Upland vegetation in the north-west Iberian peninsula after the last glaciation: forest history and deforestation dynamics

This paper presents the results of pollen analyses from organic sediments of seven cores (299 spectra) in a mountainous area of the north-west Iberian peninsula. The pollen diagrams, supported by seven 14C dates, are used to construct a regional pollen sequence covering the main stages of vegetation...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Vegetation history and archaeobotany 1997-12, Vol.6 (4), p.215-233
Main Authors: Sobrino, Castor Muñoz, Ramil-Rego, Pablo, Guitián, Manuel Rodríguez
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cores
Deciduous forests
Deforestation
Forest management
Forest regeneration
Glaciation
Glaciology
Holocene
Massifs
Mixed forests
Mountain forests
Mountain ranges
Mountain regions
Mountainous areas
Mountains
Organic sediments
Paleoclimatology
Pine trees
Pollen
Sediments
Steppes
Taxa
Vegetation
Vegetation cover
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Summary:This paper presents the results of pollen analyses from organic sediments of seven cores (299 spectra) in a mountainous area of the north-west Iberian peninsula. The pollen diagrams, supported by seven 14C dates, are used to construct a regional pollen sequence covering the main stages of vegetation dynamics, from the last phases of the Late-glacial until the present. During the Late-glacial Interstadial an important development of cryophilous forests (Betula and Pinus) was recorded, although various mesophilous and thermophilous tree elements were also present. The Younger Dryas, palynologically clearly defined, is characterized by an important reduction in tree pollen percentages and the expansion of steppe formations (Poaceae and Artemisia). At the beginning of the Holocene, there was an expansion of Quercus and a spread of other trees, which combined to give a vegetation cover of varied composition but dominated by mixed deciduous forests. Such forest formations prevailed in these mountains until 3000 years ago, when successive deforestation phases are recorded at various times as a result of increased farming activity. The results are compared with data from other mountainous areas in the northern Iberian peninsula and southern France.
ISSN:0939-6314
1617-6278
DOI:10.1007/bf01370443