Modern pollen–vegetation relationship in the Rif mountains (Northern Morocco)

Abstract

The investigations of modern pollen and vegetation relationships have long been recognised as an important approach for the convenient interpretation of fossil pollen records. Despite several studies on fossil pollen records applied to the Rif landscape, investigations focused on modern pollen and vegetation relationship are still rare. This study aims to provide new data on the modern pollen rain in Bouhachem and Alem landscape and analyse the relationships between modern pollen, vegetation, and various environmental and land-use variables in Bouhachem and Alem mountains (Western Rif mountains). A total of 34 modern surface samples (moss polster) were collected from different vegetation patterns in the Bouhachem Alem landscape and a vegetation survey was conducted at each sampling site. Cluster analysis and Canonical correspondence analysis are used to characterise the vegetation and pollen of the Bouhachem ana Alem mountains. The results show that wooded communities of cedar (Cedrus atlantica), deciduous oak (Quercus pyrenaica, Quercus canariensis), cork oak (Quercus suber), and pine (Pinus pinaster), can be discriminated from low and high matorrals in the Bouhacehm-Alem landscape through the modern pollen assemblages; matorral and open areas have less distinctive pollen signatures of surrounded vegetation because of regional pollens. The altitude, annual precipitation, and tree cover distinguish the high-mountain communities. The land use and anthropogenic variables contribute to differentiate the degraded and grazed communities. Poaceae, Cannabis, Plantago, Asteraceae, and Urtica pollen types are related to anthropogenic activities and should be interpreted carefully. The relationships between the modern pollen of Bouhachem and Alem mountains and broad variables can support the interpretation of paleoenvironmental records from the Rif landscape.