Vegetation and landscape around Lake Montcortès (Catalan pre-Pyrenees) as a tool for palaeoecological studies of lake sediments

Abstract

Vegetation and landscape around Lake Montcortès (Catalan pre-Pyrenees) as a tool for palynological studies of lake sediments. Lake Montcortès (42º 19′ N, 0º 59′ E; 1,027 m elevation) is an excellent target for high-resolution palaeoecological studies because its annually-laminated sediments extending back to the early-middle Holocene. The detailed knowledge of present vegetation patterns around the lake and the pollen they release to lake sediments is essential for a reliable interpretation of past vegetation dynamics. This study aims to identify and map the vegetation types currently growing around the lake. For this purpose, a quadrangular area of ca. 48 ha was defined. The floristic study resulted in a catalogue of 534 species. Vegetation analysis was based on 42 phytosociological inventories used to synthesise and map the relevant plant landscape units. As a result, we obtained 52 vegetation units as expressions of the CORINE habitats previously defined for Catalonia. Each of these habitats was described in floristic, physiognomic, phytogeographic, environmental and human-use terms. The next step will be the palynological study of the more representative species of the described vegetation types, as a means to optimise future palynological interpretations.