Research group

STUDY AND MANAGEMENT OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Department of Geography, Urban Studies and Land Planning- University of Cantabria (Spain)

Biogeographical history (Cantabrian Mountains, Central System and Pyrenees): 18000 years on climate and anthropogenic changes on indicative forest species

Subprojects 1 & 2. Biogeographical history (Cantabrian Mountains, Central System and Pyrenees): 18000 years on climate and anthropogenic changes on indicative forest species (2016-19). Spanish National Plan for R+D+i CSO2015-65216-C2-1-P

ABSTRACT

This coordinated project aims to provide a better understanding of the forests dynamics in mountain areas of the northern half of the Iberian Peninsula during the last 18,000 years. The forest dynamics will be seen in conjunction with the evolution of the climate and its cycles and with the effects of human pressure. A comparative study of Historical Biogeography will be performed taking into account a selection of “areas type“ located in the Central System, in the Pyrenees and in the Cantabrian Mountain. All areas have shared, during a large part of the history, similar exploitation modes (livestock, charcoal making, logging, fires) and similar environmental stress factors (drought, wet phases) making it possible the accomplishment of this comparative analysis.

The project, undertaken by an interdisciplinary team of geographers, biologists and forest engineers, will permit to analyse the similarities and dissimilarities among the study areas taking into account the information provided by different categories of indicators and the range of disciplines of the team. However, considering the available data within each group from the different records (paleobotanical localities in the Pyrenees, in the CantabrianMountain and in the Central System), their reference collections, their background and experience (pollen, macroremains, etc.) and their relations with foreign laboratories (whom the assessment is envisaged), the work has been organized into two specialized subprojects. From them, different but complementary results are expected.

The main objective of the project is to determine the factors that have conditioned the development of the mountain forests of the northern half of the Peninsula over the last millennia. To do so, a special attention is required on the species that have their European south western limits in the study areas. They have proved to be sensitive to the climate change and to the human presence during the Holocene (i.e. Fagus sylvatica, Pinus nigra, P.uncinata and Abies alba).

The initial hypothesis is as follows: to understand the composition and the present extension of these species they must be integrated both the changes in the landscape (as a result of climate change) and anthropogenic disturbances (due to the use of fire). Likewise, the selective action on different species throughout the Lateglacial and the Holocene must be taken into account. To validate the hypothesis, the work will focus on the following objectives:

1 To analyse the past of P. nigra, P. sylvestris and P. uncinata forests in the C. System, the C. Mountain and the Pyrenees. This will provide new information about their distribution areas and will generate a discussion about their importance in the past as well as their relation to the climate and human impacts on the territory.

2 To determine the past extension of beech forests in the study areas providing new information about their origin, their geographical distribution and their relation to the climate and human action during the different phases Holocene.

3 To study the past of the Pyrenean fir forests providing new data about their postglacial migration and their geographical distribution. Their importance in the past in relation to the climate and to the human activity will be determined.

4 To evaluate the consequences of forest fires and selective logging in the study areas as well as to establish common past patterns considering the climate and the human activity.