Dinaric Alps

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Topography and relief of the Dinarides

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The Dinaric Alps (also called Dinaric Alps or Dinarides ) is one of the jungalpidischen fold mountains in Southeastern Europe. Due to its significant expansion over 600 km it forms the dominant mountains of South Eastern Europe and is also the climate, culture and landscape divide between Mediterranean area and inland. It extends from the Julian Alps in northeastern Italy and Slovenia on Northwest Croatia, Bosnia - Herzegovina southwestern Serbia and Montenegro to northern Albania, where it terminates in the crossbar of the Albanian Alps / Prokletija. In inner and outer Dinarides distinguished limits the lower, repellent and steep, geologically younger and highly karstified Outer Dinarides ( 1,757 m Velebit in Croatia, Orjen 1894m in Montenegro ) to the narrow Croatian coast of the eastern Adriatic. In the alpine high mountains of Inner Dinarides heights above 2500 m is reached ( Maja Jezerce with 2,694 m in Prokletija in northern Albania, Bobotov Kuk with 2,522 m in the Durmitor in Montenegro). To the east the mountains covered gradually from the Pannonian lowlands in the Bosnian - Serb West Erzgebirge. By monotonous waterless plateau surfaces and from the predominant structure of Mesozoic limestones pronounced karst -related character only a few viable passports and transverse valleys are formed. Here and in particular on the edge of the mountain, the major cities have formed. In the inner basin of the high karst poljes lie scattered settlements where livestock is operated in the treeless high mountains Serviced.

• 5.1 Geotectonic types of relief 5.1.1 cordillera
• 5.1.2 Plateau mountains and clumps

• 5.2.1 littoral Dinaric
• 5.2.2 Hochdinariden
• 5.2.3 Nordostdinariden

• 5.3.1 Dinaric Holokarst
• 5.3.2 Merokarst or fluvial - karst of Hochdinariden
• 5.3.3 fluvial relief Dinaric type

• 6.1 Hydrology and Fluvialmorphologie
• 6.2 Karst
• 6.3 Glazialmorphologie 6.3.1 Pleistocene glaciation
• 6.3.2 Today's glaciers and snowfields

• 7.1 Development of the Dinaric Flora
• 7.2 Pflanzengeografische classification, endemism and altitude levels 7.2.1 The Adriatic floral province 7.2.1.1 Oromediterrane Dinaric altitudinal

• 7.2.2.1 "Alpine " Dinaric altitudinal

Word origin

They are named after the mountain Dinara in the middle section in southern Croatia and Bosnia.

Location

The Dinarides form the central part of the western Balkan Peninsula. They border in the northwest to the south-eastern Alps, on the southeast by the Albaniden. The conventional demarcation towards the Alps is drawn on Adelsberger saddle.

From a geological point of view include the Southern Alps as the Julian Alps to the Dinaric Arc, as all mountains, south of the fault line iG - include iron Kappel, following the so-called Alpine- Dinaric scar, which nearly concerns the whole Southern Alps to a system. They are the classical tradition and geographical terminology assigned to the Alps. The term "Alps", however, is here no longer appropriate in their general geographical sense as geological- tectonic concept.

They are not only the most extensive, but by inaccessibility and harshness also the roughest mountains of the Balkan peninsula. Characteristic are numerous breakthrough valleys in the form of inaccessible canyons where significant cross valleys missing. Since these steep valleys therefore offered limited opportunities for Kommunikationsdurchdringung, presented Dinara an effective geographic barrier between the Mediterranean and Balkan cultural regions.

The mountain range extends in a wedge shape, in NNW-SSE trending direction between 46 ° -42 ° N to 700 km in length. The width increases from 50 km in the northwest to a maximum of 350 km to the southeast. In the northwest, the Krainer Schneeberg ( Notranjski Snežnik, 1795 m) and Gorski Kotar ( Veliki Risnjak 1535 m) it has only a highland region. With the increase in thickness of the mountains of north-west to south-east it gains greatly in height and culminates in the plateau highlands of Durmitor and the highlands in the " hinge " of the Prokletija (North Albanian Alps ).

