Search

Copyright of Fire Ecology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This work presents the first paleobiogeographical study of the forests of the Sierra del Tablón, one of the northernmost mountain massifs of the Serranía de Ronda (Spain) and the highest point in the province of Seville at 1,129 m a.s.l. The mesological approach is used to analyse the physical characteristics of the mountain massif (geology, geomorphology and climate). Study of past and present vegetation is also addressed, identifying the dominant plant formations and their evolution since the mid-twentieth century, with particular attention to the forest facies representative of the climax stages. Finally, the results of the pedoantracological analysis carried out in the study area are included, which enables us to delve into the dynamics of their vegetation by carrying out two pedological samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Serrania de Ronda is an exceptional palaeoecological laboratory for studying the dynamics of vegetation over time, due to its strategic geographical location at a biogeographical crossroads and its proven historical legacy. Many of the mountains that form part of this territory are today practically deforested, such as Sierra Blanca, whose geographic location at the heart of the Serranía de Ronda means that it has enormous potential as a biogeographical crossroads: the occasional presence of Abies pinsapo , Pinus pinaster and Quercus rotundifolia suggests that it was once covered by a mixed forest of conifers and broad-leaved trees. The lack of environmental research in Sierra Blanca has facilitated the installation of large quarries, which have led to its exclusion from the Sierra de las Nieves National Park, which was created in 2021. We applied the pedoanthracological methodology, which has enabled us to discover paleo-populations of A. pinsapo and Pinus sylvestris -type. The results confirm that coniferous forests previously covered a much wider area during the Holocene. These findings reinforce the role of Sierra Blanca as a high-altitude refuge for conifers during the warm stages of the Holocene and as a sentinel for the local extinction of mountain conifers. This information could help improve its management and conservation. • Use of charcoals present in natural soils to study vegetation dynamics. • New Abies sp. and Pinus sylvestris -type paleo-populations in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. • Importance of Sierra Blanca as a post-glacial refuge for certain relict conifer species. • Setting priorities leading to the conservation of endangered species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]