Abstract

The distribution of beech species (Fagus) and beech-dominated forests along climatic gradients in the Northern Hemisphere was studied by use of taxonomic and ecological literature. The genus Fagus as a whole occurs over the range of 4.5 to 20.0。C mean annual temperature and 600 to 1000 mm in lower limit, mean annual precipitation. At the higher end of the temperature range, beech occurs in zones with relatively high growing-season precipitation. Edaphically, beech species and beech-dominated forests tend to occur on mesic, moderately fertile sites. Beech-dominated forests occur in a limited portion of the climatic range of the genus with sensitive responses to other environmental factors. The distributional range of beech-dominated forests on a global scale depends more on climatic factors and geological events than on soil conditions or other factors, summarizing the facts obtained by many researchers on beech dominated forests.

Keywords