Climatic drivers of woody species distribution in the Central Anatolian forest-steppe

摘要

Forest-steppes build up an important mosaic of habitats in Central Anatolia, yet little is known about these woody communities. The objective of our study was to reveal the climatic drivers of the regional distribution of woody species within Central Anatolia. We analyzed 497 vegetation records from forest-steppe habitats gathered during previous phytosociological surveys. We used multivariate analyses to establish the climatic and geographic gradients, and to examine the distribution of forest-steppe plant species along these gradients. We found a strong latitudinal gradient in our climatic data across Central Anatolia: summer temperatures decreased and annual precipitation increased with increasing latitude. Dominant woody plants were species of Quercus with distinct patterns of distribution across the observed climate gradient. Woody communities appeared to separately concentrate in the two subregions, northern and southern, under different climatic conditions. Species richness was dissimilar between these two groups and the southern communities under hotter and drier conditions were less species-rich. We conclude that, even though Central Anatolia is perceived as an example of a generally semi-arid and continental vast grassland region, subregional differences in climate strongly shape the composition of woody species in local communities.