The ecological significance of sclerophyllous oak forests in the western part of the Mediterranean basin: a note on pollen analytical data

Reille, Maurice; Pons, A.

doi:10.1007/bf00118206

Cited by 40 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Although numerous studies have suggested that the Mediterranean vegetation evolution during the Holocene was largely due to human impact (Reille and Pons, 1992;Pons and Quézel, 1998), Jalut et al (2009) considered climate change to be a more important determining factor. Others have suggested that we are still far from understanding the correlation between vegetation, fire, climate and human activity, because of the importance of ecological factors in shaping the timing of vegetation responses to disturbances (Carrión et al, 2007).…”

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confidence: 99%

Centennial-scale vegetation and North Atlantic Oscillation changes during the Late Holocene in the southern Iberia

Ramos‐Román

Jiménez‐Moreno

Anderson

et al. 2016

Quaternary Science Reviews

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Highlights1. We studied a late Holocene vegetation and fire record from southern Spain.2. A long-term aridification trend is observed, interrupted by shorter-scale variability.3. This study shows humidity changes during the last 4500 yr, related to NAO changes and solar variability. AbstractHigh-resolution pollen analysis, charcoal, non-pollen palynomorphs and magnetic susceptibility have been analyzed in the sediment record of a peat bog in Sierra Nevada in southern Iberia. The study of these proxies provided the reconstruction of vegetation, 2 climate, fire and human activity of the last ~4500 cal yr BP. A progressive trend towards aridification during the late Holocene is observed in this record. This trend is interrupted by millennial-and centennial-scale variability of relatively more humid and arid periods. Arid conditions are recorded between ~4000 to 3100 cal yr BP, being characterized by a decline in arboreal pollen and with a spike in magnetic susceptibility. This is followed by a relatively humid period from ~3100 to 1600 cal yr BP, coinciding partially with the Iberian-Roman Humid Period, and is indicated by the increase of

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confidence: 99%

Centennial-scale vegetation and North Atlantic Oscillation changes during the Late Holocene in the southern Iberia

Ramos‐Román

Jiménez‐Moreno

Anderson

et al. 2016

Quaternary Science Reviews

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“…This is especially true for Quercus ilex and the forests that it dominates. Such long-lived woody species have thrived in the same geographical area at least since the Middle Würm (Reille and Pons 1992), facing contrasting climatic conditions. A characteristic that may have allowed such plants to survive these climatic periods is their extensive root system, but when the access to below-ground water pools is impaired by longlasting droughts forest dieback may occur .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The duration and intensity of the summer droughts, however, are highly variable between years (Piñol et al 1991), and some Q. ilex forests thrive in circum-Mediterranean areas where summer drought is rare, such as the coastal areas of the Bay of Biscay (Niinemets 2015), and evidence suggests that colonisation in areas with an oceanic climate is recent (Delzon et al (Figure 2). Pollen records indicate that Q. ilex persisted during the last glacial period in climatic refugia in the wettest part of its current distribution and gained early dominance in the Holocene in more semi-arid areas of current Morocco and Southern Spain (Reille and Pons 1992). Human activity may have contributed to the expansion of Q. ilex in the wettest areas of its distribution during the second half of the Holocene (Reille and Pons 1992).…”

Section: Quercus Ilex As a Paradigmatic Mediterranean Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pollen records indicate that Q. ilex persisted during the last glacial period in climatic refugia in the wettest part of its current distribution and gained early dominance in the Holocene in more semi-arid areas of current Morocco and Southern Spain (Reille and Pons 1992). Human activity may have contributed to the expansion of Q. ilex in the wettest areas of its distribution during the second half of the Holocene (Reille and Pons 1992). Furthermore, this tree species will likely expand its distribution in the future as the climate becomes warmer and the availability of water decreases.…”

Section: Quercus Ilex As a Paradigmatic Mediterranean Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sequence of plant responses to droughts of different timescales: lessons from holm oak (Quercus ilex) forests

Barbeta

Peñuelas

2016

Plant Ecology & Diversity

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The functional traits of plants in regions of the world with a Mediterranean climate have been shaped to tolerate periods of water deficit. These species are adapted to summer droughts but may not be able to cope with future increases in drought intensity, duration, and/or frequency. Here, we review the mechanisms and traits of drought resistance and recovery of the well-studied holm oak (Quercus ilex), which we propose as a model species for Mediterranean-type ecosystems. Our aim was to understand the differences and links between the responses of Q. ilex to summer droughts, extreme droughts, and long-term drought experiments. A main goal was to provide an integral picture of drought responses across organisational and temporal scales for identifying the most relevant processes that are likely to contribute to determining the future of Mediterranean vegetation. Evidence from long-term drought experiments showed that acclimation processes from the molecular (e.g. epigenetic changes) to the ecosystem level (e.g. reductions in stand density) mitigate the effects of drought. Changes in leaf morphology and hydraulics, leaf-to-shoot allometry, and root functioning are among the key mechanisms for overcoming increasing drought. The duration of drought determines its severity in terms of canopy loss and stem mortality. Although Q. ilex can vigorously resprout after such episodes, its resilience may be subsequently reduced. In the future, higher frequency of return of extreme droughts will challenge thus the capacity of these forests to recover. The insights provided by this review of the complex interplay of processes that determine the response of trees to droughts of different duration, intensity, and frequency will also help us to understand the likely responses of other resprouting angiosperms in seasonally dry ecosystems that share similar functional traits with Q. ilex.

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“…In southwest Spain, in the coastal valley mire of El Acebron (Huelva), Stevenson & Moore (1988) have remarked on a succession from Pinus forest to Quercus scrub since 4500 yr BP presumably provoked by fire. Another situation has been found in Corsica, where Erica arborea forests were quickly destroyed by dramatic man-made fires, leading to establishment of Quercus ilex durmg the Sub-boreal (Reille, 1992).…”

Section: Occurred Regarding the Question Of Evergreenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Quaternary vegetational history at Navarrés, Eastern Spain. A two core approach

Carrión

Dupré

1996

New Phytologist

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S U M MARYPercentage and concentration pollen diagrams are presented for two cores (taken 5 m apart) at an upper Pleistocene and Hoiocene site at Navarres (Valencia, eastern Spain). Chronological information is provided by an internally consistent radiocarbon dating series that extends from c. 20700 to 3075 yr BP. The results highlight the dangers of relying on a single core in interpreting the patterns of variation of particular taxa. Significant palynological differences, seemingly locational, are described between the two cores. The upper Pleistocene records accords well with the widely recognized European sequence of (a) upper Plenigiacial, (A) BoUing-Allerod warm period, and (c) Younger Dryas crisis. However, the sequence does not show-disruption of vegetation patterns following the commencement of the Hoiocene, and Pinus continues to be dominant up to c. 5500-6000 yr BP. Later, there is evidence for Ouercus forest, mesophilous trees, and xerosclerophyllous Mediterranean vegetation, which is coincident with eutrophication of the study site. These vegetation changes are discussed in the context of anthropogenic disturbance by Neolithic people, competitive exclusion, and climatic change.

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The ecological significance of sclerophyllous oak forests in the western part of the Mediterranean basin: a note on pollen analytical data

Cited by 40 publications

References 6 publications

Centennial-scale vegetation and North Atlantic Oscillation changes during the Late Holocene in the southern Iberia

Centennial-scale vegetation and North Atlantic Oscillation changes during the Late Holocene in the southern Iberia

Sequence of plant responses to droughts of different timescales: lessons from holm oak (Quercus ilex) forests

Late Quaternary vegetational history at Navarrés, Eastern Spain. A two core approach

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