Pannonian forest-steppes

Lázlo Erdös (Szeged): Between the closed forest and steppe zones of Eurasia, there is a transitional belt where forest patches are scattered in a grassland matrix. The Pannonian ecoregion has the westernmost forest-steppes, situated in the buffer zone of sub-Mediterranean and Continental climates. The natural mosaic of small xeric forest patches and dry grasslands results in an extremely heterogenous and complex pattern, hosting a large number of unique communities and several endangered species. The lecture provides a general introduction into Pannonian forest-steppes, and gives a more detailed analysis of two types: the intrazonal forest-steppes on sand and the extrazonal forest-steppes on southern mountain slopes. The vegetation history, land-use, dynamics, spatial heterogeneity, diversity and nature conservation importance of these beautiful and valuable communities will be discussed.