Heathlands, fire and grazing. A paleoenvironmental view of las Hurdes (Caceres, Spain) history during the last 1200 years

Objetivo del estudio: Se hace un estudio diacrónico del cambio de vegetación a través del análisis palinológico de depósitos sedimentarios. Ésta es una herramienta esencial tanto para diseñar estrategias de sonido en la gestión del paisaje como para comprender su carácter dinámico y antropogénico. Área de estudio: La Meseguera (Ladrillar, Cáceres, España) está situada en la región de Hurdes, en la parte occidental de Sistema Ibérico y comenzó a desarrollarse a principios del período islámico (aproximadamente 770 d C), en una zona ampliamente dominado por el breza. Material y métodos: Polen, palinomorfos no polínicos y la tasa de acumulación de carbón (CHAR) combinada con los datos históricos son indicadores útiles para evaluar el papel creciente de la influencia humana sobre la vegetación. Principales resultados: El uso del fuego y la ganadería representa los principales impulsores del cambio del paisaje en el curso de la historia. El establecimiento de planes de reforestación en bosques, a partir de mediados del siglo XX, cambió sustancialmente en las características regionales. La presencia esporádica de pólenes de haya es detectada hasta el siglo XVI, lo que implica su presencia más occidental en el Sistema Ibérico Central. Aspectos destacados de la investigación: La integración del análisis del polen y los datos históricos es una herramienta esencial a los cambios en la vegetación del Holoceno. Estos cambios se han debido principalmente a perturbaciones antropogénicas, específicamente al fuego y a la ganadería.Aim of study: The diachronic study of vegetation change through palynological analysis of sedimentary deposits is an essential tool both to design sound strategies on landscape management and to understand its anthropogenic dynamics. Area of study: La Meseguera mire (Ladrillar, Cáceres, Spain) is located in the Hurdes region in the western part of Iberian Central System and started to develop at the beginning of the Islamic period (ca. 770 cal AD), in an area widely dominated by heathland. Material and methods: Pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs and charcoal accumulation rate (CHAR) combined with historical data are useful indicators to assess the increasing role of human influence on vegetation. Main results: The use of fire and livestock husbandry represents the main drivers of landscape change in the course of the history. The establishment of forest afforestation plans, from the middle of 20th century, changed substantially the regional features. The sporadic presence of beech pollen is detected until 16th century, which implies the most western location in the Iberian Central Mountain System. Research highlights: The integration of pollen analysis and historical data is an essential tool when studying the changes in Holocene vegetation. These changes have been mainly driven by anthropogenic disturbances, more specifically by fire and livestock husbandry.peerReviewe

Testing the Effect of Relative Pollen Productivity on the REVEALS Model: A Validated Reconstruction of Europe-Wide Holocene Vegetation

The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/land12050986/s1. File S1 Glossary of abbreviations used in the paper.This research was funded by the TERRANOVA Project, H2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 813904.Reliable quantitative vegetation reconstructions for Europe during the Holocene are crucial to improving our understanding of landscape dynamics, making it possible to assess the past effects of environmental variables and land-use change on ecosystems and biodiversity, and mitigating their effects in the future. We present here the most spatially extensive and temporally continuous pollen-based reconstructions of plant cover in Europe (at a spatial resolution of 1° × 1°) over the Holocene (last 11.7 ka BP) using the ‘Regional Estimates of VEgetation Abundance from Large Sites’ (REVEALS) model. This study has three main aims. First, to present the most accurate and reliable generation of REVEALS reconstructions across Europe so far. This has been achieved by including a larger number of pollen records compared to former analyses, in particular from the Mediterranean area. Second, to discuss methodological issues in the quantification of past land cover by using alternative datasets of relative pollen productivities (RPPs), one of the key input parameters of REVEALS, to test model sensitivity. Finally, to validate our reconstructions with the global forest change dataset. The results suggest that the RPPs.st1 (31 taxa) dataset is best suited to producing regional vegetation cover estimates for Europe. These reconstructions offer a long-term perspective providing unique possibilities to explore spatial-temporal changes in past land cover and biodiversity.H2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie TERRANOVA Project 813904Swiss National Science FoundationSwiss Academy of SciencesU.S. National Science FoundationChinese Academy of ScienceLinnaeus University’sMERGE PRG323ETF PRG32

Influence of climate change and human activities on the organic and inorganic composition of peat during the ‘Little Ice Age’ (El Payo mire, W Spain)

Acknowledgements We are grateful to Ana Moreno, Mariano Barriendos and Gerardo Benito who kindly provided us data included in Figure 5a. We also want to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments. Funding This work was funded by the projects HAR2013-43701-P (Spanish Economy and Competitiveness Ministry) and CGL2010-20672 (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation). This research was also partially developed with Xunta de Galicia funding (grants R2014/001 and GPC2014/009). N Silva-Sánchez is currently supported by an FPU pre-doctoral grant (AP2010-3264) funded by the Spanish Government.Peer reviewedPostprin

