Pattern of plant diversity in mixed oak woods of the Samoggia valley (Northern Apennines) .

Species composition of mixed oak woods of the Samoggia valley (Northern Apennines) was sampled to describe the spatial pattern of species with different light and soil moisture requirements. The study area is located on the phytogeographic boundary between the Mediterranean and the Central European regions of Italy. The woods are mainly current or recently abandoned coppices and are dominated by Quercus pubescens and Ostrya carpinifolia, together with Quercus cerris on the richest soils and at the highest altitudes. They account for a total of about 22% of vegetation. Crop fields and old fields characterize the surrounding landscape. The species composition of 25 wood patches was sampled. The wood patches contain 148 species where mesophytes prevail over xerophytes. The distribution of such ecological groups makes it possible to order the samples along a sequence from the woods of the Laburno-Ostryon, with a high content of mesophytes, to the woods of Quercion humili-petraeae, suball. Cytisophyllo sessilifolii - Quercenion humilis. Within the species groups there are many local edge species, which are often the most frequent. This feature shows that wood vegetation is still heavily affected by coppicing.