Late Holocene pinewoods persistence in the Gredos Mountains (central Spain) inferred from extensive megafossil evidence

2015 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan M. Rubiales ◽  
Mar Génova
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Sylvestris ◽  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Entire Range ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Pinus Nigra ◽  
Central Spain ◽  
Pine Cones ◽  
Middle And Late Holocene

Macro- and megafossil studies are of great value in palaeoecology because such evidence is spatially precise, directly radiocarbon dated, and usually taxon-specific. Here, we present new macro- and megafossil data from ten sites from the Gredos Mountains, central Iberian Peninsula, that suggest persistent forest cover through the late Holocene, with a widespread belt of pinewoods in the highlands of the Central Iberian Mountains. Well-preserved pine cones found at several sites revealed that bothPinus sylvestrisandPinus nigrawere present in the area during the middle and late Holocene at locations of important biogeographical interest. TheP. sylvestrisforests represent one of the southernmost locations of its entire range.P. nigrawas not known to have occurred in central Spain during the Holocene; it was found at the westernmost edge of its range in siliceous soils, a rare environment compared with the rest of its distribution. Finally, we explored the potential for obtaining a long pine chronology from central Iberia using tree-ring measurements and radiocarbon dating of pine subfossil logs.

scholarly journals A Comparison of Radiocarbon and Archaeomagnetic Dating from an Archaeological Site in Spain

Radiocarbon ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 543-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Catanzariti ◽  
G McIntosh ◽  
M L Osete ◽  
T Nakamura ◽  
A Z Rakowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Secular Variation ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Close Agreement ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Central Spain ◽  
Relative Dating ◽  
Archaeomagnetic Dating ◽  
Reference Curves

Reference archaeomagnetic secular variation (SV) curves recently have been proposed for the Iberian Peninsula and may now be used for archaeomagnetic dating. Archaeomagnetic dating is a relative dating technique that is strongly dependent on the age control of the data used to construct the reference curves. In order to test the method, an archaeological structure from central Spain has been studied. Samples have been taken for both archaeomagnetic and radiocarbon dating, and the results are compared. Close agreement is observed between both techniques, with the archaeomagnetic age of AD 603–999 overlapping the calibrated age of AD 770–890. These results demonstrate the reliability of the proposed reference curves as a dating tool within the Iberian Peninsula during this archaeological period.

scholarly journals The Role of Recent (1985–2014) Patterns of Land Abandonment and Environmental Factors in the Establishment and Growth of Secondary Forests in the Iberian Peninsula

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 817
Author(s):  
Marina Palmero-Iniesta ◽  
Josep Maria Espelta ◽  
Mario Padial-Iglesias ◽  
Òscar Gonzàlez-Guerrero ◽  
Lluís Pesquer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Deciduous Forests ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Leaf Habit ◽  
Forest Establishment

Farmland abandonment has been a widespread land-use change in the Iberian Peninsula since the second half of the 20th century, leading to the establishment of secondary forests across the region. In this study, we aimed to address changes in the recent (1985–2014) emergence patterns of these forests and examine how environmental factors affected their growth by considering differences in leaf-habit types. We used a combination of Landsat-derived land-cover maps and aboveground biomass (AGB) maps from the European Space Agency to assess the secondary forest establishment and growth, respectively, in the study region. We also obtained a set of topographic, climatic and landscape variables from diverse GIS layers and used them for determining changes over time in the environmental drivers of forest establishment and AGB using general linear models. The results highlight that secondary forest cover was still increasing in the Iberian Peninsula at a rate above the European average. Yet, they also indicate a directional change in the emergence of secondary forests towards lower and less steep regions with higher water availability (mean rainfall and SPEI) and less forest cover but are subjected to greater drought events. In addition, these environmental factors differentially affect the growth of forests with different leaf-habit types: i.e., needleleaf secondary forests being less favoured by high temperature and precipitation, and broadleaf deciduous forests being most negatively affected by drought. Finally, these spatial patterns of forest emergence and the contrasting responses of forest leaf-habits to environmental factors explained the major development of broadleaf evergreen compared to broadleaf deciduous forests and, especially, needleleaf secondary forests. These results will improve the knowledge of forest dynamics that have occurred in the Iberian Peninsula in recent decades and provide an essential tool for understanding the potential effects of climate warming on secondary forest growth.

