Predicting Woody Plant Diversity as Key Component of Ecosystems

Abstract

The Mediterranean basin is a global hotspot of biodiversity. Woody plants are key components of ecosystems. This article explores the environmental impacts on woody plant species richness and diversity in maquis and abandoned olive groves in an important ecological area of central Greece. The results showed that woody plant species richness and diversity had increasing values in maquis compared to abandoned olive groves. According to Principal Component Analysis, woody plant species richness and diversity (Shannon diversity index) were positively correlated with soil organic matter, plant litter, N, P, K, slope and precipitation in maquis. Also, positive correlations among woody plant species richness and diversity, and soil organic matter, and slope were detected in abandoned olive groves. Conclusively, the present study is the first in the area and the results it will be utilized as a decision support tool for sustainability assessment of ecosystems with the help of the information systems.