The the mountains upstream narrow Croatian coast with the coast parallel Croatian islands (Krk, Brač, Hvar, etc. ) is formed by the postpleistozänen eustatic sea-level rise and ingression as Canale - coast, the flooded valley of the Bay of Kotor on the Montenegrin coast as Rias Coast.

Through strong neotectonic activity from the rotation of the Adriatic plate come here especially strong earthquake heaped on.

Climate

The Dinarides share climate- ecological in two variants, the Mediterranean -influenced coastal mountains and the continental influence central chains. From regional geographical aspect ( as a regional telluric toxicity), the Adriatic, and the NW-SE trending high mountains effective components for the mesoscale air - circulation. The barrier of the littoral Dinaric as an effective climate divide between the Mediterranean coastal strip and the temperate continental inland areas, an effective ecological dichotomy is created, but the pluviometric distribution with Mediterranean winter rainfall coastal parallel nor 90-130 km measurable inland. A micro-climatic variation is applied even by Beck landscapes and the strong chambered relief. In particular, hygro and ventilatory conditions are modified by and wintry cold air lakes form in the numerous poljes and larger basins.

Special conditions prevail due to the direct influence in the southeastern Mediterranean littoral Dinaric Alps. Here, the subtype of a specific sub-Mediterranean - oromediterran - perhumid - South Adriatic variant to a narrow littoral area of is - Velebit, Orjen, Lovćen and Rumija limited. Basically, the very high annual rainfall of between 4500-6500 mm / m² a and thus the highest precipitation totals in Europe leads ( meteorological station Crkvice in Montenegro) in this variant of ( oro ) Mediterranean climate.

Since the rainfall in the summer are not uncommon, the dry season, which is characteristic of the Mediterranean climate remains from here and is marked by a semi-dry time. The mean annual temperatures vary between 5 and 7 ° C, and the mean January temperatures will be around -2 ° C. Only the highest parts of the Dinarides -coast are characterized by a short frost period ( 1-3 months).

Geology and tectonics

Geological large units

The center of the Dinaric mountains between the basin of the Adriatic Sea to the Pannonian plain or Danube Lowland is indeed (formerly called high karst ceiling) structurally from the monotonous and extremely powerful Karbonatplatform the outer Dinarides, as the Dalmatian - Herzegovinian zone or also referred to as Hochdinariden determined is, but the geological structure in the northeastern inner Dinarides in Mittelbosnisch - West Serb area of complex geology dominated and complicated the structural limit for Rhodopenmassiv in the highly complex Morava - Vardar trench accordingly.

Edge Adriatic limits the Dinarides to the Mediterranean Sea in the narrow Südadriatisch - Ionian zone and the Danube Plain in the complex, Neogene Pannonian Basin infill ( lowlands ).

The Dinarides are composed of four main geological units, the age of the coast ( outside) to the interior (inside ) increases. The main part of the Dinaric geosyncline but ( Devonian to latter day ) almost exclusively formed of calcareous and dolomitic sediments.

The distribution of carbonates and non- carbonates position varies as a consequence of different sedimentation conditions, such as different geological evolution of individual parts of the Dinaric geosyncline.

Outermost determine this by the strong neotectonic activity ( earthquake zone) highly disturbed relatively soft and shallow Cretaceous limestones in the Adriatic and Ionian fold belt. In Montenegro and in neighboring Albania, nor standeth in the Pindus Cukali zone with strong scaly limestones and flysch sediments. The narrow, highly folded and little extreme powerful units sits the powerful and geographically extensive monotonous high karst ceiling than the morphologically formative structure of the entire Dinaric Alps.

The thickness of the Cretaceous and Jurassic limestones is here to over 4 km. The karstification of highly pure and hard limestones extends down below the sea level and is characterized by a well-trained karst hydrology.

Outside the high karst zone, in the area of ​​Durmitordecke, Werfener shale are associated as a layer rocks with limestones, eastern Prokletija is even largely composed of schists. In addition, there are still sand and igneous rocks but rarely develops massive. In addition, Paleozoic schists, Triassic limestones are lenticular, mostly, used in the highest parts of Komovi and Zentralprokletije.

Formation

Plate tectonic processes

The Dinaric Alps arose as the Alps by the collision of the African and Arabian plate and the Eurasian plate in the Oligocene, which continues to this day. Through the paleogeographic and structural unit with the Hellenides they are combined into a Orogen, the Dinaric - hellenidischen Orogen.

