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The Mesolithic–Neolithic transition in southern Iberia
- Miguel Cortés Sánchez, Francisco J. Jiménez Espejo, María D. Simón Vallejo, Juan F. Gibaja Bao, António Faustino Carvalho, Francisca Martinez-Ruiz, Marta Rodrigo Gamiz, José-Abel Flores, Adina Paytan, José A. López Sáez, Leonor Peña-Chocarro, José S. Carrión, Arturo Morales Muñiz, Eufrasia Roselló Izquierdo, José A. Riquelme Cantal, Rebecca M. Dean, Emília Salgueiro, Rafael M. Martínez Sánchez, Juan J. De la Rubia de Gracia, María C. Lozano Francisco, José L. Vera Peláez, Laura Llorente Rodríguez, Nuno F. Bicho
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- Journal:
- Quaternary Research / Volume 77 / Issue 2 / March 2012
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 20 January 2017, pp. 221-234
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New data and a review of historiographic information from Neolithic sites of the Malaga and Algarve coasts (southern Iberian Peninsula) and from the Maghreb (North Africa) reveal the existence of a Neolithic settlement at least from 7.5 cal ka BP. The agricultural and pastoralist food producing economy of that population rapidly replaced the coastal economies of the Mesolithic populations. The timing of this population and economic turnover coincided with major changes in the continental and marine ecosystems, including upwelling intensity, sea-level changes and increased aridity in the Sahara and along the Iberian coast. These changes likely impacted the subsistence strategies of the Mesolithic populations along the Iberian seascapes and resulted in abandonments manifested as sedimentary hiatuses in some areas during the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition. The rapid expansion and area of dispersal of the early Neolithic traits suggest the use of marine technology. Different evidences for a Maghrebian origin for the first colonists have been summarized. The recognition of an early North-African Neolithic influence in Southern Iberia and the Maghreb is vital for understanding the appearance and development of the Neolithic in Western Europe. Our review suggests links between climate change, resource allocation, and population turnover.
Consistent patterns of spatial variability between NE Atlantic and Mediterranean rocky shores
- Martina Dal Bello, Jean-Charles Leclerc, Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi, Giuseppe Andrea De Lucia, Christos Arvanitidis, Pim Van Avesaath, Guy Bachelet, Natalia Bojanic, Serena Como, Stefania Coppa, Jennifer Coughlan, Tasman Crowe, Steven Degraer, Free Espinosa, Sarah Faulwetter, Matt Frost, Xabier Guinda, Emilia Jankowska, Jérôme Jourde, Jose Antonio Juanes De La Pena, Francis Kerckhof, Jonne Kotta, Nicolas Lavesque, Paolo Magni, Valentina De Matos, Helen Orav-Kotta, Christina Pavloudi, Maria Luiza Pedrotti, Ohad Peleg, Angel Pérez-Ruzafa, Araceli Puente, Pedro Ribeiro, Fabienne Rigaut-Jalabert, Gil Rilov, Maria Rousou, Marcos Rubal, Tomas Ruginis, Teresa Silva, Nathalie Simon, Isabel Sousa-Pinto, Jesús Troncoso, Jan Warzocha, Jan Marcin Weslawski, Herman Hummel
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- Journal:
- Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom / Volume 97 / Issue 3 / May 2017
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 11 November 2016, pp. 539-547
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Examining how variability in population abundance and distribution is allotted among different spatial scales can inform of processes that are likely to generate that variability. Results of studies dealing with scale issues in marine benthic communities suggest that variability is concentrated at small spatial scales (from tens of centimetres to few metres) and that spatial patterns of variation are consistent across ecosystems characterized by contrasting physical and biotic conditions, but this has not been formally tested. Here we quantified the variability in the distribution of intertidal rocky shore communities at a range of spatial scales, from tens of centimetres to thousands of kilometres, both in the NE Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and tested whether the observed patterns differed between the two basins. We focused on canopy-forming macroalgae and associated understorey assemblages in the low intertidal, and on the distribution of Patella limpets at mid intertidal levels. Our results highlight that patterns of spatial variation, at each scale investigated, were consistent between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, suggesting that similar ecological processes operate in these regions. In contrast with former studies, variability in canopy cover, species richness and limpet abundance was equally distributed among spatial scales, possibly reflecting the fingerprint of multiple processes. Variability in community structure of low intertidal assemblages, instead, peaked at the largest scale, suggesting that oceanographic processes and climatic gradients may be important. We conclude that formal comparisons of variability across scales nested in contrasting systems are needed, before any generalization on patterns and processes can be made.
