The Apennine deciduous montane forests are a

temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest is a temperate climate terrestrial habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature, with broadleaf tree ecoregions, and with conifer and broadleaf tree mixed coniferous forest ecoregions. These ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

in the

Apennine Mountains The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The development of these forests is ensured by the high rainfall in the Apennines (from 1000 mm in the southern mountains to 2500 mm in the north), combined with a temperate-cool climate. Because of

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

, the presence of silver fir (''

Abies alba Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The g ...

''), although still widespread, has been dramatically reduced in favour of

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

Flora

The ecoregion has two major vegetation zones, montane forests and mountain meadows. The beech forests are characterized by

European beech ''Fagus sylvatica'', the European beech or common beech, is a large, graceful deciduous tree in the beech family with smooth silvery-gray bark, large leaf area, and a short trunk with low branches. Description ''Fagus sylvatica'' is a large ...

''Fagus sylvatica''. Beech often grows with deciduous

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

s (''Quercus'' spp.)

maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

s (''

Acer pseudoplatanus ''Acer pseudoplatanus'', known as the sycamore in the British Isles and as the sycamore maple in the United States, is a species of maple native to Central Europe and Western Asia. It is a large deciduous, broad-leaved tree, tolerant of wind an ...

'', ''Acer opalus'' ssp. ''obtusatum'', and '' A. lobelii''), ''

Sorbus aria ''Aria edulis'', the whitebeam or common whitebeam, is a species of deciduous tree in the family ''Rosaceae''. The tree often forms new shoots around the trunk. Typically compact and domed, the plant has a few upswept branches and the leaves ha ...

, S. aucuparia, S. torminalis,

Ulmus glabra ''Ulmus glabra'', the wych elm or Scots elm, has the widest range of the European elm species, from Ireland eastwards to the Ural Mountains, and from the Arctic Circle south to the mountains of the Peloponnese and Sicily, where the species reach ...

Tilia platyphyllos ''Tilia platyphyllos'', the large-leaved lime or large-leaved linden, is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Malvaceae (Tiliaceae). It is a deciduous tree, native plant, native to much of continental Europe as well as sou ...

Populus tremula ''Populus tremula'' (commonly called aspen, common aspen, Eurasian aspen, European aspen, or quaking aspen) is a species of poplar native to cool temperate regions of the Old World. Description It is a substantial deciduous tree growing to t ...

Ilex aquifolium ''Ilex aquifolium'', the holly, common holly, English holly, European holly, or occasionally Christmas holly, is a species of flowering plant in the family Aquifoliaceae, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest As ...

'', and the evergreen conifer

yew Yew is a common name given to various species of trees. It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus '' Taxus'': * European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'') * Pacific yew or western yew ('' Taxus ...

(''Taxus baccata'')."Italian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests". ''Encyclopedia of Earth''. Accessed 13 September 2020

/ref>Sillo, Roberta & Sanctis, Michele & Bruno, Franco & Attorre, Fabio. (2012). Vegetation and landscape of the Simbruini mountains (Central Apennines). Plant Sociology. 49. 3-64. 10.7338/pls2012491S1/01. There are also mixed stands of beech and Abies alba, silver fir (''Abies alba''), along with relict stands of Italian black pine (''Pinus nigra'' var. ''italica'') and relict stands of ''

Picea abies ''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, ...

'' and ''

Pinus sylvestris ''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US), Baltic pine, or European red pine is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native plant, native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly s ...

'' in the northern Apennines. The mountain summits are covered with alpine meadows and woody cushion shrublands. Cushion shrubs include alpine juniper (''Juniperus communis'' subsp. ''nana''), ''

Sorbus chamaemespilus ''Chamaemespilus'' is a genus of shrubs in the family Rosaceae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species ''Chamaemespilus alpina'', commonly known as false medlar or dwarf whitebeam. It is native to the mountains of central and so ...

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ''Arctostaphylos uva-ursi'' is a plant species of the genus ''Arctostaphylos'' widely distributed across circumboreal regions of the subarctic Northern Hemisphere. Kinnikinnick (from the Unami language for "smoking mixture") is a common name in ...

Vaccinium vitis-idaea ''Vaccinium vitis-idaea'' is a small evergreen shrub in the heath family, Ericaceae. It is known colloquially as the lingonberry, partridgeberry, foxberry, mountain cranberry, or cowberry. It is native to boreal forest and Arctic tundra throug ...

'', and relict ''

Pinus mugo ''Pinus mugo'', known as dwarf mountain pine, mountain pine, scrub mountain pine, Swiss mountain pine, bog pine, creeping pine, or mugo pine, is a species of conifer, native to high elevation habitats from southwestern to Central Europe and Sou ...

