The Late Quaternary coastal forests of western Iberia: A study of their macroremains

Abstract

Plant remains collected from the Portuguese coast, some of them in situ, were examined to provide local information on the vegetation of the Iberian Atlantic area over the last 35,000 years. Pinus gr. sylvestris-nigra from the Würm period was identified in sandy soils, along with Quercus gr. robur-petraea and Fraxinus sp. The presence of in situ remains of this Pinus group on the northern Portuguese coast indicates the local temperature and precipitation conditions that must have reigned at this time. Thirty two in situ Pinus pinaster remains close to the mouth of the River Tagus show the importance of this taxon in this area during the first half of the Holocene. Other Holocene macroremains indicate the presence of non-riparian taxa ( Quercus gr. robur-petraea and Castanea sp.), hygrophilous plants ( Fraxinus sp., Populus sp., Alnus sp. and Sambucus sp.), and shade intolerant taxa ( Erica cinerea-vagans).