The structural system of the Dinarides ( serbo-kroat. Dinarsko gorje, Dinaridi ) is part of the perimediterranen alpine and hence a portion of the Eurasian jungalpidischen mountain systems, their continuity through the Pliocene to Quaternary in the ongoing neotectonic activity, as a generator of the present-day geological structures is interrupted.

Structure and Relief

Geotectonic types of relief

On the severity of the relief and morphology forth Hochdinariden can in the group of:

• Wrinkles or cordillera in the northwest (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia )
• Plateau or ceiling Mountains in the southeast ( Herzegovina, Montenegro, Northern Albania) are divided.

Cordillera

The chain mountains include all Dinaric mountain ranges northwest of the Neretva. They are characterized as typical of fold mountains by linear mountain ridges, which lie in the so-called Dinaric strike ( northwest- southeast). Typically pronounced in the Dinara and Velebit.

Plateau mountains and clumps

The Dinaric Mountains southeast of the Neretva are by so-called developed land (often named after the Eastern Alpine Raxlandschaft ) that identifies the type of a little altered since the Tertiary plateau surface and shaped horst -like accentuation, as well as extensive plateaus. Typical of plateaus and clumps of Prenj, the Zelengora, Maglić, Bioč, Durmitor, Sinjajevina, Moračke Planine, Orjen ( Krivošije, Bijela Gora Rudine ), Western and Central Prokletija ( Maja Radohines group, Maja Jezerce group Bjelić ).

Air Geographic subdivision

Climate and Regionalgeografisch is a division due to climatic, and cultural-geographic and wirtschaftsgeografischer Mark in:

• Littoral ( coastal) Dinarides
• (Landlocked) or Hochdinariden
• Nordostdinariden possible.

Littoral Dinaric

The Adriatic fold-mountain belt of the outer Dinarides the Dalmatian littoral Dinaric deny a towering wall access to the inland country and are an effective climate divide. The plateaus were managed earlier mainly in the form of transhumance.

Gorski Kotar

• Snežnik
• Gorski kotar
• North Velebit
• South Velebit

Central Dalmatia

• Biokovo
• Mosor

Rudine and Rumija

• Orjen
• Lovćen
• Paštovci
• Rumija

Hochdinariden

The woody central Hochdinariden the westmontenegrinisch - Bosnian Croat high karst zone and the Bosnian Serb -west and north- Montenegrin limestone and shale zone are sparsely populated highlands with pronounced Serviced.

Lika, Western Bosnia

• Dinara
• Plješevica
• Cincar

Central Bosnia

• Vranica
• Bjelašnica
• Jahorina
• Treskavica

Herzegovina, Montenegro

• Čvrsnica
• Prenj
• Zelengora
• Maglič
• Durmitor
• Sinjajevina
• Stožac
• Maganik
• Prekornica
• Bjelasica
• Visitor
• Komovi
• Prokletija

Nordostdinariden

The innerbosnischen and Serbian lime and Serpentingebirge are erzreiche Mountains. Serviced prevails in you.

Eastern Bosnia - western Serbia

• Javor planina
• Tara planina
• Zlatibor
• Maljen
• Povlen
• Mučanj
• Čemernica
• Kukutnica

Sandzak Serbia

• Golija
• Pešter
• Zlatar
• Jadovnik
• Giljeva
• Ozren

Geomorphological and hydrological types of relief

For the powerful developed karst platform of the outer Dinarides the littoral and high - Dinarides, river and waterways inside Dinarides can be the basis of hydrological expression then three hydro- geographical zones of which form two karstologische types, make:

• The zone of the Dinaric Holokarstes ( endorheic zone)
• Fluviokarst the zone of the high karst or Merokarst (zone of gorges and canyons, including the Neretva Canyon, Tara Canyon, Moraca Canyon etc. )
• The fluvial zone ( normally developed fluvial relief types).

Dinaric Holokarst

The monotonous and not very structured, belonging to the endorheic and therefore most developed karst Dinaric Mountains of Mediterraneums Croatia, Südbosniens, the Herzegovina and Altmontenegros be numbered among the so-called Holokarst. You have all the components of a developed underground karst drainage by Großpoljen, Dolinenfelder, dry valleys and Sickerflüsse. By Karen Fields, they are difficult to access and repellent.

