Anthracological evidence suggests naturalness of Pinus pinaster in inland southwestern Iberia

The study of well-preserved archaeological charcoals in the pre-Roman Iron Age settlement of Castillejos II (Badajoz, Spain) is used to reconstruct environmental conditions and land-use practices in vegetation landscapes in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula before the arrival of Roman civilization. The results support that, while evergreen Quercus forests dominated during the Holocene, Pinus pinaster existed as a natural element of southwestern Iberian Peninsula vegetation. Although its presence could be linked to anthropogenic disturbance or fire history, it is suggested that P. pinaster populations survived during the Holocene in the region, mixed with oaks or in monospecific stands in mountain enclaves. This hypothesis contrasts with previous assumptions that P. pinaster was not autochthonous in the area

Performance of the CERN ISR at 31.4 GeV

Due to the recent improvements in phase displacement acceleration, operating techniques and beam diagnostics, considerable progress has been achieved in operating the ISR at the maximum energy of 31.4 GeV (this centre of mass energy corresponds to a 2 TeV fixed target machine). High intensity stacks are stored at 26.6 GeV before acceleration by phase displacement to 31.4 GeV. At this energy up to 34 Amps are obtained with corresponding initial luminosities of 2.10 /sup 31/ cm/sup -2/ s/sup -1/ per intersection and 4.3 10/sup 31/ cm /sup -2/ s/sup -1/ in a low- beta intersection. Due to the long beam lifetime, physics data taking may be performed over periods of 60 hours. The principle of phase displacement and the associated beam phenomena are discussed together with the control of the magnetic machine and the mutual interaction of the two beams. The operational technique is described and it is shown that the present day performance of the ISR at 31.4 GeV is comparable to the previous performance (1977) at 26.6 GeV. Consequently, in 1978 about 90% of the time requested for physics data collection was at 31.4 GeV. (12 refs)

A comparative review of soil charcoal data: Spatiotemporal patterns of origin and long-term dynamics of Western European nutrient-poor grasslands

International audienceThe nutrient-poor grasslands of Western Europe are of major conservation concern because land use changes threaten their high biodiversity. Studies assessing their characteristics show that their past and ongoing dynamics are strongly related to human activities. Yet, the initial development patterns of this specific ecosystem remain unclear. Here, we examine findings from previous paleoecological investigations performed at local level on European grassland areas ranging from several hundred square meters to several square kilometers. Comparing data from these locally relevant studies at a regional scale, we investigate these grasslands' spatiotemporal patterns of origin and long-term dynamics. The study is based on taxonomic identification and radiocarbon AMS dating of charcoal pieces from soil/soil sediment archives of nutrient-poor grasslands in Mediterranean and temperate Western Europe (La Crau plain, Mont Lozère, Grands Causses, Vosges Mountains, Franconian Alb, and Upper-Normandy region). We address the following questions: (1) What are the key determinants of the establishment of these nutrient-poor grasslands? (2) What temporal synchronicities might there be? and (3) What is the spatial scale of these grasslands' past dynamics? The nutrient-poor grasslands in temperate Western Europe are found to result from the first anthropogenic woodland clearings during the late Neolithic, revealed by fire events in mesophilious mature forests. In contrast, the sites with Mediterranean affinities appear to have developed at earlier plant successional stages (pine forest, matorral), established before the first human impacts in the same period. However, no general pattern of establishment and dynamics of the nutrient-poor grasslands could be identified. Local mechanisms appear to be the key determinants of the dynamics of these ecosystems. Nevertheless, this paleoecological synthesis provides insights into past climate or human impacts on present-day vegetation

Building Forcello: Etruscan wattle‐and‐daub technique in the Po Plain (Bagnolo San Vito, Mantua, northern Italy)

The study analyses through an interdisciplinary approach the wattle‐and‐daub building technique used on the Po Plain of northern Italy, focusing on the archaeological evidence from the Etruscan site of Forcello, near Bagnolo San Vito (Mantua) (540–375 bce). Wattle and daub is widespread across different times and periods, and is particularly common in regions such as the Po Plain, where stone sources for construction are not immediately available. Thanks to a combined archaeometric, geological and anthracological study, the paper provides new insights on a fifth‐century bce building structure from Forcello. The findings reveal information on the life history of this feature, including its construction, maintenance and final destruction. The research also sheds a new light on the wattle‐and‐daub technique and on the interaction between people and the Po Plain Etruscan palaeoenvironment