Ecology and regeneration of forest communities on the alluvial fan ...

-Results-
In the following chapter species composition <strong>and</strong> st<strong>and</strong> structure will be described in
greater detail. Table 4.2 gives a short summary <strong>of</strong> the sampling results.
Table 4.2 Site <strong>and</strong> structure parameters for all <strong>communities</strong>
Community 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Releveś 11 11 10 4 5 16 10 5
Altitude [m] 293 265 256 243 252 404 358 330
Carbonate [%] (0-20cm) 4 4 5 1 0 1 3 4
Humidity <strong>of</strong> soil (0-20cm) (Median) 4 2 1 1 2 1 1 3
Coarse soil [%] (0-20cm) 8 3 13 3 3 31 68 88
Clay [%] (0-20cm) 29 42 23 52 42 8 3 5
Silt [%] (0-20cm) 38 40 36 35 49 32 17 14
S<strong>and</strong> [%] (0-20cm) 33 18 41 13 9 60 81 81
Litter [cm] 1,3 1,9 2,2 2,1 2,5 2,3 0,2 0,2
Grazing intensity (Median) 0 0 1 0 3 2 1 1
Cover herbs [%] 49 59 21 51 2 9 14 19
Cover shrubs [%] 38 33 45 22 11 46 22 0
Cover lower tree layer [%] 29 32 33 40 27 50 3 17
Cover upper tree layer [%] 46 62 60 85 57 2 0 0
Bare ground [%] 43 35 70 56 88 83 81 83
Mean height [m] 18 17 24 17 27 10 10 -
Woody vine density (Median) 2 2 1 2 0 0 0 0
Structure parameters (PCQ)
Number <strong>of</strong> trees sampled 220 220 180 80 100 320 60 -
Number/ha 548 482 792 541 362 979 692 -
Mean distance [m] 5 5 4 5 5 3 4 -
BA/ha [m²] 46 37 36 46 61 25 11 -
Absolute frequency [%] 178 269 231 260 268 215 273 -
1. Equisetum telmateia-Alnus barbata community
Fig. 4.2 Importance values <strong>of</strong> Equisetum telmateia-Alnus barbata community (n=11)
This community is restricted to the middle parts <strong>of</strong> the fan. It is bound to wet <strong>and</strong> loamy
soils poor in coarse substrates (>2 mm). The mean tree layer height is about 18 metres
(Fig. 4.7). But some Populus alba individuals grow up to more than 40 metres. The
average number <strong>of</strong> 23 species per plot is one <strong>of</strong> the highest within the sampled
<strong>communities</strong> (Fig. 4.7). Vegetation cover is usually high. The mean herb-layer cover
-<strong>Ecology</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>regeneration</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>forest</strong> <strong>communities</strong> on the alluvial fan near Qakh (Northwestern Azerbaijan)-
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