The Dinaric Holokarst is divided by hull surfaces, which form a so-called Hull staircase in mitteldalmatinisch Bosnian area. In the step-like differentiation of hull surfaces in the form of large Dinaric poljes that as a central hydrological nodes the in-and outflow, the changing depending on the hydrological conditions karst groundwater levels determine, make up the most important agronomically useful rooms in the Dinaric Holokarst.

Merokarst or fluvial - karst of Hochdinariden

The built up of carbonates Hochdinariden East Bosnia, Northern Montenegro and northern Albania are divided by bays of shale masses through canyon valleys ( Cetina, Krka, Neretva, Morača, Cijevna, Valbona, Tara, Piva ). They have therefore superficial drains at least in the montane and planar stages. Only in the high alpine zones sources are relatively rare, because even here karst forms are characteristic pronounced. Since poljes and sinkholes occur not as numerous as in the Dinaric Holokarst, dominate among the karst large molds Glaziokarstformen and Eiswirkung mantled karst plateau which ausgestallten in the form of round bumps or landscapes occur in the over-molded by Eiswirkung Karen.

Fluvial relief Dinaric type

The water-rich Dinaric mountains of central Bosnia, Montenegro, Northeast, Southwest Serbia have well trained waters nets ( Kupa, Una, Vrbas, Bosna, Lim, Drina, Western Morava, Ibar ) and correspond to the fluvial relief Dinaric type.

Geomorphology

Hydrology and Fluvialmorphologie

Due to the precipitation wealth the Dinarides are a water-rich mountains, especially in the central parts. The most important rivers are from north to south: Kupa, Una, Sana, Vrbas, Bosna and Drina, all drained by the Sava into the Black Sea. From the Adriatic Sea to flow only four river systems: Krka, Cetina, Neretva and Morača. For all Dinaric rivers gorges, ravines and canyons are characteristic. These include, for example, the deepest and longest canyon in Europe, the Tara Canyon and applied in a gorge section known Plitvice Lakes.

In addition to the normal fluvial types of relief karst rivers are still pronounced. These so-called Ponornica Sickerflüsse are characterized by strong Dividend Payment karst springs ( for example, the Buna source in Herzegovina ) and karst hydrological seepage to swallow holes ( Ponor ). The best known Sickerflüsse are firstly the Reka in Slovenia, the Gacka in Croatia, as well as the Trebišnjica in Bosnia.

Karst

In particular, the outer Dinarides are characterized by its strong karstification, which is especially prominent in Croatia ( in the historical regions of Lika, and along the Croatian coastal region ), Herzegovina in Bosnia and Montenegro. Due to the karst hydrological peculiarity therefore also crosses just a river system the Dinaric Karst high, the Neretva. The powerful high karst ceiling of the outer Dinarides is formed from four km thick Jurassic and Cretaceous limestones. The associated karstgeomorphologischen and karst hydrological phenomena of the Dinaric Karst made ​​the mountains to the traditional survey area of karst landscapes and founded in the late 19th century, the development of Karstologie as a scientific discipline.

In the Montenegrin- Albanian north room, the pronounced high mountains of the Balkan Peninsula is characterized by typical alpine forms.

Glazialmorphologie

Pleistocene glaciation

The Pleistocene glaciation was most intense in the Dinarides throughout southern Europe. Numerous glacial lakes of Hochdinariden addition to the above shared Karen and ridges whose poignant testimonies.

The quaternary snowline lay particularly in the Dinarides in the crack and Würm about 1000 m below the recent, which is now accepted at over 2900 m, well above the highest point of the mountain. All major mountain groups had also been glaciated during the ice ages.

Besides cirque glaciers were formed sporadically larger valley glaciers that reached well over 10 km in length with favorable topographical and climatic conditions. Significant proportions had glaciers of the Dinarides especially in Prenj, Durmitor, Prokletija and the Orjen.

Went Jovan Cvijic still in the early 20th century by a massive, today glaciation of the Alps rising well above freezing out, recent studies on Quartärgeschichte in Durmitor and Prokletija that the maximum glacier lengths 15 km were here.

