Expansion of the Juniperus Genus due to Anthropic Activity

Abstract

This work contains a study of Juniperus forests in the southern Iberian Peninsula and aims to determine their floristic composition and their biogeographical, ecological and bioclimatological distribution. The analysis of Juniperus formations revealed a series of different plant communities. The presence of endemic companions in these plant communities justifies the study of these islands: Echinospartum ibericum Rivas Mart., Sánchez Mata & Sancho, Adenocarpus argyrophyllus (Rivas Goday) Caball., Digitalis purpurea L. subsp. mariana (Boiss.) Rivas Goday, Sideritis lacaitae Font Quer, Coincya longirostra (Boiss) Greuter & Burdet, Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link subsp. bourgaei (Boiss.) Riv.-Mart., Cytisus striatus (Hill) Rothm. subsp. eriocarpus (autor), Genista polyanthos R. Roem. Ex Willk., Dianthus crassipes R. de Roemer, Dianthus lusitanus Brot. Digitalis thapsi L., Digitalis purpurea L. subsp. Heywoodii P. Silva & M. Silva, subsp. mariana (Boiss) Rivas Goday, Securinega tinctoria (L.) Rothm., Lavandula stoechas L. subsp. luisieri (Rozeira) Rozeira, lavandula stoechas subsp. sampaiana Rozeira, Genista hirsuta Vahl, Thymus mastichina (L.) L., Thymus grantensis Boiss. subps. micranthus (Willk.) O. Boòs & Vigo, Thymus zygis Loefl ex L. subsp. gracillis (Boiss.) Boiss., Antirrhinum graniticum Roth. subsp. onubensis (Fernández Casas) Valdés. The territories in the study are of community interest (SCI) due to the presence of habitats such as Habitat 8220, which includes the plant associations Digitali thapsi-Dianthetum lusitani Rivas-Martínez ex Fuente 1986, Jasiono marianae-Dianthetum lusitani Rivas Goday (1955) 1964, Coincyo longirostraae-Dianthetum lusitani Melendo in Cano, Melendo & F. Valle 1997, and is the motive for the need to conserve these areas. However the dominant species in these environments is Juniperus oxycedrus L. subsp. lagunae (Pau ex C. Vicioso) Rivas Mart., and all the other –mainly endemic– species are located within its vicinity. These zones can thus be classified as hotspots with particular interest for conservation. Areas dominated by Juniperus are currently becoming more widespread due to the greater prevalence of rock beds, which increase every year in response to deforestation and forest fires. This phenomenon leads to the extension of edaphoxerophilous zones and a decrease in climatophilous zones, and creates more potential areas that can potentially act as a refuge for endemic species.