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Morales-Molino C, van Vugt L, van Leeuwen JFN, Gobet E, Schwörer C, Ganz K, Giagkoulis T, Brugger SO, Bogaard A, Hafner A, Kotsakis K, Lotter AF, Tinner W. Looking at the modern landscape of submediterranean Greece through a palaeoecological lens. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 949:174986. [PMID: 39053556 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 07/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
The importance of understanding the long-lasting legacy of past land use on modern ecosystems has long been acknowledged. However, the magnitude and persistence of such legacies have been assessed only occasionally. Northern Greece has been a gateway of farming into mainland Europe during the Neolithic, thus providing a perfect setting to assess the potential impact of land-use history on present-day ecosystems. Additionally, the marked Holocene climatic variability of the southern Balkans makes it possible to investigate climate-vegetation-land use interactions over long timescales. Here, we have studied a sediment record from Limni Vegoritis (Northern Greece) spanning the past ∼9000 years using palaeoecological proxies (pollen, spores, stomata, microscopic charcoal). We aimed to reconstruct long-term vegetation dynamics in submediterranean Greece, to assess the environmental factors controlling them and to establish the legacies of the long history of land use in the modern landscape. We found that the Early Holocene afforestation, mainly oak woodlands, was delayed because of suboptimal moisture conditions. Later, colder and drier conditions during the rapid climate change centred around the '8.2 ka event' triggered woodland opening and the spread of wooded (Juniperus) steppe vegetation. First indicators of farming activities are recorded during this period, but their abundances are too low to explain the concurrent large deforestation episode. Later, pinewoods (probably dominated by Pinus nigra) with deciduous Quercus spread and dominated the landscape for several millennia. These forests experienced repeated multi-centennial setback-recovery episodes associated with land-use intensification, but pines eventually declined ∼2500-2000 years ago during Classical times under heavy land use comprising intense pastoralism. This was the starting point for the present-day landscape, where the main 'foundation' taxon of the ancient forests (Pinus cf. nigra) is missing, therefore attesting to the strong imprint that historical land use has left on the modern landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- César Morales-Molino
- Grupo de Ecología y Restauración Forestal (FORECO), Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain; Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Lieveke van Vugt
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jacqueline F N van Leeuwen
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Erika Gobet
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Schwörer
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Kathrin Ganz
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Tryfon Giagkoulis
- School of History and Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Sandra O Brugger
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Geoecology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Amy Bogaard
- School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Albert Hafner
- Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Institute of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Kostas Kotsakis
- School of History and Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - André F Lotter
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Willy Tinner
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Zhou Q, Karunarathne P, Andersson-Li L, Chen C, Opgenoorth L, Heer K, Piotti A, Vendramin GG, Nakvasina E, Lascoux M, Milesi P. Recurrent hybridization and gene flow shaped Norway and Siberian spruce evolutionary history over multiple glacial cycles. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17495. [PMID: 39148357 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 07/15/2024] [Accepted: 08/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Most tree species underwent cycles of contraction and expansion during the Quaternary. These cycles led to an ancient and complex genetic structure that has since been affected by extensive gene flow and by strong local adaptation. The extent to which hybridization played a role in this multi-layered genetic structure is important to be investigated. To study the effect of hybridization on the joint population genetic structure of two dominant species of the Eurasian boreal forest, Picea abies and P. obovata, we used targeted resequencing and obtained around 480 K nuclear SNPs and 87 chloroplast SNPs in 542 individuals sampled across most of their distribution ranges. Despite extensive gene flow and a clear pattern of Isolation-by-Distance, distinct genetic clusters emerged, indicating the presence of barriers and corridors to migration. Two cryptic refugia located in the large hybrid zone between the two species played a critical role in shaping their current distributions. The two species repeatedly hybridized during the Pleistocene and the direction of introgression depended on latitude. Our study suggests that hybridization helped both species to overcome main shifts in their distribution ranges during glacial cycles and highlights the importance of considering whole species complex instead of separate entities to retrieve complex demographic histories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiujie Zhou
- Plant Ecology and Evolution, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Piyal Karunarathne
- Plant Ecology and Evolution, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Institute of Population Genetics, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Universitäts Straße 1, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Lili Andersson-Li
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska L2:02, Solna, Sweden
| | - Chen Chen
- Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Lars Opgenoorth
- Department of Biology, Plant Ecology and Geobotany, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Katrin Heer
- Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Eva Mayr-Stihl Professorship for Forest Genetics, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Andrea Piotti
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources (IBBR), National Research Council (CNR), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | | | - Elena Nakvasina
- Department of Forestry and Forest Management, Northern (Arctic) Federal University Named after M.V. Lomonosov, Arkhangelsk, Russian Federation
| | - Martin Lascoux
- Plant Ecology and Evolution, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Pascal Milesi
- Plant Ecology and Evolution, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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3
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Marcisz K, Belka Z, Dopieralska J, Jakubowicz M, Karpińska-Kołaczek M, Kołaczek P, Mauquoy D, Słowiński M, Zieliński M, Lamentowicz M. Navigating the limitations, assumptions and conceptual pitfalls of Nd isotope research on peatlands: Reply to the comments of Le Roux et al. (2023) on 'Neodymium isotopes in peat reveal past local environmental disturbances' by Marcisz et al. (2023). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 898:165398. [PMID: 37463625 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Marcisz
- Climate Change Ecology Research Unit, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.
