Two new mesophilous oriental hornbeam communities from the northern Dinaric Alps (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Abstract

Abstract The paper describes two new mesophilous communities of oriental hornbeam (Carpinus orientalis) coppice from the northern Dinaric Alps in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). While oriental hornbeam is mainly considered to be a part of thermophilous forests and scrub, numerical analysis of 103 relevés of C. orientalis dominated coppice from B&H has shown that two new, rather mesophilous, communities thrive on calcareous bedrock of NW B&H. They represent secondary successional stages of mesotermic forest vegetation in this region. Association Epimedio alpini-Carpinetum orientalis ass. nova hoc loco is related to Illyrian oak-hornbeam forests of Erythronio-Carpinion betuli, while Asplenio scolopendrii-Carpinetum orientalis ass. nova hoc loco is linked to Balkan submediterranean ravine forests of Ostryo-Tilion. Although these two associations were recorded only in the NW B&H, their distribution is potentially larger, as their source communities are relatively common throughout the Dinaric Alps, so the information about their distribution, vertical structure, and syndynamic relations could be very useful in a national scale forest management and nature conservation.