However, a particular anomaly of the Mediterranean Hochgebirgsvergletscherung in the Ice Age occurred in the southern coastal mountains of the Dinaric Alps. Thus, the snowline in Orjen in the Pleistocene was favored position to below 1200 m and an area of ​​up to 150 km ² was covered for glacial peak in the ice.

Today's glaciers and snowfields

Although all Dinaric Mountains are well below the climatic snowline, but also tart smaller glaciers and firn are formed. You are always in steep and shielded northwest and northeast side hollows under microclimatic favor far below the actual climatic snowline.

Thus exists in the Durmitor Debeli namet cirque glacier at 1750 meters altitude, and in Prokletija a glacier in the valley Buni e Jezercës and two kleiener cirque glaciers east of Jezerca - tip and an avalanche boiler glacier above the Grbaja Valley in Karanfil Mountain group.

These small cirque glaciers are only 200 to 500 m long, but show the typical forms of accumulation of an end moraine and are thus clearly distinguished as active glaciers of firn.

In general, the glaciers of the Dinarides are considered the lowest lying of sub-Mediterranean mountains. Recent studies show that they are not as severely affected by global warming affected, since they are not as strongly affected by abundant winter snowfall and a relief favoring the general temperature trends. However, only one remained stable during the comparison to the little ice age of nine former glaciers in the Durmitor has lagged.

Biogeography - phytogeography

Development of the Dinaric Flora

The genesis of the Dinaric Flora took place over long geological time geological and climatic changes during Tertiary, glacial and post-glacial phases. A recently are no old Mesozoic representatives of paläotropischen vegetation found (such as in the floras of East Asia or Argentina ). The basic ingredients especially the particularly rich in Europe forest flora is yet known since the Cretaceous (eg, Quercus, Fagus, Castanea, Alnus, Salix). The heat more loving to present-day conditions ( thermophilere ) tertiary European "Tropical Flora" was much richer than today of tropical elements, where only a small number of relict species ( Adiantum capillusveneris ), genera ( Dioscorea ) and family ( Gesneriaceae ) has survived.

Extratropical tertiary forms, however, are in a high number of species represented (for example Scopolia, Sibiraea, Thelygonum, omorika Picea, Pinus peuce, Forsythia europaea, Syringa vulgaris). The larger compared to other European biodiversity of the Dinaric Alps and Pyrenees to be promoted through greater petrographic heterogeneity as in the Pyrenees and the Alps against by embedding between species-rich Flore centers of the subtropical Mediterranean regions to an eye-catching Endemitenreichtum high potential species.

Pflanzengeografische classification, endemism and altitude levels

The vegetation of large ecosystems and the development of vegetation zones, and the formation of so-called floristic regions is flore historical result of the regional flore evolution, which was particularly encouraged by bioökologisch formative components in the climate and landscape features.

Within such floristic regions ( florengeografisch called biome ) therefore result from relief and the relationships that result from the situation, particularly to the seas, a climatic from the factors and aspects of the natural region differentiated subdivision. These so-called telluric factors that have a major influence on the vegetation, the distance to the Mediterranean, and the design in relief, the impact on geo-ecological components of soil and water resources and also on the location requirements of the plants are acting for the Dinarides.

Basically associated particularly the geology with the climatic components in the Dinaric habitat. Thus, the warmest and wettest habitats located in regions with pronounced karst nature. Through the resulting induced surface dryness and little deep soils are typical locations for drought- resistant species as well geophytische or annuals life forms. Here therefore often dominate mint and euphorbias, as well as numerous species of grass ( Stipa, Bromus, Sesleria, Festuca, Nardus ).

In contrast, the still rainy, but also winter cold Central Dinarides have deep soils on varied geological substrates and are characterized by a closed forest vegetation. Therefore, all of the typical species of the montane forest flora are represented diverse. The high regions are then increasingly generally constructed of limestone and dolomite. Here, as in the rock sections to find the Dinaric calcareous grassland and rock types. However, Hochstaudenfluren, Schneetälchengesellschaften and generally many elements are in addition to greater demands on the water balance.

Pflanzengeografisch falls Dinaric region in the Holarctic and a distinction is made in a sub-Mediterranean and Mediterranean floral region.

