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

-Discussion-
5 Discussion
5.1 Vegetation zonation <strong>and</strong> site conditions
The observed alluvial fan is a rather diverse structured l<strong>and</strong>form generated by erosion
<strong>and</strong> deposition due to recurring inundation. The map <strong>of</strong> the vegetation <strong>communities</strong>
(Fig. 5.1) shows a characteristic pattern <strong>of</strong> <strong>forest</strong> <strong>communities</strong> apparently following an
altitudinal gradient.
5 0 0 m
Q
a k h
1
b
2
a
4 0 0 m
3
3 0 0 m
N
4 k m
2 0 0 m
r i v e r b e d
Q u e r c u s i b e r i c a - C a r p i n u s o r i e n t a l i s
Q u e r c u s r o b u r - C a r p i n u s b e t u l u s
F r a x i n u s e x c e l s i o r - P t e r o c a r y a p t e r o c a r p a
S w i d a s a n g u i n e a - P o p u l u s a l b a
E q u i s e t u m t e l m a t e i a - A l n u s b a r b a t a
O p l i s m e n u s u n d u l a t i f o l i u s - A c e r v e l u t i n u m
r o a d
S c l e r o p o a r i g i d a - P o p u l u s n i g r a
r a i l r o a d
P u n i c a g r a n a t a - P a l i u r u s s p i n a - c h r i s t i c r o s s - s e c t i o n
v e r y l a r g e P o p u l u s a l b a
c o n c r e t e e m b a n k m e n t
a g r i c u l t u r e , p a s t u r e o r s m a l l f o r e s t p a t c h e s
s e t t l e m e n t
Fig. 5.1 Rough map <strong>of</strong> the alluvial fan <strong>and</strong> the distribution <strong>of</strong> the <strong>forest</strong> <strong>communities</strong> based on a satellite
image (Google Earth 2008) Mixed st<strong>and</strong>s are depicted striped. The two fan cross sections are indicated by
bold dashed lines ( ) with a = upper fan, b =lower fan. The three riverbed cross sections are indicated
with 1 = upper fan, 2 = mid-fan, 3 =lower fan.
This gradient was considered highly significant within both conducted DCA analyses.
Further significant gradients revealed by both DCA were soil moisture <strong>and</strong> substrate
composition. The correlation <strong>of</strong> higher located sites to high fractions <strong>of</strong> coarse material
-<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)-
37