U3-E - Pavements calcaires

Limestone pavement

Classification des habitats EUNIS 2022

Descriptif de l'habitat

Limestone pavements are landforms resulting from dissolution processes exerted on hard limestone tables probably formed by ancient glacial erosion and subsequent weathering. They occur in or around the Alps and the Apennines and in northern Atlantic and Baltic regions and comprise flat or sloping surfaces of limestone separated by a network of vertical fissures. The size, shape and regularity of the blocks vary according to the local character of the bedrock and the climate, and much of the surface is bare but slowly accumulating soil. The shelter of crevices provides a variety of situations for colonisation. Drought-resistant communities of cushions of bryophytes and lichens and fragments of dry tufted grasslands can occur in exposed situations, whereas there is a more luxuriant vegetation of ferns, herbs, shrubs and trees at sheltered sites. Wind and herbivores often curtail any surface spread. The composition of the flora contrasts markedly between the major areas of occurrence.

Bibliography

 European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity, 2021. EUNIS terrestrial habitat classification 2021 including crosswalks. ETC/BD-EEA. Table Excel transmise par S. Hennekens (Alterra) le 14/02/2022. (Source)