This includes all synecological elements ( phytosociological companies), biological communities ( communities ) and Zonobiome ( climate appropriate plant formations ) of the Dinarides with temperate to subtropical plants Balkan region. The Dinarides are in the core area of the Illyrian Flore Sub-region (after the Roman province of Illyria ) of the Eastern Balkan (often mösisch after the Roman province of Moesia ) against.

The Adriatic coastal zone, which occupies the more or less wide area of Dalmatia, the south-western Montenegro and Albania, is reported as a component of the Mediterranean floral region as so-called Adriatic region.

The klimazonalen height levels of the Dinaric Mountains can be derived from its location to the Mediterranean thus divided into two ecological types and a transition zone: the oromediterrane altitudinal zonation, and the alpine altitudinal zonation.

The Adriatic floral province

The Adriatic floral province corresponds to the nordmediterranem type. Characteristic of the northern Adriatic coast and the lowland coast of Albania is particularly the lack of typical sclerophyllous woodland. Rather, they are deciduous oaks that shape in Istria, Kvarner Gulf, as well as the Albanian Nierderungsküste. The Dalmatian coast, such as the Montenegrin Riviera become part of the Hartlaub area with original stone - oak forests. Through episodic occurrence of stronger frosts due to cold waves and periodic Bora events, but these are depleted in heat-loving and frost-sensitive species. For example, Viburnum tinus regionally missing (eg in the Bay of Kotor ).

Only the warmest Dalmatian islands Central and South Dalmatia, including Hvar and Mljet, the eumediterranen zones are attributable. In the very dry central Adriatic islands around Palagruža an extreme dry vegetation with wüstenhaftem character is developed. This therefore already belongs to xeromediterranen zone. As a contrast to these lying in the rain shadow of the Apennines islands of the central Adriatic, occur at the before divided by orographic rainfall Rivieren in the Kvarner Gulf and the Bay of Kotor, remains of laurel forest formations on. Here demanding chestnut forests are developed in their water supply.

Oromediterrane Dinaric altitudinal

The most oceanic, but due to the Mediterranean rhythm and summer-dry and dominated by karst adriatic close mountain ranges correspond to the ecological elevation of the Mediterraneums whose numerous heat-and drought- loving species are developmental history also emerged mainly in the Adriatic province of the Mediterranean floral region and comparable zirkummediterranen development centers of mountain vegetation. The Adriatic vegetation province includes only the narrow strip of littoral mountain ranges with the richly indented coastlines of Croatia, Montenegro and the coastal lowland coast of Albania, but the Bojanamündung with the characterizing heat-loving species-rich forests and shrub formations is just north of the typical form. In the lower zones of the evergreen sclerophyllous mediterranene region with the dominant landscape type of the maquis is characteristic; the original deciduous forests have been almost completely replaced by anthropogenic replacement companies. Sea beach pine and introduced on the southeastern Adriatic Sea from the Levant in particular Italian cypress are obvious. Occur at the wettest locations on the Adriatic coast in the Bay of Risan Kvarnergolf and laurel forests on oleander and laurel; from about 250 m above sea level in the north and 400 m above sea level in the south take over deciduous shrub formations that are floristically called Šibljak lineup on. In Šibljak Degradatinsformen are lauwerfender oak forests (in particular Turkey oak ), as also found degraded Ostrya carpinifolia forests and anthropogenic replacement companies. By Somalis before widespread arson and grazing pressure were the Šibljak companies for the herd animal -holding population of Dalmatia, Montenegro, Albania to Macedonia agronomic important (especially willow oak, and Schneiteln of oak leaves as animal feed ).

Also for the oromediterrane forest vegetation are heat-loving, deciduous tree species characteristic ( downy oak, Macedonian oak, sweet chestnut, hornbeam ). The timberline is predominantly formed here of drought-resistant conifers; these are the typical oromediterranen forest border - dry forests, which are in the southeast of the endemic snake skin pines and especially in Croatia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro to the south-western of the silver fir built ( in the northwest with spruce); a low thicket of dwarf mountain juniper leads over to the species-rich calcareous grassland altimediterranen above the last forests.