Essence of the patterns of cover and richness of intertidal hard bottom communities: a pan-European study
- Jonne Kotta, Helen Orav-Kotta, Holger Jänes, Herman Hummel, Christos Arvanitidis, Pim Van Avesaath, Guy Bachelet, Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi, Natalia Bojanić, Serena Como, Stefania Coppa, Jennifer Coughlan, Tasman Crowe, Martina Dal Bello, Steven Degraer, Jose Antonio Juanes De La Pena, Valentina Kirienko Fernandes De Matos, Free Espinosa, Sarah Faulwetter, Matt Frost, Xabier Guinda, Emilia Jankowska, Jérôme Jourde, Francis Kerckhof, Nicolas Lavesque, Jean-Charles Leclerc, Paolo Magni, Christina Pavloudi, Maria Luiza Pedrotti, Ohad Peleg, Angel Pérez-Ruzafa, Araceli Puente, Pedro Ribeiro, Gil Rilov, Maria Rousou, Tomas Ruginis, Teresa Silva, Nathalie Simon, Isabel Sousa-Pinto, Jesús Troncoso, Jan Warzocha, Jan Marcin Weslawski
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- Journal:
- Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom / Volume 97 / Issue 3 / May 2017
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 04 October 2016, pp. 525-538
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Coastal ecosystems are highly complex and driven by multiple environmental factors. To date we lack scientific evidence for the relative contribution of natural and anthropogenic drivers for the majority of marine habitats in order to adequately assess the role of different stressors across the European seas. Such relationship can be investigated by analysing the correlation between environmental variables and biotic patterns in multivariate space and taking into account non-linearities. Within the framework of the EMBOS (European Marine Biodiversity Observatory System) programme, hard bottom intertidal communities were sampled in a standardized way across European seas. Links between key natural and anthropogenic drivers and hard bottom communities were analysed using Boosted Regression Trees modelling. The study identified strong interregional variability and showed that patterns of hard bottom macroalgal and invertebrate communities were primarily a function of tidal regime, nutrient loading and water temperature (anomalies). The strength and shape of functional form relationships varied widely however among types of organisms (understorey algae composing mostly filamentous species, canopy-forming algae or sessile invertebrates) and aggregated community variables (cover or richness). Tidal regime significantly modulated the effect of nutrient load on the cover and richness of understorey algae and sessile invertebrates. In contrast, hydroclimate was more important for canopy algae and temperature anomalies and hydroclimate separately or interactively contributed to the observed patterns. The analyses also suggested that climate-induced shifts in weather patterns may result in the loss of algal richness and thereby in the loss of functional diversity in European hard bottom intertidal areas.
Geographic patterns of biodiversity in European coastal marine benthos
- Herman Hummel, Pim Van Avesaath, Sander Wijnhoven, Loran Kleine-Schaars, Steven Degraer, Francis Kerckhof, Natalia Bojanic, Sanda Skejic, Olja Vidjak, Maria Rousou, Helen Orav-Kotta, Jonne Kotta, Jérôme Jourde, Maria Luiza Pedrotti, Jean-Charles Leclerc, Nathalie Simon, Fabienne Rigaut-Jalabert, Guy Bachelet, Nicolas Lavesque, Christos Arvanitidis, Christina Pavloudi, Sarah Faulwetter, Tasman Crowe, Jennifer Coughlan, Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi, Martina Dal Bello, Paolo Magni, Serena Como, Stefania Coppa, Anda Ikauniece, Tomas Ruginis, Emilia Jankowska, Jan Marcin Weslawski, Jan Warzocha, Sławomira Gromisz, Bartosz Witalis, Teresa Silva, Pedro Ribeiro, Valentina Kirienko Fernandes De Matos, Isabel Sousa-Pinto, Puri Veiga, Jesús Troncoso, Xabier Guinda, Jose Antonio Juanes De La Pena, Araceli Puente, Free Espinosa, Angel Pérez-Ruzafa, Matt Frost, Caroline Louise Mcneill, Ohad Peleg, Gil Rilov
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- Journal:
- Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom / Volume 97 / Issue 3 / May 2017
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 14 September 2016, pp. 507-523
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Within the COST action EMBOS (European Marine Biodiversity Observatory System) the degree and variation of the diversity and densities of soft-bottom communities from the lower intertidal or the shallow subtidal was measured at 28 marine sites along the European coastline (Baltic, Atlantic, Mediterranean) using jointly agreed and harmonized protocols, tools and indicators. The hypothesis tested was that the diversity for all taxonomic groups would decrease with increasing latitude. The EMBOS system delivered accurate and comparable data on the diversity and densities of the soft sediment macrozoobenthic community over a large-scale gradient along the European coastline. In contrast to general biogeographic theory, species diversity showed no linear relationship with latitude, yet a bell-shaped relation was found. The diversity and densities of benthos were mostly positively correlated with environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, mud and organic matter content in sediment, or wave height, and related with location characteristics such as system type (lagoons, estuaries, open coast) or stratum (intertidal, subtidal). For some relationships, a maximum (e.g. temperature from 15–20°C; mud content of sediment around 40%) or bimodal curve (e.g. salinity) was found. In lagoons the densities were twice higher than in other locations, and at open coasts the diversity was much lower than in other locations. We conclude that latitudinal trends and regional differences in diversity and densities are strongly influenced by, i.e. merely the result of, particular sets and ranges of environmental factors and location characteristics specific to certain areas, such as the Baltic, with typical salinity clines (favouring insects) and the Mediterranean, with higher temperatures (favouring crustaceans). Therefore, eventual trends with latitude are primarily indirect and so can be overcome by local variation of environmental factors.