Diversity and ecological characteristics of the vascular flora in the Western Mediterranean (Eastern Andalusia, Spain)

Abstract

Diversity and ecological characteristics of the vascular flora in the western mediterranean (Eastern Andalusia, Spain). This work highlights the importance of the vascular flora of eastern Andalusia within the hotspot of the Mediterranean Basin, analysing 3726 taxa, which represent 42.0% of the Iberian Peninsula and 29.9% of European floras. Notably, 10.3% of the flora is endemic (350 taxa), constituting 34.3% of the endemism of the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands, and 2.6% of those of the Mediterranean Basin, which include 6 of the 17 endemic genera of the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands, 3 of these being exclusive of the territory analysed. Chamaephytes and hemicryptophytes make up 45.5% of the flora, with decreasing values for the therophytes as altitudes rise (41.1-8.1%) and increasing values for hemicryptophytes (22.4%-63.2%). Mediterranean taxa comprise 39.2%, followed by Ibero-North African taxa (15.3%), Iberian (13.9%), European (11.3%) and local endemism (9.4%). Of these taxa, 12.5% are threatened, according to the criteria of the UICN. Tanacetum funkii, exclusive of this area, is considered extinct. Only 6 families account for 43.5% of the threatened taxa. The Mesomediterranean thermotype (600-1400 m a.s.l.) harbours 82.8% of the species, with a maximum of between 700-800 m a.s.l. and with two zones of minimums: from -100 to 0 m a.s.l. and from 3300 to 3400 m a.s.l.