Vegetation history in the Toledo Mountains (Central-Iberia): human impact during the last 1300 years

ABSTRACT: Mid-mountain ecosystems provide a broad diversity of resources, heterogeneous relief, and a mild climate, which are all very useful for human necessities. These features enable different strategies such as the terracing of the slopes as well as wide crop diversification. Their relations lead to a parallel co-evolution between the environment and human societies, where fire and grazing become the most effective landscape management tools. This paper presents the results obtained from a multi-proxy study of the Bermú paleoenvironmental record, which is a minerotrophic mire located in the Quintos de Mora National Hunting Reserve (Toledo Mountains, central Spain). The bottom of this core has been dated in the Islamic period (ca. 711-1100 cal AD), and the study shows how the landscape that was built over time in the Toledo Mountains up to the present day is narrowly linked to human development. This study shows the increasing human pressure on the landscape, as well as the subsequent strategies followed by the plant and human communities as they faced diverse environmental changes. Thus, it is possible to attest the main role played by the humans in the Toledo Mountains, not only as a simple user, but also as a builder of their own reflexion in the environment.Funding: This research was funded the project REDISCO-HAR2017-88035-P (Plan Nacional I+D+I, Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness). Reyes Luelmo is funded by a FPU grant (Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports)

Pollen study of an endorheic lagoon in Almenara de Adaja (Valladolid, Northern Meseta): environmental changes and human activity during the last 2800 years

El análisis de microfósiles polínicos y no polínicos de una secuencia obtenida en una laguna endorreica en Almenara de Adaja (Valladolid, Meseta Norte) muestra este registro como sensible tanto a cambios de naturaleza climática como antrópica durante los últimos 2800 años. Se han detectado los momentos de variabilidad climática que se han descrito para esta cronología como el período frío del final de la Edad del Hierro (850-75 cal BC), el Período Cálido Romano (ca. 75 cal BC-300 cal AD), el Período Frío Altomedieval (ca. 300-800 cal AD), el Período Cálido Bajomedieval (ca. 800-1450 cal AD) y la Pequeña Edad del Hielo (ca. 1450-1800 cal AD). Además, se han observado distintos grados de antropización en el paisaje en relación con las pautas de asentamiento en la zona. Aunque es desde la época romana cuando se establecieron las transformaciones del paisaje que han conformado el paisaje actual, que está caracterizado por ser un espacio muy agrícola y ganadero.Este trabajo ha sido financiado por el Programa Consolider TCP-CSD2007-00058 (Programa de investigación en tecnologías para la valoración y conservación del Patrimonio Cultural)Peer Reviewe

Vulnerability and resilience of high-mountain pine forests of the Gredos range (Ávila, Spanish Central System): two thousand years of socio-ecological dynamics

RESUMEN: En este trabajo se presenta el análisis palinológico de la turbera de Pozo de la Nieve, localizada en el Parque Natural del Valle de Iruelas (Ávila), un área de alto valor sociocultural dentro de la Sierra de Gredos (Sistema Central). Con el objetivo de relacionar los cambios en el paisaje con la explotación de los recursos naturales y eventos climáticos, en primer lugar se han realizado 7 dataciones radiocarbónicas que sitúan el inicio del registro sedimentario ca. 240 cal BC. Los datos polínicos indican la existencia de un denso pinar altimontano dominado por Pinus sylvestris/nigra desde la Segunda Edad de Hierro hasta el periodo islámico. A partir del periodo cristiano las actividades antrópicas se intensifican, especialmente la ganadería en la Edad Contemporánea, lo cual conlleva la progresiva desaparición del pinar de alta montaña y el desarrollo de pastizales mediante el manejo del fuego, situación que culmina con el desarrollo del paisaje actual dominado por piornales pirófilos.ABSTRACT: We present the palynological study of Pozo de la Nieve peat bog, located in a very valuable socio-cultural placement within the Iruelas Valley Natural Park (Gredos range, Iberian Central System). We have focused in relating landscape changes to natural resources management and climatic events. Firstly, we carried out seven radiocarbon dates suggesting the origin of this record ca. 240 cal BC. The palynological data show the existence of dense high-mountain pine woodlands dominated by Pinus sylvestris/nigra from the Late Iron Age to the Muslim period. Later, from the Christian period, anthropogenic activities have intensified, especially livestock grazing in the Contemporary Age. Its consequences are the progressive disappearance of highmountain pine forests and the extension of grasslands by means of fire, which has shaped current landscape dominated by broom communities.Este trabajo ha sido financiado por el proyecto Desirè-HAR2013-43701-P (Plan Nacional I+D+I, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España). Sebastián Pérez Díaz está financiado por el Programa Estatal de Promoción del Talento y su Empleabilidad en I+D+i en la modalidad Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación. Mónica Ruiz Alonso está financiada por el Programa Estatal de Promoción del Talento y su Empleabilidad en I+D+i en la modalidad Juan de la Cierva-Formación

