no. 106, FAO, Rome, Italy, pp. 192.
Gscholar

(37)

La Mantia T, Rühl J, Massa B, Pipitone S, Lo Verde G, Bueno RS (2019)
Vertebrate-mediated seed rain and artificial perches contribute to overcome seed dispersal limitation in a Mediterranean old field. Restoration Ecology 27: 1393-1400.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(38)

Laakili A, Belkadi B, Gaboun F, Yatrib C, Makhloufi M, El Antry S, Medraoui L, Laamarti A, Filali-Maltouf A (2016)
Analysis of dendrometric diversity among natural populations of cork oak (Quercus suber L.) from Morocco. Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry 40: 127-135.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(39)

Lentini F, Carbone S (2014)
Geologia della Sicilia, con i contributi di Branca S (vulcanico) e Messina A (basamenti cristallini) [Geology of Sicily, with the contributions of Branca S (volcanic) and Messina A (crystalline bases)]. In: “Memorie Descrittive della Carta Geologica d’Italia”, vol. 95. ISPRA, Italy, pp. 7-414. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(40)

Lojacono-Pojero M (1888)
Flora Sicula o descrizione delle piante spontanee o indigenate in Sicilia [Sicilian flora Sicula or description of spontaneous or naturalized plants in Sicily]. A Forni Editore, Bologna, Italy, pp. 1-722. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(41)

Maghnia FZ, Abbas Y, Mahé F, Kerdouh B, Tournier E, Ouadji M, Tisseyre P, Prin Y, El Ghachtouli N, Bakkali Yakhlef SE, Duponnois R, Sanguin H (2017)
Habitat- and soil-related drivers of the root-associated fungal community of Quercus suber in the Northern Moroccan forest. PLoS One 12: e0187758.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(42)

Marcenò C, Trapani S (1978)
L’Isoëtetum duriaei (Isoëtion) nella Piana dei Greci (Sicilia occidentale) [Isoëtetum duriaei (Isoëtion) in the Plain of Greeks (western Sicily)]. Atti dell’Accademia di Scienze, Lettere e Arti, Palermo 1: 395-399. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(43)

Matías L, Abdelaziz M, Godoy O, Gómez-Aparicio L (2019)
Disentangling the climatic and biotic factors driving changes in the dynamics of Quercus suber populations across the species latitudinal range. Diversity and Distributions 25: 524-535.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(44)

Minissale P, Musumarra G, Sciandrello S (2006)
La vegetazione di Poggio Racineci (Caltagirone - Sicilia centro-meridionale) un biotopo da proporre come sito di Interesse Comunitario [The vegetation of Poggio Racineci (Caltagirone - central-southern Sicily) a biotope to be proposed as a site of Community Importance]. Bollettino dell’Accademia Gioenia di Scienze Naturali, Catania 39: 21-41. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(45)

Ozenda P (1982)
Les végétaux dans la biosphère [The plants in the biosphere]. Revue de Géographie Alpine 70: 310-311. [in French]
Gscholar

(46)

Parlatore F (1848)
Flora Italiana ossia descrizione delle piante che crescono spontanee o vegetano come tali in Italia e nelle isole ad essa adiacenti disposte secondo il metodo naturale [Italian Flora or description of plants that spontaneously grow in Italy and in the islands adjacent to it arranged according to the natural method]. Le Monnier, Firenze, Italy, vol. 1, pp. 568. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(47)

Pasta S (1993)
Considerazioni teoriche sulle prospettive di ricerca aperte dalla geobotanica ed esempi di applicazioni di questa disciplina al caso specifico dello studio della flora e della vegetazione di un settore dei Monti di Palermo [Theoretical considerations on the research prospects opened by geobotany and examples of applications of this discipline to the specific case of the study of the flora and vegetation of a sector of the Palermo Mounts]. Degree Thesis in Natural Sciences, University of Palermo, Italy, pp. 330. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(48)

Pasta S, Troìa A (1994)
Contributo alla conoscenza della Flora dei Monti di Palermo (Sicilia nord-occidentale) [Contribution to the knowledge of the Flora of the Mounts of Palermo (north-western Sicily)]. Il Naturalista Siciliano 18: 15-27. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(49)

Pausas JG (1997)
Resprouting of Quercus suber in NE Spain after fire. Journal of Vegetation Science 8: 703-706.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(50)