The oromediterranen Mountains, the (analogous to the alpine zone of the temperate zone ) treeless stage with drought- adapted grass communities (especially Sesleria robusta) have a so-called altimediterrane, are particularly rich in species with the Velebit, Biokovo and Orjen. Common to them is that the height levels of hurricane-force gusts of gale winds and winter Mediterranean winter cyclones are strongly affected ( as characteristic therefore apply so-called bora generic plant communities with extremely sparse vegetation cover ).

As an example of the eu - Mediterranean altitudinal zonation of the Dinarides is considered the highest peak in Dalmatia Orjen on which can be found from the coastal zone to the altimediterranen stage all Mediterranean vegetation formations. Many endemic species of forest vegetation of the Balkan Peninsula next vicarious their relatives in the Colchis, Pontic or Hyrcanian floral provinces and forest types of Asia Minor or the Caucasian coast of the Black Sea. These include Crimean peony or the Greek maple. Due to the numerous eye-catching related species and the vegetation zones in the Caucasus have with the Southeast Dinarides many similarities as Oleg Sergeevič Grebenščikov was able to show in an interesting comparison. However, in particular the lower forest levels are significantly similar, while the subalpine - alpine altitudinal zones as are more differentiated and only have a few arcto - alpine species in common.

The Illyrian floral province

The most obvious feature of the Illyrian floral province is of particular species richness of forest flora. Find Even in the well-known Central European forest types such as beech and hornbeam forests in the much more diverse analog Dinaric forests other character types. So, which belongs to the rose family Avens ( Aremonia agrimonoides ) for example, is typical that Dinaric beech forests form the Association Aremonio - Fagion, the hornbeam forests with the thermophilic Einkeinblättrigen dog - tooth Lily ( Erythornium dens- canis) the association Erythronio - Carpinion. Corresponding Dinaric character types are not known from Central Europe, but can be found in some impoverished version still on the Apennine peninsula, with the Dinaric flora and vegetation flore historically has many similarities.

• The Illyrian province has four endemic genera: Petteria, Halacsya, Haberlea, Jankaea. Endemics are: Picea omorika (Serbia, Bosnia ), Pinus peuce (mountains between 41 ° -43 ° N ), Saxifraga ferdinandi - coburgii, Degenia velebitica ( Velebit ), Petteria ramentacea ( Dalmatia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, Northern Albania), Daphne malyana (Montenegro, Albania), Ramonda Serbica, Ramonda nathaliae (Montenegro ), Oxytropis prenja ( Herzegovina), Greek maple Acer heldreichii, Forsythia europaea (Northern Albania, Kosovo), Moltkia petrea, wulfenia blecicii (Montenegro, Northern Albania), Portenschlagiella ramossissima ( Montenegro), Amphoricarpos neumayerii ( Orjen ) Cicerbita pancicii, Lilium jankae, Dioscorea balcanica (Montenegro, Northern Albania), Iris orjenii (Montenegro).
• Tertiary relict species of the Illyrian -Balkan province are: Ostrya carpinifolia, Juglans regia, Syringa vulgaris, Corylus colurna etc. Such tertiärreliktische plant communities are found mostly in canyons that served the flora in the cold phases of the Ice Age as a refuge: uaNeretva, Drina, Tara, Cijevna, Morača.
• Arktoalpine glacial relicts are characteristic of the highest mountain ranges in Durmitor, Komovi, Prokletija / North Albanian Alps. They colonize snowy habitats often in nearby snow and ice fields, as well as shielded cliffs.

"Alpine " Dinaric altitudinal

The bulk of the Dinarides belongs to the so-called Central European floral region as Illyrian floral province and is determined by sommergünen deciduous forest rich oak oriental hornbeam forests, limestone beech forests and mountain forests nobility. The montane zone, as the tree line these oceanic and snowy High Dinaric Alps in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Montenegro and northern Albania, is developed here ausnehmlich from optimal, particularly species-rich (both the herb and tree flora concerns ) and inventories rich fir-beech forests formed. With tree heights of spruce and fir of even more than 60 m, are both the highest known spruce Europe (63 m, Sutjeska National Park, Bosnia ), as the highest known fir of Europe ( 60 m, Biogradska Gora National Park, Montenegro ) in indigenous forests of the Dinarides.

