PHYTOMASS AND CARBON STORAGE IN THE STEPPES OF EASTERN ANDALUSIA, SPAIN

Andalusian Mediterranean steppes, which have marked floristic similari ties with steppes from the Maghreb, exhibit a wide diversity of featur es. Aboveground perennial phytomass was found to differ considerably b etween the different Andalusian steppes: steppe with Stipa tenacissima , steppe with Artemisia barrelieri, steppe with Lygeum spartum and ste ppe with Chenopodiaceae. The intensity of degradation from man and liv estock, which is partly responsible for the current floristic composit ion and physionomy of these steppes, was reflected by the values of ph ytomass and carbon storage, which generally decline with increasing st eppization.