mediterranean forest

Reliefs-And-Ecosystems

2022

We explain what the Mediterranean forest is, its flora, fauna, relief, climate and other characteristics. Also, where is it located.

The Mediterranean forest is an arid, wooded and scrub biome.

What is the Mediterranean forest?

A Mediterranean forest, durisilva or Mediterranean scrub is called a biome wooded and scrubland frequent in the regions which have a Mediterranean climate, that is, a climate similar to that of the vicinity of the European sea of ​​the same name.

This type of woods They date from very ancient times, and have survived the formative events of the Mediterranean region (starting from the Sea of ​​Tethys in the Mesozoic period). On the other hand, they also resisted the intervention of the human being, which has played an important role in shaping its biocenosis.

However, the Mediterranean forest is highly sensitive to desertification, if the vegetation layer is destroyed, since it is a type of arid biome, with xerophilous vegetation (adapted to the dry environment) and little biodiversity.

Currently, there are numerous initiatives to protect these forests, also threatened by the climate change, whose results, however, do not seem very encouraging: a growth of just 2% between 2010 and 2015, according to figures from the UN.

Mediterranean forest location

Mallee forests are Mediterranean forests found in Australia.

The Mediterranean forests are distributed, in the world, in five climatic regions located on the western façade of different continents. These regions are:

  • The endorheic basin. Around the Mediterranean Sea, between the south of Europe, northern Africa and the western Middle East.
  • The Californian chaparral. Located in the state of California in the United States.
  • The Chilean scrub. On the west coast of South America and in the center of Chile.
  • The South African fynbos. Located in the Cape region.
  • The mallee. Southwest and South Australia.

Characteristics of the Mediterranean forest

It is a xerophilous forest, with woody, aromatic and thorny undergrowth. It contains a modest number of plant species and a very marked tendency towards desertification, either as a consequence of the destruction of the vegetal layer or by the erosive action of the rains on the I usually.

Plant species are adapted to fire, recurrent in the drought of the summers. For this reason, they have very thick and resistant bark with which to shelter, as well as leaves covered with wax to prevent the loss of Water during the warm months.

Mediterranean forest fauna

The lynx is one of the predators of the Mediterranean forest.

In the Mediterranean forest there is an animal diversity adapted to the climatic conditions and the plants available as food. As in other forests, insects are the most numerous and successful animal group, holding a food chain which includes raptors, small rodents, squirrels, hares and small reptiles.

Also exist predators larger ones such as the lynx (especially the Iberian lynx), foxes, eagles and Wolves. There's also herbivorous animals like the mountain goat. Abound amphibians and lots species of birds such as the jay, the crossbill, the blue tit or the nightjar.

Mediterranean forest flora

Trees adapted to aridity abound, such as the mastic.

Evergreen trees predominate in these forests, such as holm oaks, amid xerophilous and sclerophyllous vegetation, adapted to summer aridity. There are also many mastic, aladierno, many lianas such as sarsaparilla, and also rockrose, rosemary and thyme.

There are species that produce flowers, such as the Aleppo pine and the stone pine, the juniper or the strawberry tree, and in the more humid regions the gall oak and cork oak are abundant. When it undertakes the transition to other regions, it usually forms mixed forests with other leafy scrub species, or gallery forests.

Mediterranean forest relief

The Mediterranean forest predominates in reliefs blueprints, plains, with the occasional mountain range and especially the valleys. The moutains around them are usually young, with plateaus relevant and highly populated.

Mediterranean forest climate

The weather Mediterranean is characterized by mild winters, warm autumns, springs rainy and summers dry, in which forest fires abound, to which the vegetation is adapted (pyrophilic vegetation).

On average, the temperature it remains above 20 ° C, showing seasonal variations. Rainfall is not very abundant during the year, although it can exceed 1000mm in certain regions.

This type of climate is distinguished from both the coastal Mediterranean climate (close to water, more stable and humid), and the continental Mediterranean climate (drier and with greater thermal variations).

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