Petroselli A, Vessella F, Cavagnuolo L, Piovesan G, Schirone B (2013)
Ecological behavior of Quercus suber and Quercus ilex inferred by topographic wetness index (TWI). Trees 27: 1201-1215.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(51)

Pignatti S, Guarino R, La Rosa M (2017)
Flora d’Italia [Flora of Italy] (2nd edn). Edagricole, Bologna, voll. 4, pp. 583. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(52)

Pignatti S, Mengarda F (1962)
Un nuovo procedimento per l’elaborazione delle tabelle fitosociologiche [A new procedure for the processing of the phytosociological tables]. Rendiconti dell’Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei 32: 215-221. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(53)

Pollastrini M, Chiavetta U, Cutini A, Casula A, Maltoni S, Dettori S, Corona P (2018)
Indicators for the assessment and certification of cork oak management sustainability in Italy. iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry 11: 668-674.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(54)

R Core Team (2019)
R: a language and environment for statistical computing, version 3.6.1. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria.
Online | Gscholar

(55)

Rivas-Martínez S (1996)
Classificación bioclimatica de la Tierra [Bioclimatic classification of the Earth]. Folia Botanica Matritensis 16: 1-32. [in Spanish]
Gscholar

(56)

Schoeneberger PJ, Wysocki DA, Benham EC, Broderson WD (2002)
Field book for describing and sampling soils, version 2.0. National Soil Survey Center, USDA, Lincoln, NE, USA, pp. 300.
Online | Gscholar

(57)

Selvi F, Viciani D (1999)
Contributo alla conoscenza vegetazionale delle sugherete della Toscana [Contribution to the vegetational knowledge of the cork oak stands of Tuscany]. Parlatorea 3: 45-63. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(58)

Serrasolses I, Pérez-Devesa M, Vilagrosa A, Pausas JG, Sauras T, Cortina J, Vallejo VR (2009)
Soil properties constraining cork oak distribution. In: “Cork oak woodlands on the edge: ecology, adaptive management, and restoration (Aronson J, Pereira JS, Pausas JG eds). Island Press, Washington, DC, USA, pp. 89-99.
Online | Gscholar

(59)

Shannon CE (1948)
A mathematical theory of communication. The Bell System Technical Journal 27: 379-423.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(60)

Simões MP, Belo AF, Fernandes M, Madeira M (2016)
Regeneration patterns of Quercus suber according to montado management systems. Agroforestry Systems 90: 107-115.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(61)

Sirca C, Filigheddu MR, Zucca GM, Cillara M, Bacciu A, Bosu S, Dettori S (2015)
Long-term researches on post fire recovery techniques of cork oak stands. In: Proceedings of the 2nd International Congress of Silviculture “Designing the future of the forestry sector”. Florence (Italy) 26-29 Nov 2014. AISF, Florence, Italy, pp. 491-496.
Gscholar

(62)

Tüxen R, Ellenberg H (1937)
Der systematische und der ökologische Gruppenwert. Ein Beitrag zur Begriffsbildung und Methodik der Pflanzensoziologie. Mitteilungen der Floristisch-Soziologischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft [The systematic and ecological group value. A contribution to concept formation and methodology of plant sociology]. Communications from the Floristic-Sociological Working Group 3: 171-184. [in German]
Gscholar

(63)

USSAB (2005)
Presentazione del “Piano Regionale per la difesa della vegetazione dagli incendi” [Presentation of the “Regional Plan for the protection of vegetation from fires”]. Ufficio Speciale Servizio Antincendio Boschivi (USSAB), Regione Siciliana, Assessorato Agricoltura e Foreste, Palermo, Italy, pp. 47. [in Italian]
Gscholar

(64)

Vessella F, López-Tirado J, Simeone MC, Schirone B, Hidalgo PJ (2017)
A tree species range in the face of climate change: cork oak as a study case for the Mediterranean biome. European Journal of Forest Research 136: 555-569.
CrossRef | Gscholar

(65)

Vilà M, Lloret F, Ogheri E, Terradas J (2001)
Positive fire-grass feedback in Mediterranean basin shrublands. Forest Ecology and Management 147: 3-114.
CrossRef | Gscholar

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry

Contents

Search

Journal Info

Journal Subjects and Fields

For Authors

For Reviewers

For Readers

SISEF Publishing

Search iForest Contents