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Climate Change, Fire and Human Activity Drive Vegetation Change during the Last Eight Millennia in the Xistral Mountains of NW Iberia

Bibliographic Data

ID15801851
AuthorsTim Mighall (0000-0002-8365-7694, University of Aberdeen, corresponding author), Antonio Martínez Cortizas (0000-0003-0430-5760, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela), Noemí Silva-Sánchez (0000-0001-6355-7285, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), Olalla López‐costa (0000-0002-6499-226X, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela), Olalla López-Costas (CRETUS; EcoPast (GI-1553), Area of Archaeology, Department of History, Facultade de Xeografía e Historia, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, E-15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain), Lourdes López Merino (0000-0002-6361-5374, Universidad Complutense de Madrid)
Year2023
Volume6
Issue1
Pages5-5
Publication date2023-01-05
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueQuaternary (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2571-550X • E-ISSN: 2571-550X
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/quat6010005
OpenAlexW4313569723
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited106

An 8500-year record of high-resolution pollen, non-pollen palynomorph, microscopic charcoal and selected geochemical data (Ti, Zr and Pb) is presented from an ombrotrophic mire from the Xistral Mountains, Galicia, North-West Iberia. The results suggest that vegetation changes over the last eight millennia are primarily the result of human disturbance, fire and climate change. Climate and fire were the main factors influencing vegetation development during the early to mid-Holocene, including a short-lived decline in forest cover c. 8.2 cal. ka BP. Changes associated with the 4.2 and 2.8 cal. Ka BP events are less well defined. Human impact on vegetation became more pronounced by the late Holocene with major periods of forest disturbance from c. 3.1 cal. ka BP onwards: during the end of Metal Ages, Roman period and culminating in the permanent decline of deciduous forests in the post-Roman period, as agriculture and metallurgy intensified, leading to the creation of a cultural landscape. Climate change appears to become less influential as human activity dominates during the Late Holocene

Archaeology · Charcoal · Climate change · Deciduous · Disturbance (geology · Geography · Holocene · Holocene climatic optimum · Mire · Ombrotrophic · Palynology · Peat · Period (music · Physical geography · Pollen · Present day · Vegetation (pathology · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Ecology · Geology · Oceanography · Paleontology

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Unique citing works4
Citations per year1,33
Citation span2023 - 2024 (2)
Citation velocityrecent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 4
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