From glacial refugia to the current landscape configuration permanence, expansion and forest management of Fagus sylvatica L. in the Western Pyrenean Region (Northern Iberian Peninsula)

Knowledge of the current status of Fagus sylvatica in the Western Pyrenean Region (Northern Iberian Peninsula) is based on its widespread presence in mountain areas. However, the past evolution of this taxon and its links to natural and anthropogenic activities is not well defined. We have compiled...

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Published inVegetation history and archaeobotany Vol. 28; no. 5; pp. 481 - 496
Main Authors Ruiz-Alonso, Mónica, Pérez-Díaz, Sebastián, López-Sáez, José Antonio
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Science + Business Media 01.09.2019
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Anthropogenic factors
Anthropology
Archaeology
Beech
Biogeosciences
Climate Change
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Evolution
Fagus sylvatica
Forest management
Holocene
Mountain forests
Mountain regions
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Paleontology
Pleistocene
Refugia
Iberian Peninsula
Woodland exploitation
Western Pyrenean Region
Vegetation dynamics
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Summary:Knowledge of the current status of Fagus sylvatica in the Western Pyrenean Region (Northern Iberian Peninsula) is based on its widespread presence in mountain areas. However, the past evolution of this taxon and its links to natural and anthropogenic activities is not well defined. We have compiled all the published palaeobotanical data (macro and micro remains) on this region, including both natural and archaeological deposits and with particular emphasis on available radiocarbon dates. To support our analysis of the evolution of F. sylvatica, we present the palynological study of a new sequence (Gesaleta, Navarre), covering the last 11,400 cal yr bp. The main results of this paper suggest the ancient presence of F. sylvatica in the Western Pyrenean Region from at least the Late Pleistocene and Early and Middle Holocene, with a clear expansion from ca 4,500–3,500 cal yr bp, although with some regional differences. This was the point when European beech became one of the main actors in mountain forests, where it has been exploited for a variety of anthropogenic activities.
ISSN:0939-6314
1617-6278
DOI:10.1007/s00334-018-0707-6