Multiproxy analysis for the paleobiogeographical reconstruction of the relict forests of the Serranía de Ronda during the Holocene (Baetic System, Spain)

The mountains of the southern Iberian Peninsula are important biodiversity hotspots. They are also home to several relict species that are threatened with extinction in the face of global change. One of the best examples is the Serranía de Ronda, a system of mountainous reliefs located at the wester...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Holocene (Sevenoaks) 2023-11, Vol.33 (11), p.1422-1437
Main Authors: Martínez, Rubén Pardo, Cobo, José Antonio Olmedo, Zotano, José Gómez, Sánchez, Francisca Alba
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abies pinsapo
Adaptive management
Biodiversity
Biodiversity hot spots
Biogeography
Conifers
Forests
Holocene
Mountain regions
Mountainous areas
Mountains
Paleoecology
Pine trees
Pinus sylvestris
Pleistocene
Quercus faginea
Radiocarbon dating
Relict species
Soil sampling
Soil surveys
Species extinction
Taxa
Threatened species
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Summary:The mountains of the southern Iberian Peninsula are important biodiversity hotspots. They are also home to several relict species that are threatened with extinction in the face of global change. One of the best examples is the Serranía de Ronda, a system of mountainous reliefs located at the western end of the Baetic Cordillera. Its tree cover includes, among other unusual taxa, endemic formations such as the Spanish fir (Abies pinsapo) and Portuguese oak (Quercus faginea) forests. However, despite the ecological exceptionality of this mountainous area, little is known about its paleobiogeography. To remedy this, in this research we take a multidisciplinary approach based on the application of several different paleoecological disciplines, of which pedoanthracology is the main methodological tool. Six new soil surveys were performed, which were added to the existing pedoanthracological network, making a total of 43 soil sampling sites. The taxonomic analysis revealed several taxa, such as Abies, Fraxinus, Pinus and Pinus sylvestris-type, which are currently absent in several of the sampled sites. After contextualizing the 36 new radiocarbon dates obtained, the results confirm the antiquity of certain paleoendemic forests in the Serranía de Ronda, and the important role played by certain mountain enclaves as refuges for conifers such as A. pinsapo and Pinus sylvestris-type during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. The dissemination of the results of this research will enable them to be implemented in the different strategies of adaptive management of the most threatened forests of the Serranía de Ronda.
ISSN:0959-6836
1477-0911
DOI:10.1177/09596836231185835