Accelerator radiocarbon dating of plant-fibre binders in rock paintings from northeastern Australia

Antiquity ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 67 (255) ◽  
pp. 355-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Watchman ◽  
Noelene Cole
Keyword(s):  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
Organic Materials ◽  
Plant Fibre ◽  
Rock Paintings ◽  
Inorganic And Organic

During the late Holocene, Aboriginal rock painters in north Queensland selected and combined various natural inorganic and organic materials in paint recipes – possibly to increase the longevity of their paintings. The organic materials make direct radiocarbon dating possible.

scholarly journals Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) dynamics in the Welsh Marches during the mid to late-Holocene

The Holocene ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 095968362199465
Author(s):  
Dael Sassoon ◽  
William J Fletcher ◽  
Alastair Hotchkiss ◽  
Fern Owen ◽  
Liting Feng
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Sylvestris ◽  
Scots Pine ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
British Isles ◽  
Loss On Ignition ◽  
Peat Core ◽  
New Information ◽  
Pine Trees ◽  
Pollen Records

Around 4000 cal yr BP, Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris) suffered a widespread demise across the British Isles. This paper presents new information about P. sylvestris populations found in the Welsh Marches (western central Britain), for which the long-term history and origins are poorly known. Two new pollen records were produced from the Lin Can Moss ombrotrophic bog (LM18) and the Breidden Hill pond (BH18). The LM18 peat core is supported by loss-on-ignition, humification analysis and radiocarbon dating. Lead concentrations were used to provide an estimated timeframe for the recent BH18 record. In contrast to many other Holocene pollen records from the British Isles, analysis of LM18 reveals that Scots pine grains were deposited continuously between c. 6900–300 cal yr BP, at frequencies of 0.3–5.4%. It is possible that individual Scots pine trees persisted through the wider demise on thin soils of steep drought-prone crags of hills or the fringes of lowland bogs in the Welsh Marches. At BH18, the record indicates a transition from broadleaved to mixed woodland, including conifer species introduced around AD 1850 including Picea and Pinus. The insights from BH18 suggest that the current populations may largely be the result of planting. Comparison of the LM18 findings with other regional pollen records highlights consistent patterns, including a Mid-Holocene maximum (ca. 7000 cal yr BP), long-term persistence at low pollen percentages and a Late-Holocene minimum (ca. 3000 cal yr BP). These distinctive trends encourage further studies on refugial areas for Scots pine in this region and elsewhere.

Human occupation strategies and related environmental-climate during the middle and late Holocene in central Pampas of Argentina

The Holocene ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo G Messineo ◽  
Marcela S Tonello ◽  
Silvina Stutz ◽  
Alfonsina Tripaldi ◽  
Nahuel Scheifler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Holocene ◽  
Specific Activity ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Hard Material ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Lithic Assemblage ◽  
Depositional Rate ◽  
Archeological Site ◽  
Middle And Late Holocene

The main objective of this work is to generate and integrate interpretations of human occupation strategies and inferences of the environmental-climatic conditions in the central Pampas during the middle and late Holocene. We present a novel archeological–geological–paleoecological analysis in the area of the Cabeza de Buey lake, placed in an aeolian landscape. During the middle Holocene, two events of human occupations were recognized at Laguna Cabeza de Buey 2 archeological site. Both events present a small amount of lithic materials, a low diversity of tools and activities developed with them (principally hard material), and the hunting and primary processing of artiodactyls. These evidences suggest a locus of specific activity associated with an ephemeral human settlement under climate conditions drier than present and the presence of small, brackish, and shallow water bodies. For the late late Holocene, the hunter-gatherer occupation has a higher depositional rate of lithic assemblage, stones with diverse origins, presence of pottery fragments, a great lithic tool diversity, knapping techniques, and activities developed with these tools (processing wood, bone, hide, non-woody plant, and soft material). These evidences reveal an occupation with a higher degree of recurrence represented by a locus of multiple activities associated with a more stable landscape, such as an environment of dunes fixed by grass vegetation, and the establishment of a permanent water body. The different environmental characteristics for the middle and late Holocene in this area promoted that human groups develop two different patterns of mobility, settlement and use of space.

Assessment of heavy metal content in tree barks: Picea abies, Pinus sylvestris, and Pinus nigra (RETRACTED)

BioResources ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 5047-5057
Author(s):  
Corneliu Tanase ◽  
Adrian Nisca ◽  
Argeime Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Picea Abies ◽  
Pinus Sylvestris ◽  
Metal Content ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Pinus Nigra ◽  
Heavy Metal Content ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Tree Barks

Extracts obtained from the bark of woody plants are used for their high content in polyphenolic compounds with various biological activities. Thus, it is important to evaluate the heavy metals in various tree barks, as these pollutants may end up in the final product, affecting its properties and having potential health implications. This study assessed the heavy metal content in the barks of spruce (Picea abies) and pine (Pinus sylvestris and Pinus nigra) collected from different areas in Romania. After collecting the vegetal material from different sites, the bark samples were appropriately processed and analyzed via inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The results showed that 6 out of 8 tested samples exceeded the normal values of selenium (Se). Arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) were not detected in any sample, while other metals (chromium (Cr); lead (Pb); nickel (Ni)) were detected in variable amounts. Moreover, relatively high levels of heavy metals were recorded in a spruce bark sample collected from the seemingly most unpolluted site. Although further studies are needed to determine the effects of these heavy metals on extraction yields and their transfer into the final extracts, their presence might indicate a potential problem.

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