NDLI: Vegetation and fire history of coastal north-eastern Sardinia (Italy) under changing Holocene climates and land use

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Beffa, Giorgia Pedrotta, Tiziana Colombaroli, Daniele Henne, Paul D. van Leeuwen, Jacqueline F. N. Süsstrunk, Pascal Kaltenrieder, Petra Adolf, Carole Vogel, Hendrik Pasta, Salvatore Anselmetti, Flavio S. Gobet, Erika Tinner, Willy
Copyright Year	2015
Abstract	Little is known about the vegetation and fire history of Sardinia, and especially the long-term history of the thermo-Mediterranean belt that encompasses its entire coastal lowlands. A new sedimentary record from a coastal lake based on pollen, spores, macrofossils and microscopic charcoal analysis is used to reconstruct the vegetation and fire history in north-eastern Sardinia. During the mid-Holocene (c. 8,100–5,300 cal bp), the vegetation around Stagno di Sa Curcurica was characterised by dense Erica scoparia and E. arborea stands, which were favoured by high fire activity. Fire incidence declined and evergreen broadleaved forests of Quercus ilex expanded at the beginning of the late Holocene. We relate the observed vegetation and fire dynamics to climatic change, specifically moister and cooler summers and drier and milder winters after 5,300 cal bp. Agricultural activities occurred since the Neolithic and intensified after c. 7,000 cal bp. Around 2,750 cal bp, a further decline of fire incidence and Erica communities occurred, while Quercus ilex expanded and open-land communities became more abundant. This vegetation shift coincided with the historically documented beginning of Phoenician period, which was followed by Punic and Roman civilizations in Sardinia. The vegetational change at around 2,750 cal bp was possibly advantaged by a further shift to moister and cooler summers and drier and milder winters. Triggers for climate changes at 5,300 and 2,750 cal bp may have been gradual, orbitally-induced changes in summer and winter insolation, as well as centennial-scale atmospheric reorganizations. Open evergreen broadleaved forests persisted until the twentieth century, when they were partly substituted by widespread artificial pine plantations. Our results imply that highly flammable Erica vegetation, as reconstructed for the mid-Holocene, could re-emerge as a dominant vegetation type due to increasing drought and fire, as anticipated under global change conditions.
Starting Page	271
Ending Page	289
Page Count	19
File Format	PDF
ISSN	09396314
Journal	Vegetation History and Archaeobotany
Volume Number	25
Issue Number	3
e-ISSN	16176278
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Publisher Date	2015-10-28
Publisher Place	Berlin, Heidelberg
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Mediterranean Erica scoparia and E. arborea Quercus ilex forests Pollen Macrofossils Charcoal Paleontology Biogeosciences Climate Change Anthropology Archaeology
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Plant Science Archeology (arts and humanities) Paleontology

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