Bioclimatology, biogeography and land use of Trás-os-Montes
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abstract
Frequently climate is considered the first factor influencing flora, and consequently,
vegetation distribution (Walter 1986; Woodward & B. G. Williams 1987;
Capelo 2003; Peinado et al. 2007). Bioclimatology is the science that investigates the
relationship between climate and the distribution of organisms.
Rivas-Martínez’s Worldwide Bioclimatic Classification (RMWBC) has been developed
by Rivas-Martínez with a number of approaches since 1982 (Rivas-Martínez
1996; 2008), with close reference to vegetation distribution, and is currently the
most widely applied classification by Iberian phytosociologists, as well as from other
Mediterranean countries. Based on the RMWBC, Monteiro-Henriques (2010) produced
a set of bioclimatological maps for mainland Portugal (1960-1990) using the
climatic statistical interpolations of Silva (2005) and Nicolau (2002) as base data.
Using these bioclimatological maps of Monteiro-Henriques (2010) we present thermotype
and ombrotype maps for mainland Portugal following the latest version of
the RMWBC (Rivas-Martínez 2008), with particular focus on the Morais-Bragança
area (Figure 5 and 6).