| | - Zdzislaw Belka
- Isotope Research Unit, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Jolanta Dopieralska
- Isotope Laboratory, Poznań Science and Technology Park, Adam Mickiewicz University Foundation, Poznań, Poland
| | | | | | - Piotr Kołaczek
- Climate Change Ecology Research Unit, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Dmitri Mauquoy
- School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Michał Słowiński
- Past Landscape Dynamics Laboratory, Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Mariusz Lamentowicz
- Climate Change Ecology Research Unit, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
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Revelles J, Martí Molist J, Burjachs F, Finsinger W, Iriarte E, Mesquita-Joanes F, Pla-Rabés S, Planagumà L, Rodrigo MA, Alcalde G, Saña M. Socio-ecological impact of monogenetic volcanism in the La Garrotxa Volcanic Field (NE Iberia). Sci Rep 2023; 13:8168. [PMID: 37210574 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35072-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Volcanism can cause major impacts, including climate change and mass extinctions. However, the impact of monogenetic volcanism is often considered as limited in volcanological research. This work provides for the first time an interdisciplinary approach to the socio-ecological impact of monogenetic volcanism in a key region, the La Garrotxa Volcanic Field (GVF, Girona, NE Iberia), where intense monogenetic volcanic activity occurred in the past. The analyses of a sedimentary sequence from the GVF enabled identifying previously unknown volcanic eruptions in the time interval 14-8.4 ka cal BP, constrain their volcanic stratigraphy and age, and unfold the effects of environmental change on geomorphology, vegetation, aquatic organisms and humans. Moreover, we reconstruct the major palaeoenvironmental changes caused by the eruptions in terms of fire episodes and subsequent disturbance on vegetation, hydrology and limnological conditions. When put in context with the archaeological record, it appears that the last hunter-gatherer communities were resilient at an extra-local scale, facing episodes of vulnerability due to volcanic activity, suggesting that their flexible nomadic patterns and foraging economies were an efficient source of risk management against the volcanic eruptions and their ecological impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Revelles
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007, Tarragona, Spain.
- Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Àrea de Prehistòria, Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002, Tarragona, Spain.
| | - Joan Martí Molist
- Department of Geosciences, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Francesc Burjachs
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007, Tarragona, Spain
- Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Àrea de Prehistòria, Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002, Tarragona, Spain
- ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Walter Finsinger
- ISEM, University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Montpellier, France
| | - Eneko Iriarte
- Laboratorio de Evolución Humana/IsoTOPIK, Departamento de Historia, Geografía y Comunicación, Universidad de Burgos, Plaza Misael Bañuelos s/n, Edificio de I+d+i, 09001, Burgos, Spain
| | - Francesc Mesquita-Joanes
- "Cavanilles" Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Catedrático José Beltrán Martínez, 2, 46980, Paterna, Spain
| | - Sergi Pla-Rabés
- Unitat d'Ecologia, Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
- CREAF, Center for Ecological and Forestry Applications, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Llorenç Planagumà
- Tosca, Environment Services of Education, Casal dels Volcans, Av. Santa Coloma, 17800, Olot, Spain
| | - Maria A Rodrigo
- "Cavanilles" Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Catedrático José Beltrán Martínez, 2, 46980, Paterna, Spain
| | - Gabriel Alcalde
- Departament Història i Històriadel'Art, Universitat de Girona, 17071, Girona, Spain
| | - Maria Saña
- Departament de Prehistòria Edifici B, Facultat de Filosofia i Lletres, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
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Palli J, Mensing SA, Schoolman EM, Solano F, Piovesan G. Historical ecology identifies long-term rewilding strategy for conserving Mediterranean mountain forests in south Italy. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 33:e2758. [PMID: 36193873 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In the context of global decline in old-growth forest, historical ecology is a valuable tool to derive insights into vegetation legacies and dynamics and develop new conservation and restoration strategies. In this cross-disciplinary study, we integrate palynology (Lago del Pesce record), history, dendrochronology, and historical and contemporary land cover maps to assess drivers of vegetation change over the last millennium in a Mediterranean mountain forest (Pollino National Park, southern Italy) and discuss implications in conservation ecology. The study site hosts a remnant beech-fir (Fagus sylvatica-Abies alba) mixed forest, a priority habitat for biodiversity conservation in Europe. In the 10th century, the pollen record showed an open environment that was quickly colonized by silver fir when sociopolitical instabilities reduced anthropogenic pressures in mountain forests. The highest forest cover and biomass was reached between the 14th and the 17th centuries following land abandonment due to recurring plague pandemics. This rewilding process is also reflected in the recruitment history of Bosnian pine (Pinus heldreichii) in the subalpine elevation belt. Our results show that human impacts have been one of the main drivers of silver fir population contraction in the last centuries in the Mediterranean, and that the removal of direct human pressure led to ecosystem renovation. Since 1910, the Rubbio State Forest has locally protected and restored the mixed beech-fir forest. The institutions in 1972 for the Rubbio Natural Reserve and in 1993 for Pollino National Park have guaranteed the survival of the silver fir population, demonstrating the effectiveness of targeted conservation and restoration policies despite a warming climate. Monitoring silver fir populations can measure the effectiveness of conservation measures. In the last decades, the abandonment of rural environments (rewilding) along the mountains of southern Italy has reduced the pressure on ecosystems, thus boosting forest expansion. However, after four decades of natural regeneration and increasing biomass, pollen influx and forest composition are still far from the natural attributes of the medieval forest ecosystem. We conclude that long-term forest planning encouraging limited direct human disturbance will lead toward rewilding and renovation of carbon-rich and highly biodiverse Mediterranean old-growth forests, which will be more resistant and resilient to future climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Palli
