Search results for "peninsula"
showing 10 items of 293 documents
Orthotrichum consobrinumCardot in Western Europe and South-Western Asia
2009
Abstract Orthotrichum consobrinum Cardot, a moss that was earlier considered an endemic to the Sino-Japanese Region, has been found in the north of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain) and in north-eastern Anatolia (Turkey). Comparison of Spanish and Turkish material with eastern Asiatic specimens revealed no relevant morphological differences, and the specimens from both disjunct populations showed the same range of variation of the species attributes. However, the morphological analysis has revealed some distinctive features of the species that had been overlooked in the past. An updated description of this Euro-Asiatic moss is provided here.
New Tree-Ring Evidence from the Pyrenees Reveals Western Mediterranean Climate Variability since Medieval Times
2017
Paleoclimatic evidence is necessary to place the current warming and drying of the western Mediterranean basin in a long-term perspective of natural climate variability. Annually resolved and absolutely dated temperature proxies south of the European Alps that extend back into medieval times are, however, mainly limited to measurements of maximum latewood density (MXD) from high-elevation conifers. Here, the authors present the world’s best replicated MXD site chronology of 414 living and relict Pinus uncinata trees found >2200 m above mean sea level (MSL) in the Spanish central Pyrenees. This composite record correlates significantly ( p ≤ 0.01) with May–June and August–September mean …
On the origin of European sheep as revealed by the diversity of the Balkan breeds and by optimizing population-genetic analysis tools
2020
Background In the Neolithic, domestic sheep migrated into Europe and subsequently spread in westerly and northwesterly directions. Reconstruction of these migrations and subsequent genetic events requires a more detailed characterization of the current phylogeographic differentiation. Results We collected 50 K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) profiles of Balkan sheep that are currently found near the major Neolithic point of entry into Europe, and combined these data with published genotypes from southwest-Asian, Mediterranean, central-European and north-European sheep and from Asian and European mouflons. We detected clines, ancestral components and admixture by using variants of commo…
Identifying potential areas of expansion for the endangered brown bear (Ursus arctos) population in the cantabrian mountains (NW Spain)
2019
Many large carnivore populations are expanding into human-modified landscapes and the subsequent increase in coexistence between humans and large carnivores may intensify various types of conflicts. A proactive management approach is critical to successful mitigation of such conflicts. The Cantabrian Mountains in Northern Spain are home to the last remaining native brown bear (Ursus arctos) population of the Iberian Peninsula, which is also amongst the most severely threatened European populations, with an important core group residing in the province of Asturias. There are indications that this small population is demographically expanding its range. The identification of the potential are…
A funerary perspective on the Bell Beaker period in the Wester Mediterranean Reading the social context of individual burials at La Vital (Gandia, Va…
2013
[EN] The discussion about social dynamics in recent Pre- history is supported by the study of funerary practices. The presence and significance of individual and collec- tive burials in Final Neolithic/Chalcolithic societies in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula provides new evi- dence for the debate concerning the emergence of social inequalities in this region. Our contribution is based on the recent discovery and excavation of several individual pit burials in domestic contexts at the site of La Vital (Gandía, Valencia). The particularities of the identified burials (different ritual episodes) and their content (Bell Beaker pottery, metal objects, animal offerings) together with an …
Revisiting the Epipalaeolithic-Neolithic Transition in the Extreme NW of Africa : The Latest Results of the Chronological Sequence of the Cave of Kaf…
2021
[EN] This study focuses on the chronostratigraphic sequence of the Cave of Kaf Taht el-Ghar (Dar Ben Karrich, Tétouan, Morocco) excavated in 2012 in the framework of the AGRIWESTMED research project. The broad sequence reveals a series of occupations ranging from the Pleistocene (Moroccan Aterian) to recent historical times. Our research identifies a rich Early Neolithic phase (sixth millennium cal BC) containing the earliest pottery and domesticated animal and plant remains in the western Maghreb. However, this Early Neolithic level is not an immediate successor of the last traces of the Epipalaeolithic hunter-gatherer occupation, which started at the end of the Younger Dryas (10,900–9700 …
Future Projection of precipitation changes in the Júcar and Segura River Basins (Iberian Peninsula) by CMIP5 GCMs Local Downscaling
2021
The basins of the Júcar and Segura rivers, on the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula, present a special water problem and are of particular interest regarding climate change. These basins are very vulnerable to a possible scenario of decreasing water resources. Recent studies on historic rainfall since 1955 have indicated an ongoing loss of precipitation in their headwaters, especially in the case of the Júcar river. The aim of the present study is to perform climate projections for the precipitation variable for several future periods (2021–2040, 2051–2070, 2081–2100) and emission scenarios (RCPs 4.5, 8.5) within the Júcar and Segura River Basin authorities. For this purpose, a s…
Tortella bambergeri (Pottiaceae) in the Iberian Peninsula, with an updated key to Iberian Tortella
2009
Tortella bambergeri (Schimp.) Broth. is reported for the first time from northern and central-eastern Spain in the Iberian Peninsula. Diagnostic characters and differentiation from other closely related Iberian Tortella taxa are discussed. Furthermore, a map of the currently known distribution of T. bambergeri in Spain, illustrations of the species and an updated key to Iberian Tortella are provided.
Coastal Evolution in a Mediterranean Microtidal Zone: Mid to Late Holocene Natural Dynamics and Human Management of the Castellò Lagoon, NE Spain
2016
We present a palaeoenvironmental study of the Castelló lagoon (NE Spain), an important archive for understanding long-term interactions between dynamic littoral ecosystems and human management. Combining geochemistry, mineralogy, ostracods, diatoms, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, charcoal and archaeo-historical datasets we reconstruct: 1) the transition of the lagoon from a marine to a marginal environment between ~3150 cal BC to the 17th century AD; 2) fluctuations in salinity; and 3) natural and anthropogenic forces contributing to these changes. From the Late Neolithic to the Medieval period the lagoon ecosystem was driven by changing marine influence and the land was mainly exploited …
Preliminary results of carbon degassing in the tectonically active areas of Balkan Peninsula
2020
The deeply derived CO2 from tectonically active areas is contributing in a significant proportion, still unquantified in detail, to CO2 Earth degassing. Several studies highlighted how in these tectonically active areas most of the CO2 is dissolved in the groundwaters circulating in the large regional aquifers hosted by the permeable formations of the active orogens. Quantifying the amount of deep CO2 dissolved into groundwater can represent a powerful tool for regional investigations, because springs are representative of their catchment area that can extend from tens to hundreds of square kilometers. In the framework of a Deep Carbon Observatory supported project, we investigated for the …