'' on

Maiella The Maiella (or Majella) is a massif in the Central Apennines, in Abruzzo, central Italy. Geography The mountain is located at the boundary between the provinces of Chieti, Pescara and L'Aquila. The highest peak is Monte Amaro at 2,793&nb ...

mountain. Alpine meadow plants include '' Gentiana dinarica,

Gentiana nivalis ''Gentiana nivalis'', the snow gentian or Alpine gentian, is a species of the genus ''Gentiana''. It grows to a height of 3–15 centimetres. It is the county flower of Perthshire in the United Kingdom, and became a protected species in that cou ...

Androsace alpina ''Androsace alpina'', or Alpine rock-jasmine, is an alpine plant, endemic to the Alps. The plant forms distinctive cushion-like mats up to 20 cm across, with small overlapping leaves arranged in rosettes and bearing fine glandular hairs ...

, Polygala chamaebuxus,

Saxifraga oppositifolia ''Saxifraga oppositifolia'', the purple saxifrage or purple mountain saxifrage, is a species of plant that is very common in the high Arctic and also some high mountainous areas further south, including northern Great Britain, Britain, the Alps ...

, Ranunculus seguieri'', and ''

Carlina acaulis ''Carlina acaulis'', the stemless carline thistle, dwarf carline thistle, or silver thistle, is a perennial dicotyledonous flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to alpine regions of central and southern Europe. The specific name ''aca ...

''. The ecoregion has a high number of plant species. The Abruzzo Mountains have 1,200 species,

Gran Sasso Gran Sasso d'Italia (; ) is a massif in the Apennine Mountains of Italy. Its highest peak, Corno Grande , is the highest mountain in the Apennines, and the second-highest mountain in Italy outside the Alps. The mountain lies within Gran Sasso ...

and

Monti della Laga Monti della Laga is a mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form ...

have 1,500 species, and the Maiella Mountains have 1,800 species.

Endemic species Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

represent between 10 and 20% of the total number of species, increasing at higher elevations. Endemic species include '' Androsace mathildae, Ranunculus magellensis, Aquilegia magellensis'', and '' Soldanella minima samnitica''.

Fauna

The endangered

Marsican brown bear The Marsican brown bear (''Ursus arctos arctos'', formerly ''Ursus arctos marsicanus''), also known as the Apennine brown bear, is a critically endangered population of the Eurasian brown bear, with a range restricted to the Parco Nazionale ...

(''Ursus arctos arctos'') is endemic to the ecoregion, surviving in the

Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park (Italian: ''Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise'') is an Italian national park established in 1923. The majority of the park is located in the Abruzzo region, with smaller parts in Lazio and Molise. I ...

and neighboring reserves. Other native mammals include the

Italian wolf The Italian wolf (''Canis lupus italicus'' or ''Canis lupus lupus''), also known as the Apennine wolf, is a subspecies of the grey wolf native to the Italian Peninsula. It inhabits the Apennine Mountains and the Western Alps, though it is unde ...

(''Canis lupus italicus''), roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), the Apennine endemic Abruzzo chamois (''Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata''), forest cat (''Felis silvestris''),

pine marten The European pine marten (''Martes martes''), also known as the pine marten, is a mustelid native to and widespread in most of Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and parts of Iran, Iraq, and Syria. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red Lis ...

(''Martes martes''),

beech marten The beech marten (''Martes foina''), also known as the stone marten, house marten or white breasted marten, is a species of marten native to much of Europe and Central Asia, though it has established a feral population in North America. It is li ...

(''Martes foina''), and

Eurasian otter The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, European river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia and the Maghreb. The most widely distributed member o ...

(''Lutra lutra''). The ecoregion is home to several endemic and limited-range amphibians, including the northern spectacled salamander, (''Salamandrina perspicillata'') Italian newt (''Lissotriton italicus'',

Italian stream frog The Italian stream frog (''Rana italica''), also called the Italian frog, is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. The species is endemic to Italy and San Marino. Description Adults of ''R. italica'' have a head-body length of . The hind leg ...

(''Rana italica''), and Italian fire salamander (''Salamandra salamandra'' ssp. ''gigliolii'').

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 7,403 km², or 46%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. About 55% of the unprotected area is still forested. Protected areas include Monte Cimone, Appennino Tosco-Emiliano National Park,

Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna National Park The Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna is a list of national parks in Italy, national park in Italy. Created in 1993, it covers an area of about , on the two sides of the Apennine watershed between Romagna and T ...

Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park The Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park is a natural park in central Italy. Established in 1991, it covers an area of , mostly within the provinces of Teramo, L'Aquila, and Pescara in Abruzzo, with small areas in the provinces of Rieti ...

, Abruzzo, Lazio, and Molise National Park, Sirente-Velino Regional Park, and Matese Regional Park.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Apennine deciduous montane forest Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Ecoregions of Italy Apennine Mountains * Montane forests Ecoregions of Europe Palearctic ecoregions