Haris Attila: Hymenoptera Research in the Carpathian Basin - Natura Somogyiensis 29. (Kaposvár, 2016)
Biogeographic Regions of the Carpathian Basin
8 Natura Somogyiensis Biogeographic Regions of the Carpathian Basin According to the latest and internationally accepted biogeographic division of Europe (European Environment Agency 2002a, b, c), the Carpathian Basin is divided into 3 biogeographic regions, namely: the Pannonian Region, the Alpine Region and in small fragments, the Continental Region. The lower territories belong to the "Pannonian Biogeographic Region, also known as the central Danubian basin, is completely surrounded by mountains. It is enclosed by the Alps in the west and the Dinarics in the south. The Carpathians encircle the north and east. As regards the main features of relief, alluvial plains dominate with sparse isolated low hills in the interior and low mountain ranges along the boundaries. The main feature of the region is the Great Hungarian plain. Other plains include the Danube plain in Slovakia and the Sava and Drava plains in Croatia and Slovenia. The hilly landscape west of the Danube includes several small mountain ranges as the Bakony and Mecsek hills in Hungary, Frushka Gora hills in Serbia, Papuk and Bilo Gora hills in Croatia. The northern rim is composed of volcanic mountains (Berecse, Pilis, Cserhát, Bükk and Zemplin hills)." The higher altitudes of the Carpathian Basin belong to the Alpine Biogeographic Region. "This region ranges of mountains from the Mediterranean to western Siberia constitute the alpine biogeographic region. It includes some of the oldest and most recent mountains of the world; the Alps, the Scandes, the Pyrenees, the Carpathians, the Rhodopes, the Urals, the Caucasia and the Dinaric Alps." From these territories only the Carpathians, the Dinaric Alps and in small part the Alps (Foot of the Alps) are part of the Carpathian Basin. Beyond these 2 larger regions, there are some smaller fragments of the Continental Biogeographic Region: "The Continental region extends in a central east-west band over most of Europe. The region is not entirely contiguous: the Alps act as a barrier, isolating the part of the region on the Apennine Peninsula. The Continental region entirely surrounds the Pannonian region as well as the Carpathian Mountains, which belong to the Alpine region. In countries such as Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina the shifts from one region to another occur over short distances."
