Cold and humid Atlantic forest during the late glacial, northern Espírito Santo state, southeastern Brazil

Francisquini, M. I., Lorente, F. L., Pessenda, L. C.R., Buso Jr., A. A., Mayle, F. E. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9208-0519, Cohen, M. C.L., Franca, M. C., Bendassolli, J. A., Giannini, P. C.F., Schiavo, J. A. and Macario, K. (2020) Cold and humid Atlantic forest during the late glacial, northern Espírito Santo state, southeastern Brazil. Quaternary Science Reviews, 244. 106489. ISSN 0277-3791 doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106489

Abstract/Summary

The Atlantic Rainforest, covering the area from the northern Espirito Santo to Southern Bahia states, has been considered as a stable forest during Pleistocene Glacial times. Despite the modelling and phylogenetic studies, this hypothesis has never been tested with empirical paleo-data and vegetation reconstruction. By using palynology, radiocarbon dating, carbon and nitrogen elemental and isotope of organic matter, we reconstructed the vegetation dynamics and inferred climatic changes since Late Pleistocene in the centre of this global biodiversity hotspot. Our results show that the forest biome was resilient to Last Glacial Maximum - LGM conditions, but floristics has changed when compared to nowadays. Since late glacial, the dense forest changed from cold to warm specimens. Major vegetation changes also occurred during early and mid-Holocene less humid conditions, with an opening of the forest, suggesting that future drought may have negative impacts and highlighting the importance of forest conservation to keep the Atlantic Rainforest biodiversity.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/91990
Identification Number/DOI	10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106489
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science > Department of Geography and Environmental Science
Publisher	Elsevier
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