Late glacial-postglacial North African landscape and forestmanagement : Palynological and anthracological studies in the caves of Kaf Taht el-Ghar and El Khil (Tingitana Peninsula, Morocco)

This work presents the anthracological and archeopalynological results obtained within the project AGRIWESTMED (ERC AdG 230561), which has involved a comprehensive retrieval of archeobiological remains based on a systematic sampling strategy, beyond the recovery of the usual archeological materials. These surveys were conducted on three sites located in the North ofMorocco: the cave of Kaf Taht-el-Ghar, 8 kmsoutheast from Tetuan, and two caveswithin the El Khil complex, close to Tanger. Both plant micro- and macro-remains (charred wood) were studied through palynological and anthracological analyses, respectively. Our goal was to assess the vegetation composition of the area as well as the impact of human activities on the landscape. In Kaf Taht-el-Ghar the dynamics of vegetation and land use is recorded over the Paleolithic, Epipaleolithic, Neolithic and Historic times. Clear changes such as the demise of ancient Paleolithic pine and juniper woods during the Epipaleolithic and the subsequent spread of grasslands are shown. Other conifers like Abies pinsapo, Cedrus atlantica and Taxus baccata also disappeared from the pollen and charred wood records. In the palynological study, cereal and broad beans (Vicia faba) are already detected in the Early Neolithic, as well as a lowering of grazing pressure. Both cereal and broad beans, along with the development of grazing activities are also documented around El Khil caves since the Early Neolithic. Throughout the whole pollen and anthracological sequences a progressive retreat of the tree cover and an extensive spread of grasslands could be set as the main features of the vegetation dynamics in this area

Natural and anthropic dynamics of the vegetative landscape of the inner valleys of western Cantabria (North of Spain)

Resume

Paleobiogeografía de Abies spp.y Cedrus atlantica en el Mediterráneo occidental (Península Ibérica y Marruecos)

RESUMEN: Las especies mediterráneas incluidas en el género Abies, y Cedrus atlantica presentan en la actualidad unas áreas de distribución muy limitadas.En este trabajo, se describen el origen y las rutas migratorias seguidas por Abies pinsapo, A. marocana, A. tazaotana y Cedrus atlantica, desde los inicios del Terciario hasta la actualidad, así como las posibles causas que han llevado a sus poblaciones a su estado actual de aislamiento y peligro de extinción. Abies y Cedrus habrían alcanzado el Mediterráneo Occidental junto con otros elementos de la flora arctoterciaria entre el Eoceno Medio (45 Ma) y el Oligoceno (30 Ma). Posteriormente, experimentaron procesos de especiación hasta fechas relativamente recientes, en los que la apertura del estrecho de Gibraltar (5.33 Ma) habría jugado un papel esencial. A lo largo de las glaciaciones-deglaciaciones del Cuaternario, abetos y cedros mediterráneos habrían permanecido en refugios montañosos del sur de la península ibérica y del norte de África. A pesar de presentar cierta expansión y migración altitudinal coincidiendo con el óptimo térmico del Holoceno Medio, estas especies han sufrido un notable decliveposterior de sus poblaciones, como consecuencia del incremento de la aridez y del impacto de las actividades humanas. El desarrollo de las estrategias de conservación más adecuadas requiere una mejor información sobre la respuesta de estas especies a las distintas perturbaciones, para lo cual resulta indispensable conocer su evolución a lo largo del tiempo. El registro fósil, tanto de macrorrestos como de polen junto a diversos estudios genéticos contribuyen a evaluar su resiliencia y vulnerabilidad.ABSTRACT: The Mediterranean species included in the genus Abies, and Cedrus atlantica show very limited distribution ranges at present. In this work, we outline the origin and migratory routes followed by Abies pinsapo, A. marocana, A. tazaotana and Cedrus atlantica, from the beginning of the Tertiary to the present, as well as the likely causes which have led their populations to their current state of isolation and danger of extinction. Abies and Cedrus would have reached the Western Mediterranean along with other elements of the arctotertiary flora between the Middle Eocene (45 Ma) and the Oligocene (30 Ma). They subsequently underwent speciation processes until relatively recent times, among which the opening of the Strait of Gibraltar (5.33 Ma) would have played an essential role. Mediterranean firs and cedars would have stayed in Southeastern Iberian and North African mountainous refugia during Quaternary glaciations-deglaciations. Despite a noticeable expansion and altitudinal migration in the Mid-Holocene thermal optimum, these species have experienced a further remarkable decline, as a result of the increasing aridity and pressure of human activities. The development of the most appropriate conservation strategies requires the best information on the response of these species to diverse disturbances, thus the knowledge on their temporal evolution becomes essential. The fossil record, both macrorests and pollen, contributes, along with diverse genetic studies, to assessing their resilience and vulnerability