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An Analysis of the Vegetation of the Northern Slopes of Pico--The Azores

1952; Wiley; Volume: 40; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/2258026

1365-2745

Paris N. Marler, D. J. Boatman,

Genetic diversity and population structure

Indies, have been so well investigated in the past that the taxonomic picture of the flora is now more or less complete. Less has been published about the plant communities and their ecology. The vertical distribution has been dealt with by Watson (1870), Guppy (1917) and more recently by Tutin (1951), and the latter has also made a general study of the plant communities over Pico, the island which is the subject of the present paper. Here a limited part of the island is dealt with in somewhat closer detail. The climatic conditions which prevail in the Azores have been dealt with in detail by Tutin, and it will suffice here to mention that these islands are characterized by frequent mists, particularly at higher altitudes, by persistent strong winds, a very high rainfall, and by a rapid run-off of water due to the rather impermeable nature of the volcanic rock. The island of Pico is formed entirely of alkali basalt or olivine, as are all the Azores apart from Santa Maria, the easternmost. At the western end it bears the great 2320 m. cone from which the island takes its name. This enormous peak on an island only 40 km. by 13 km. results in a continuous and steep sloping of the land down to the sea. The northern slopes, the Baldios do Conselho, are less steep than those to the south, and are well covered with woodland. These slopes were selected for the present study, during a visit to Pico from 31 March to 16 April 1949.