Understanding the relationship between modern pollen and vegetation is crucial for interpreting fossil pollen records and assessing human impact on the environment,both of which are essential for effective environment...Understanding the relationship between modern pollen and vegetation is crucial for interpreting fossil pollen records and assessing human impact on the environment,both of which are essential for effective environmental management strategies.Despite numerous studies on fossil pollen records in the Rif landscape,research specifically focusing on modern pollen and its implications for understanding human impact on the natural landscape is notably lacking.This paper presents novel anthropogenic pollen indicators for the Rif Mountains and seeks to evaluate the gradients of human impact on the southern Mediterranean landscape.We employed a combination of modern pollen analysis,vegetation survey,and ordination techniques,incorporating various environmental and land-use variables.Canonical correspondence analysis(CCA)allowed us to evaluate the relationships between pollen types and environmental variables,helping us identify key anthropogenic pollen indicators associated with land use and human activities:Poaceae,Cannabist,Olea-t,and Asteraceae for cultivation;Brassicaceae,Genista-t,Poaceae,Asteraceae and Plantago-t,for grazing;Apiaceae,Urtica-t and Genista-t for slashing and burning.Additionally,an anthropogenic index score(AIS)was calculated for each sampled location.Correspondence analysis(CA)was then used to correlate each specific pollen type with levels of human impact as follows(a)low(e.g.,Cedrus atlantica-t,Quercus canariensis-t),(b)moderate(e.g.,Erica-t,Arbutus unedo-t,Eucalyptus-t),and(c)high(e.g.,Cannabis-t,Brassicaceae,Olea-t,Nicotiana-t).This paper enhances our comprehension of land-use dynamics and impact levels,providing essential insights for evaluating anthropogenic impact trends and human-induced changes in the Rif Mountains landscape.展开更多
文摘Understanding the relationship between modern pollen and vegetation is crucial for interpreting fossil pollen records and assessing human impact on the environment,both of which are essential for effective environmental management strategies.Despite numerous studies on fossil pollen records in the Rif landscape,research specifically focusing on modern pollen and its implications for understanding human impact on the natural landscape is notably lacking.This paper presents novel anthropogenic pollen indicators for the Rif Mountains and seeks to evaluate the gradients of human impact on the southern Mediterranean landscape.We employed a combination of modern pollen analysis,vegetation survey,and ordination techniques,incorporating various environmental and land-use variables.Canonical correspondence analysis(CCA)allowed us to evaluate the relationships between pollen types and environmental variables,helping us identify key anthropogenic pollen indicators associated with land use and human activities:Poaceae,Cannabist,Olea-t,and Asteraceae for cultivation;Brassicaceae,Genista-t,Poaceae,Asteraceae and Plantago-t,for grazing;Apiaceae,Urtica-t and Genista-t for slashing and burning.Additionally,an anthropogenic index score(AIS)was calculated for each sampled location.Correspondence analysis(CA)was then used to correlate each specific pollen type with levels of human impact as follows(a)low(e.g.,Cedrus atlantica-t,Quercus canariensis-t),(b)moderate(e.g.,Erica-t,Arbutus unedo-t,Eucalyptus-t),and(c)high(e.g.,Cannabis-t,Brassicaceae,Olea-t,Nicotiana-t).This paper enhances our comprehension of land-use dynamics and impact levels,providing essential insights for evaluating anthropogenic impact trends and human-induced changes in the Rif Mountains landscape.
