Numerical and phytosociological classification of the vegetation of the Bozburun Peninsula (Southwestern Anatolia)

Vegetation patterns of the Bozburun Peninsula (southwestern Anatolia) were investigated using numerical phytosociological methods to classify plant communities and evaluate their relationships with environmental factors. A total of 168 vegetation plots were sampled using the Braun–Blanquet approach. Cluster analysis, Multiple Response Permutation Procedure (MRPP), Indicator Species Analysis (IndVal), and Bray–Curtis polar ordination were applied. Three major vegetation units were identified: phrygana, maquis, and Pinus brutia forests. Ordination analyses showed that elevation and precipitation are the main environmental gradients controlling vegetation distribution. Phrygana occupies lower and drier habitats, maquis occurs under intermediate conditions, whereas Pinus brutia forests are associated with higher and relatively wetter sites. The study also describes three new syntaxa and demonstrates that numerical phytosociological methods provide an effective framework for vegetation classification and syntaxonomical interpretation in southwestern Anatolia.