TITLE:
Quercus faginea subsp. tlemcenensis Stands in the Moutas Reserve (Tlemcen, Northwest Algeria)
AUTHORS:
Bouazza Naima, Cherifi Kouider, Babali Brahim
KEYWORDS:
Stand, Moutas Reserve, Taxonomy, Anthropozoogenic Impacts, Preservation
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.11 No.1,
January
17,
2020
ABSTRACT: The Zeen oak (Quercus
faginea) is a forest species endemic to the western Mediterranean, very
remarkable in Algeria; it is an
oak with deciduous or semi-persistent leaves. Quercus faginea, is very polymorphic, especially in terms of leaf
characteristics, so it would be represented in Algeria by two subspecies: Quercus faginea subsp. baetica (Webb) DC and Quercus faginea subsp. tlemcenensis (DC). The latter, which is of major taxonomic
interest, is a species that still resists climatic fluctuations. This stand is
a formation at the climatic stage, which covers a large part of the Moutas
reserve (488 ha), appears from an altitude of 1100 m and is frequently found
where humidity is high. For a decade, our attention has been drawn to its
particular behaviour, linked to major processes of change in both climate and
biological components. Through this study, we show the importance of this
stand, which is in a regressive dynamic phase on which the incidence of
disturbances is only the action of anthropogenic climatic factors. Despite its
good adaptive strategy, Quercus faginea subsp. tlemcenensis is a species
threatened by multiple anthropozoogenic impacts; the latter constitutes a direct threat to the preservation and renewal of
biological resources as well as to the ecological balance of the area [1], but the dynamic value of Quercus faginea subsp. tlemcenensis remains appreciated with particular attention by scientists, foresters,
conservators and local populations in the region.