Iberian floras through time: Land of diversity and survival

Carrión, José S.; Leroy, Suzanne A G

doi:10.1016/j.revpalbo.2010.07.002

Cited by 26 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…When compared to modern faunas from areas under tropical or subtropical climate regimes, such as the ones inferred for the Iberoccitanian region during the Late Miocene [50] , [51] , the dominance of omnivorous taxa in our results appears to point to subtropical climatic conditions [52] , in which herbivore taxa are very scarce. This agrees with the palaeoclimatic data provided for herpetofaunas [53] , [54] and plants [55] – [57] . Additionally, this predominance of omnivorous taxa might be also associated with the arrival of murines to southwestern Europe.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 91%

Dietary Ecology of Murinae (Muridae, Rodentia): A Geometric Morphometric Approach

2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Murine rodents represent a highly diverse group, which displays great ecological versatility. In the present paper we analyse the relationship between dental morphology, on one hand, using geometric morphometrics based upon the outline of first upper molar and the dietary preference of extant murine genera, on the other. This ecomorphological study of extant murine rodents demonstrates that dietary groups can be distinguished with the use of a quantitative geometric morphometric approach based on first upper molar outline. A discriminant analysis of the geometric morphometric variables of the first upper molars enables us to infer the dietary preferences of extinct murine genera from the Iberian Peninsula. Most of the extinct genera were omnivore; only Stephanomys showed a pattern of dental morphology alike that of the herbivore genera.

show abstract

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 91%

Dietary Ecology of Murinae (Muridae, Rodentia): A Geometric Morphometric Approach

2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Pine forests have been present in Iberian landscapes throughout the Holocene, coexisting and alternating with hardwoods and other conifers (e.g. Carrión & Leroy, 2010). Over the last centuries Euromediterranean countries have undergone dramatic changes, including extensive afforestation, but also more recently agricultural land abandonment (Barbero et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large‐scale assessment of regeneration and diversity in Mediterranean planted pine forests along ecological gradients

Ruiz‐Benito

Gómez‐Aparicio

Zavala

2012

Diversity and Distributions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

AimThere is increasing concern regarding sustainable management and restoration of planted forests, particuIarly in the Mediterranean Basin where pine species have been widely used. The aim of this study was to analyse the environmental and structural characteristics of Mediterranean planted pine forests in relation to natural pine forests. Specifically, we assessed recruitment and woody species richness along climatic, structural and perturbation gradients to aid in developing restoration guidelines.Location Continental Spain. MethodsWe conducted a muItivariate comparison of ecological characteristics in planted and natural stands of main Iberian native pine species (Pinus halepensis, Pinus pinea, Pinus pinaster, Pinus nigra and Pinus sylvestris). We fitted species-specific statistical models of recruitment and woody species richness and analysed the response of natural and planted stands along ecological gradients.Results Planted pine forests occurred on average on poorer soils and experienced higher anthropic disturbance rates (fire frequency and anthropic mortality) than natural pine forests. Planted pine forests had Iower regeneration and diversity levels than natural pine forests, and these differences were more pronounced in mountain pine stands. The largest differences in recruitment -chiefly oak seedling abundance -and species richness between planted and natural stands occurred at low-medium values of annual precipitation, stand tree density, distance to Quercus forests and fire frequency, whereas differences usually disappeared in the upper part of the gradients.Main conclusions Structural characteristics and patterns of recruitment and species richness differ in pine planted forests compared to natural pine ecosystems in the Mediterranean, especially for mountain pines. However, management options exist that would reduce differences between these forest types, where restoration towards more natural conditions is feasible. To increase recruitment and diversity, vertical and horizontal heterogeneity could be promoted by thinning in high-density and homogeneous stands, while enrichment planting would be desirable in mesic and medium-density planted forests. KeywordsContinental Spain, management, naturalization, plantation, recrnitment limitation, woody species richness.Forests cover more than 30% ofthe terrestrial biosphere (FAO, 2010) and harbour around two-thirds of terrestrial biological diversity (MEA, 2005). These reservoirs of biodiversity are threatened by ongoing deforestation and forest degradation processes (FAO, 2010), and increasingly also by new pressures such as climatic change (Dale et al., 2001). Restoration is a promising approach to counteract 10ss of forests and related ecosystem services (Lamb et al., 2005;Chazdon, 2008).

show abstract

“…Southern Iberia is widely regarded as having been one of the most significant glacial refugia in Europe during the Pleistocene period (Hewitt, 2000; Gómez & Lunt, 2007; Carrión & Leroy, 2010; González‐Sampériz et al. , 2010; Rodríguez‐Sánchez et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Southern Iberia as a refuge for the last Neanderthal populations

Jennings

Finlayson

et al. 2011

Journal of Biogeography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim This paper evaluates the role of southern Iberia as a glacial refugium for Neanderthal populations during the late Pleistocene. Location Southern Iberia. Methods A new methodology employing biogeographical principles was developed to determine the nature and extent of refugial environments in southern Iberia. Two climate maps drawing on present‐day temperature and rainfall measurements from 338 weather stations across the study area were constructed. The maps were then subjected to incremental falls in temperature and rainfall, and redrawn accordingly within a geographical information system (GIS) framework. The resulting cool and dry models were then combined to replicate climate conditions in southern Iberia during the last glacial period. Results The results indicated that not one but four different types of refugial environment were present: warm/wet, cool/dry, warm/dry and cool/wet. A dataset of 164 Middle Palaeolithic sites was examined with respect to these environments and shown by a chi‐square test to be unevenly distributed. The overwhelming majority of sites fell within the warm/wet and cool/wet refugial environments, which shared the common characteristic of high rainfall levels. Within both these environments, it was possible to identify more specific refugia. An upland refugium was identified in the Betic Mountains in Córdoba/Jaén provinces, and a resource‐rich major refugium was located on the southerly and westerly foothills of the Cádiz–Málaga sierras in an area that included the Guadalete River, two coastlines and the Rock of Gibraltar. The modelling procedure is supported by the identification within the major refugium of Gorham’s Cave in Gibraltar; archaeological evidence suggests that the cave was home to the last Neanderthals of Europe, who disappeared around 28,000 years ago. Main conclusions The persistence of good rainfall levels was a significant factor in the late survival of Neanderthal populations in southern Iberia. The potential application of the proposed climatic modelling technique to palaeobiogeography, historical biogeography and macroecology, in addition to palaeoanthropology, is considerable.

show abstract

Iberian floras through time: Land of diversity and survival

Cited by 26 publications

References 20 publications

Dietary Ecology of Murinae (Muridae, Rodentia): A Geometric Morphometric Approach

Dietary Ecology of Murinae (Muridae, Rodentia): A Geometric Morphometric Approach

Large‐scale assessment of regeneration and diversity in Mediterranean planted pine forests along ecological gradients

Southern Iberia as a refuge for the last Neanderthal populations

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About