Abstract
The analysis of plant macrofossils in peatland ecosystems has been widely used for the climatic and ecological reconstruction of the Holocene in the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere. By contrast, perhaps associated with rarity of these ecosystems, this proxy has barely been explored for southern Europe. In this work, a compilation and review of existing knowledge on the study of plant macrofossils of peatlands in southern Europe has been carried out, both from a paleoenvironmental perspective and in terms of biodiversity dynamics. Although small in surface area, the peatlands of southern Europe stand out for their diversity (botanical, edaphogenic, morphological, etc.), which has allowed the recovery of a large number of macrofossils from both vascular plants and bryophytes. The southern zone of Europe contains refuge zones with a high plant diversity that have not suffered the intense glaciation of the northern zones, this allows a continuous record since the beginning of the Holocene and the detection of climatic events in lower latitudes, where the ice recession was earlier.
Highlights
Peatland ecosystems occupy 3% of the Earth’s surface, around 420 million ha. mostly in the boreal zone of the northern hemisphere [1]
There is a rich history of paleobotanical research in Europe focused on plant macrofossils, most of these studies consider fossils that are older than Holocene
The identification of plant macrofossils is based on comparisons with published descriptions and illustrations and the use of reference material
Summary
Peatland ecosystems occupy 3% of the Earth’s surface, around 420 million ha. mostly in the boreal zone of the northern hemisphere [1]. Mostly in the boreal zone of the northern hemisphere [1]. The distribution of these habitats has been reduced especially in southern Europe; c. The Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC of the European Union [4], considers peatlands as ecosystems of priority community interest, for which it is necessary to designate areas for their conservation. There is a rich history of paleobotanical research in Europe focused on plant macrofossils, most of these studies consider fossils that are older than Holocene. The analysis of plant macrofossils has been commonly used in oceanic regions of Europe, mainly in Great Britain; despite the potential wealth of information there are few studies in peatlands of southern
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