Holocene Vegetation Changes in NW Iberia Revealed by Anthracological
HOL348849:HOL-Template 10/21/2009 5:46 PM Page 1 The Holocene 20,1 (2010) pp. 1–14 Holocene vegetation changes in NW Iberia revealed by anthracological and palynological records from a colluvial soil Yolanda Carrión, 1* Joeri Kaal, 2,3 José Antonio López-Sáez, 4 Lourdes López-Merino 4 and Antonio Martínez Cortizas 3 (1Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CIDE), CSIC, Camí de la Marjal s/n, 46470 Albal, Valencia, Spain; 2The Heritage Laboratory (LaPa), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Instituto de Estudios Gallegos Padre Sarmiento, San Roque 2, 15704 Santiago de Compostela, Spain; 3Departamento de Edafología y Química Agrícola, Fac. Biología, Universidad de Santiago. Campus Universitario Sur, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain; 4G.I. Arqueobiología, Instituto de Historia, Centro de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales, CSIC, Albasanz 26–28, 28037 Madrid, Spain) Received 4 November 2008; revised manuscript accepted 11 May 2009 Abstract: Macroscopic charcoal, pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs were isolated from a colluvial soil located on a small hill in Campo Lameiro (NW Spain) in order to elucidate the vegetation history of the area and its relation to fire and human activities. The presence of macroscopic charcoal throughout the 2.10 m thick soil (42 samples) is evidence of frequent fires during the last c. 6300 years. The charcoal record was dominated by Quercus (probably Q. robur ), Ericaceae (probably Arbutus unedo and Erica arborea ) and Fabaceae (mainly Genista type). Abrupt changes in the charcoal assemblage are less explicit in the pollen sequence, probably as a result of pollen inflow from the downhill surroundings of the study site.
[Show full text]