Empirical delineation of the forest-steppe zone is supported by macroclimate.

ABSTRACT: Eurasian forest-steppes form a 9000-km-long transitional zone between temperate forests and steppes, featuring a complex mosaic of herbaceous and woody habitats. Due to its heterogeneity regarding climate, topography and vegetation, the forest-steppe zone has been divided into several regions. However, a continental-scale empirical delineation of the zone and its regions was missing until recently. Finally, a map has been proposed by Erdős et al. based on floristic composition, physiognomy, relief, and climate. By conducting predictive distribution modeling and hierarchical clustering, here we compared this expert delineation with the solely macroclimate-based predictions and clusters. By assessing the discrepancies, we located the areas where refinement of the delineation or the inclusion

SUBMITTER: Bede-Fazekas A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10575856 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature