Abies – Circum-Mediterranean firs in Europe: distribution, habitat, usage and threats

Most European firs occur predominantly in small to medium-sized populations in the Mediterranean region, sometimes with fragmented and limited distributions, except for silver fir (Abies alba). They all are genetically closely related and can easily hybridise, perhaps as a consequence of late speciation during the late Quaternary. Circum-Mediterranean firs occur principally in mountain areas with medium to high precipitations rates which are mostly concentrated during the winter period. The species are able to tolerate long droughts in summer and tend to form pure stands when in optimal habitats. In the past firs have been extensively logged for construction and fire wood and their stands were replaced by other more disturbance adapted species or converted into rural areas. Nowadays with the exception of silver fir and Caucasian fir (Abies nordmanniana), circum-Mediterranean firs do not have a wide commercial interest. In Turkey they are still exploited for timber wood, while other firs have an ornamental use in gardening. Great importance is given to their preservation, especially to those populations which have very limited areas and specimens, with the creation of protected reserves and conservation programmes. Wild fires, livestock grazing and genetic drift represent actually their main threats.

Pollen profile LUGAN, Luganskoe, Russia

Kvavadze et al. 1994: Palynological studies of the deposits of the Luganski bog situated at an altitutde of 2428 m have shown that glacial lakes repeatedly emerged there during the Holocene. They used to exist for rather a long time during the Atlantic. More shortterm lake basins reappeared at the very end of the Subboreal period and during the climatic optimums 1000 BP and 400-500 BP.

Pollen profile LAGODEH, Lagodekhi, Georgia

Limno-glacial deposits 110 cm in thickness in the upper alpine belt have been investigated. It is established that during the Yuanakhchiri period of glaciation in the region under study a glacial cirque was situated at an altitude of 2750 m a.s.l. After the glacier retreated, a lake was formed in its bed which existed till the second noticeable cooling in the second half of SA2 (1600-1500 years ago).