21. Patateros, Toledo Mountains (central Spain)

Dorado-Valiño, Miriam; López‐Sáez, José Antonio; García-Gómez, Enrique

doi:10.1080/00173134.2014.903293

Cited by 13 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…At the same time, Castanea sativa appears with low percentages (1.1%). This taxon is not widely spread along the Toledo Mountains, but it was also found in Patateros record at this time [29] (Figures 1 and 6). This landscape stems from the human communities development in the area, and endures over the whole Islamic period.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…Besides, they are nearly crossed by many main cattle roads such as the Cañada Real Leonesa and the Cañada Real Segoviana, as well as other important paths that are now placed in the current road network [27,28]. In spite of this interesting position and the rich anthropogenic evidence in this area, paleoecological studies are scarce and unlinked in this area, although they highlight the diversity, richness, and hazards present in the territory [29][30][31]. The current vegetation shows important ecological, natural, socio-economical, and cultural unarguable values that make the Toledo Mountains' landscape a complex and changing reality that needs understanding and protection in order to assure its identity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vegetation History in the Toledo Mountains (Central Iberia): Human Impact during the Last 1300 Years

Luelmo-Lautenschlaeger

Pérez-Díaz

Sánchez

et al. 2018

Sustainability

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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.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 63%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation History in the Toledo Mountains (Central Iberia): Human Impact during the Last 1300 Years

Luelmo-Lautenschlaeger

Pérez-Díaz

Sánchez

et al. 2018

Sustainability

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“…Other paleoecological evidence from the Toledo Mountains also shows this recent escalation in herbivory (Dorado‐Valiño et al. , Luelmo‐Lautenschlaeger et al. ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…5F), which is in good agreement with the sharp increase of wild ungulates reported from "modern" quantitative assessments (Perea et al , 2015. Other paleoecological evidence from the Toledo Mountains also shows this recent escalation in herbivory (Dorado-Valiño et al 2014b, Luelmo-Lautenschlaeger et al 2018). However, the Cabañeros paleocological records stress that current herbivore densities and the related grazing/browsing pressure are unprecedented by several-fold in the context of the last millennia.…”

Section: Historical Range Of Variation In Fire and Herbivorymentioning

confidence: 92%

Unprecedented herbivory threatens rear‐edge populations of Betula in southwestern Eurasia

Morales‐Molino

Tinner

Perea

et al. 2019

Ecology

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Mediterranean rear‐edge populations of Betula, located at the southwestern Eurasian margin of the distribution range, represent unique reservoirs of genetic diversity. However, increasing densities of wild ungulates, enhanced dryness, and wildfires threaten their future persistence. A historical perspective on the past responses of these relict populations to changing herbivory, fire occurrence and climatic conditions may contribute to assessing their future responses under comparable scenarios. We have reconstructed vegetation and disturbance (grazing, fire) history in the Cabañeros National Park (central‐southern Spain) using the paleoecological records of two small mires. We particularly focused on the historical range of variation in disturbance regimes, and the dynamics of rear‐edge Betula populations and herbivore densities. Changes in water availability, probably related to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index, and land‐use history have played a crucial role in vegetation shifts. Our data suggest that heathlands (mainly Erica arborea and E. scoparia) and Quercus woodlands dominated during dry phases while Sphagnum bogs and Betula stands expanded during wet periods. Betula populations survived past moderately dry periods but were unable to cope with enhanced land use, particularly increasing livestock raising since ~1,100–900 cal. yr BP (850–1,050 CE), and eventually underwent local extinction. High herbivore densities not only contributed to the Betula demise but also caused the retreat of Sphagnum bogs. Ungulate densities further rose at ~200–100 cal. yr BP (1750–1850 CE) associated with the historically documented intensification of land use around the Ecclesiastical Confiscation. However, herbivory reached truly unprecedented values only during the last decades, following rural depopulation and subsequent promotion of big game hunting. For the first time in temperate and Mediterranean Europe, we have used the abundances of fossil dung fungal spores to assess quantitatively that current high herbivore densities exceed the historical range of variation. In contrast, present fire activity lies within the range of variation of the last millennia, with fires (mainly human‐set) mostly occurring during dry periods. Our paleodata highlight the need of controlling the densities of wild ungulates to preserve ecosystem composition and functioning. We also urge to restore Betula populations in suitable habitats where they mostly disappeared because of excessive human activities.

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“…Furthermore, mid-elevation mountain systems have usually involved human activities, so it will be possible to determine the pace at which cultural landscapes have been created and the role played by each agent throughout their history [22,23]. Previous research in these mountains has highlighted this human resource management and the influence of climate in shaping their landscape [24][25][26][27][28][29][30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Toledo Mountains: A Resilient Landscape and a Landscape for Resilience? Hazards and Strategies in a Mid-Elevation Mountain Region in Central Spain

Luelmo-Lautenschlaeger

Pérez-Díaz

Blarquez

et al. 2019

Quaternary

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The Toledo Mountains are a mid-elevation mountain range that separates the Tagus and Guadiana basins in the central area of the Iberian Peninsula. The location of these mountains allows the development of typical Mediterranean vegetation with some Atlantic influence. Consequently, typical broadleaved evergreen Mediterranean vegetation currently dominates the regional landscape, with the remarkable presence of more mesophilous species in sheltered and more humid microsites such as gorges (e.g., Prunus lusitanica, Taxus baccata, Ilex aquifolium) and mires/bogs (e.g., Betula pendula susbp. fontqueri, Erica tetralix, Myrica gale). Palaeoecological studies in these mountains are essential to understand the long-term ecology and original distribution of these valuable communities and are key to assess their resilience. Understanding the hazards and opportunities faced in the past by the plant communities of the Toledo Mountains is necessary to enhance the management and protection of those species currently threatened. This study focuses on El Perro mire, a peatland on the southern Toledo Mountains (central Spain) where climatic variability has played a major role in landscape dynamics at multi-decadal to millennial timescales. Climatic events such as the 4.2 ka cal. Before Present (BP) or the Little Ice Age triggered relevant landscape changes such as the spread and latter decline of birch and hazel forests. Human communities also seemed to be affected by these events, as their resilience was apparently jeopardized by the new climatic conditions and they were forced to find new strategies to cope with the new scenarios.

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21. Patateros, Toledo Mountains (central Spain)

Cited by 13 publications

References 3 publications

Vegetation History in the Toledo Mountains (Central Iberia): Human Impact during the Last 1300 Years

Vegetation History in the Toledo Mountains (Central Iberia): Human Impact during the Last 1300 Years

Unprecedented herbivory threatens rear‐edge populations of Betula in southwestern Eurasia

The Toledo Mountains: A Resilient Landscape and a Landscape for Resilience? Hazards and Strategies in a Mid-Elevation Mountain Region in Central Spain

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