In the Kalkhochgebirgen from Prenj to the North Albanian Alps in particular occurs Sundays sides above the level book on the climate harsh and extremely frugal snakeskin jaw. Since it is park-like open forests, they have by the strong premolars canopy therefore an understory of alpine or altimediterranen ways in which stand out among others, the light- loving species Sesleria robusta, Viola chelmea, the cowslip, the Schildblättrige Buttercup and the Tender Schachbrettblume.

The majority of oceanic and also summer humid central and high Dinarides show an ecological analogy to the Central European mountains, especially the Alps. With an alpine Flore inventory predominantly comes from the glacial floras, but they are by the great wealth of Balkan endemic species of the analog alpine vegetation types differed (particularly found in the grass and rocky companies of the central Dinarides centers of Radiation (so be origin of species centers designated ) endemic plant species - Verbascum, Edraianthus, Aquilegia, etc.).

While the forest vegetation boreal and corresponds Central European tree and forest types of the Holarctic region, differs here an explicit tree species richness of the glacially greatly impoverished central European mountain forests (notably are hazel tree, Greek maple, fall leaf maple, oriental hornbeam, Hungarian oak, Turkey oak ).

The so-called combat zone of the forest is dominated by subalpine maple - beech forests. In this takes from the Southeast Dinarides to the Greek Parnassus maple an important position, which replaces the less high rising mountain maple in subalpine forest zones. He is the toughest climate deciduous tree of the Balkan peninsula and is the only deciduous tree he can compete with mountain pines or in the north of Norway spruce at the forest and tree line. Through early manhood and an almost annual high seed formation is Greek maples can even under difficult environmental conditions and heavy snow as frequently assert activity well. You find yourself in drier karst mountains in snowy hollows or colonize cleft- rich rock habitats open slopes.

In Prokletija the first time endemic border forests of the five noble Macedonian pine occur, which lead to the spruce forests border the continental Dinaric Alps. Also a large stock of Glazialrelikten as mountain avens and Edelweiss are characteristic of the alpine zone of the High Dinarides.

Between the Nordwestdinariden and Südostdinariden occurs a so-called Vikariismus. Thus, the lime - felsspaltenbewohnende Kitaibel columbine is exemplified only in the space between Velebit and Dinara Nordwestdinarischen, while at comparable locations of Südostdinariden between Čvrsnica and the Orjen the related Dinaric columbine is found. Numerous species are either confined to the Nordostdinariden such as Crocus malyii, Primula kitaibeliana or Degenia velebetica or on the Südostdinariden like Daphne malyana, albanicum Lilium, Iris reichenbachii or Amphoricarpos neumayeri.

Übergangshöhenstufung to the continental climates

But only in the less obvious the more continental mountain ranges of the northern slope and the steppe regions of the Danube Lowland subsequent Mountains in northern Montenegro, Southwest Serbia and Eastern Bosnia also take on far -scale boreal forests of Picea abies and Scots pine large areas of mountainous areas (including Zlatibor, Tara National Park, Kopaonik ).

For the summer wet and extremely cold winters northeastern continental Dinarides, the Pannonian lowlands to the chamfering, is the penetration of Flore elements of Eastern European steppes and the dominance of boreal forest elements characteristic ( common spruce, Serbian spruce, Scots pine ).

Biogeography - zoogeography

The Dinaric Alps located in one of Europe's richest region. With many undeveloped landscapes, the mountains forming a habitat for a variety of rare birds and mammals. In remote mountain areas, wolves, lynx and foxes. Deer, wild goats and wild pigs are also common. The number of brown bears is supposed to have in the late 1990s decimated especially in Albania. Birds such as eagles, hawks and kites are found in the high altitudes of the mountains.

Population

The Dinarides are colonized total sparse. Only where better roads and larger Einebnungen exist, there are also smaller towns. The larger resident ethnic groups are Albanians, Bosnians, Croats, Montenegrins, Serbs and Slovenes. Remote pasture is particularly in Montenegro and Herzegovina, transhumance in the -coast mountains ( Orjen ) developed Serviced in Bosnia. The construction is in the wooded central Dinarides mostly made of wood with steep roof ridges, in the high karst limestone is used.