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Questions: What are the main vegetation types of forest and shrubland vegetation in central and eastern Euxine Turkey and SW Georgia? What are the main environmental factors affecting their diversity? What is their syntaxonomic position? Can we integrate them into the European vegetation classification system? Location: Central and eastern Euxine Turkey and SW Georgia. Methods: We collected 3104 vegetation plots of forest and shrubland vegetation in the study region and performed Two‐Way Indicator Species Analysis (TWINSPAN) classification. We described vegetation types based on the classification results, expert knowledge and information from literature sources. We defined diagnostic species and prepared distribution maps for each vegetation type. To determine the most significant environmental variables on floristic differentiation, we used canonical correspondence analysis. Detrended correspondence analysis with passive projection of most significant environmental variables was run to interpret the environmental variation of vegetation types. Results: The studied vegetation was divided into 29 vegetation types related to seven main vegetation groups: relict Mediterranean forests and shrubland (mainly along the coastline, beside some inland localities), lowland to submontane forests, central Euxine mountain forests, eastern Euxine (Colchic) mountain forests, subeuxine forests, azonal riparian forests and subalpine and alpine shrubland. Elevation is the most important factor causing the differentiation in vegetation. It is followed by longitude and latitude. Among climatic variables, temperature seasonality, annual precipitation and precipitation of the wettest quarter are the most significant factors for vegetation differentiation. These factors correlate with the reduction of maritime climate and geomorphological features. Conclusions: Vegetation types mostly correspond to the syntaxa accepted in the EuroVegChecklist. However, some of them do not appear in the EuroVegChecklist since they appear only beyond Europe. We described three syntaxa as new: Abietion equi‐trojani, Querco cerridis‐Carpinion orientalis and Piceo orientalis‐Fagenion orientalis. The study revealed high vegetation diversity of the region that should be taken into consideration in ecosystem management and used as a reference in restoration and mitigation of the effects of global changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions: What are the main vegetation types of forest and shrubland vegetation at the alliance level in Mediterranean Turkey? What is their syntaxonomical position? Can we integrate them into the European vegetation classification system? Which environmental factors are the main drivers of the floristic differentiation of vegetation types? Location: Southern and western Turkey. Methods: We collected 4,717 vegetation plots of forest and shrubland vegetation in Mediterranean Turkey and performed an unsupervised classification of this data set. We described vegetation types based on the classification results, expert knowledge and information from the literature. We defined diagnostic species and prepared distribution maps for each vegetation type. To support the interpretation of the vegetation types, we determined the most important environmental variables using canonical correspondence analysis. Results: The studied vegetation was divided into 21 types related to three vegetation belts: (a) thermo‐ and meso‐mediterranean, comprising coniferous (Pinus brutia, Pinus pinea) and sclerophyllous forests, as well as macchia, garrigue and phrygana; (b) supra‐mediterranean, comprising Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana forests, thermophilous deciduous forests dominated by various oak species and Ostrya carpinifolia, and forests dominated by temperate species such as Fagus orientalis; and (c) oro‐mediterranean, comprising forests and shrublands dominated by Abies cilicica, Cedrus libani, Juniperus excelsa and Juniperus communis subsp. nana. Elevation was identified as the main environmental driver of the vegetation pattern. Among climatic variables, the most important are the mean temperatures (annual and of driest, coldest, and warmest quarters), minimum temperature of winter, precipitation of warmest and driest quarters and precipitation seasonality. These factors indicate the decreasing effect of the Mediterranean climate with increasing elevation. Conclusions: The vegetation of Mediterranean Turkey is arranged along climatic gradients depending on elevation and the distance from the Mediterranean Sea. Most vegetation types in this area correspond to the syntaxa accepted in EuroVegChecklist, while others were described as new.Mediterranean Turkey comprises three vegetation belts: 1) thermo‐ and meso‐mediterranean, with coniferous (Pinus brutia, Pinus pinea) and sclerophyllous forests, as well as macchia, garrigue and phrygana (red dots), 2) supra‐mediterranean, with Pinus nigra, thermophilous oaks and Ostrya carpinifolia forests, and forests of temperate species (yellow dots), and 3) oro‐mediterranean, represented by Abies cilicica, Cedrus libani, Juniperus excelsa forests and Juniperus communis shrublands (blue dots). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to put forward Turkey as a case study of the applicability of the European approach to landscape characterisation studies at the local scale within the context of the European Landscape Convention. For this purpose, a classification of landscape types with the help of LANMAP typology is suggested at the European scale in a basin in Turkey where there are obvious differences in terms of landscape characteristics. In particular, this study examines the usability of a countrywide thematic database when making this classification. It is understood that a mapping system as well as a common nomenclature of types of land covered at the country scale is insufficient for the suggested methodology for Europe. Later, results of the continuation of a classification system at the local scale for landscape characterisation are discussed, and some deficiencies of LANMAP when characterising the landscapes at this scale are mentioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contains the original diagnoses of new syntaxa and typifications of existing names of syntaxa from paper "Classification of plant communities along post-fire succession in Pinus brutia stands in southern Antalya (Turkey)" that was published in Turkish Journal of Botany. As journal has only on-line version according to ICPN descriptions are not valid. We described syntaxa: Eryngio falcati-Securigerion securidacae all. nova, Ajugo chiae-Lactucetum serriolae ass. nova, Phlomido grandiflorae-Cistetum salvifolii ass. nova, and Arbuto andrachnes-Quercetum cocciferae ass. nova and selected nomenclatural type for Querco-Phillyreetum mediae Barbero & Quézel 1976. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]