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
- Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Scott A Mensing
- Department of Geography, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | | | - Francesco Solano
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
- Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Gianluca Piovesan
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
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Saulino L, Rita A, Allegrezza M, Zotti M, Mogavero V, Tesei G, Montecchiari S, Allevato E, Borghetti M, Bonanomi G, Saracino A. Clonality drives structural patterns and shapes the community assemblage of the Mediterranean Fagus sylvatica subalpine belt. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:947166. [PMID: 36186043 PMCID: PMC9523587 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.947166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Past anthropogenic disturbances lowered the altitudinal distribution of the Mediterranean Fagus sylvatica forests below 2,000 m a.s.l. Accordingly, our current understanding of the southern distribution range of F. sylvatica forests is restricted to managed stands below this elevation, neglecting relic forests growing above. This study has shed light on the structure and species assemblage of an unmanaged relict subalpine F. sylvatica stand growing within the core of its southernmost glacial refugia and at its highest species range elevation limit (2,140 m a.s.l.) in southern Apennines (Italy). Here, tree biometric attributes and understory species abundances were assessed in eight permanent plots systematically positioned from 1,650 to 2,130 m a.s.l. In the subalpine belt, F. sylvatica had formed a dense clonal stem population that was layered downward on the steepest slopes. The density and spatial aggregation of the stems were increased, while their stature and crown size were decreased. Above 2,000 m, changes in tree growth patterns, from upright single-stemmed to procumbent multi-stemmed, and canopy layer architecture, with crowns packed and closer to the floor, were allowed for the persistence of understory herbaceous species of biogeographic interest. Clonal layering represents an adaptive regeneration strategy for the subalpine belt environmental constraints not previously recognized in managed Mediterranean F. sylvatica forests. The clonal structure and unique species assemblage of this relic forest highlight the value of its inclusion in the priority areas networks, representing a long-term management strategy of emblematic glacial and microclimatic refugia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Saulino
- Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Angelo Rita
- Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Marina Allegrezza
- Dipartimento di Science Agrarie, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Maurizio Zotti
- Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Valentina Mogavero
- Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Giulio Tesei
- Dipartimento di Science Agrarie, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Silvia Montecchiari
- Dipartimento di Science Agrarie, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Emilia Allevato
- Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Marco Borghetti
- Scuola di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali, Alimentari e Ambientali, Università della Basilicata, Potenza, Italy
| | - Giuliano Bonanomi
- Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Saracino
- Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
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Messager E, Giguet-Covex C, Doyen E, Etienne D, Gielly L, Sabatier P, Banjan M, Develle AL, Didier J, Poulenard J, Julien A, Arnaud F. Two Millennia of Complexity and Variability in a Perialpine Socioecological System (Savoie, France): The Contribution of Palynology and sedaDNA Analysis. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.866781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the last two millennia, European Alpine ecosystems have experienced major changes in response to the important, yet fluctuating, impact of human activities. This study aims to reconstruct the environmental history of the last 1800 years on the western edge of the Alps by analyzing sediments from Lake Aiguebelette, a large lake located in the perialpine area. We have combined analyses of pollen and other palynomorphs, such as coprophilous fungal spores, together with sedimentary DNA (from plants and mammals) in order to reconstruct both vegetation and land-use histories. A sedimentological and geochemical analysis was also conducted in order to gain an understanding of changes in erosion dynamics in response to landscape modifications that were influenced by climate and human activities. This work highlights alternating phases of anthropization and agricultural abandonment allowing forest recovery. While pollen reflects the major phases of regional deforestation and afforestation related to the dynamic of farming activities, plant DNA provides precise information on the plants cultivated in fields, orchards and vegetable gardens over the past centuries. The combination of mammal DNA and coprophilous fungal spores completes this work by documenting the history of pastoral practices.
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