Vegetation dynamics on composite debris cones.

Interactions between landforms and vegetation cover are particularly evident in mountain areas where ecological factors change along altitudinal gradients within a limited geographical area. In particular, landform heterogeneity in extreme plant habitats gives rise to environmental diversity and biodiversity gradients. Plant community distribution on the cones is very heterogeneouswith discontinuous and scattered vegetation cover that correlate with the direction, intensity and overlapping of the geomorphic processes. In particular, geomorphic processes create habitats where specific plant communities can develop. These processes act as disturbance factors that induce partial or total vegetation destruction and limit plant biomass production. The disturbance is measured as a function of intensity and frequency of the events. Thus, on geomorphic active landforms, plant communities consist of species with similar ecological requirements. Therefore, geomorphic processes are a decisive selective factor.