Holocene Fossil Pollen Record from Merj Lkhil (Western Rif Mountains, Morocco): A 7000-Year Reconstruction of Cedrus atlantica Forest Dynamics

This dataset presents the Holocene fossil pollen record from the Merj Lkhil site in the Western Rif Mountains (Morocco), documenting ~7000 years of Cedrus atlantica forest dynamics at the northwestern distribution margin of the species. The 2.3 m sediment core spans from the early Northgrippian (~7118 cal yr BP) to the present and provides percentage data for individual taxa, functional groups (Trees, Shrubs, Herbs, Ferns, Hygrophytes), non-pollen palynomorphs, total pollen concentration, and charcoal counts (>100 μm). Located at higher elevation than other previously studied sequences in Jbel Bou Hachem, this record offers new insights into long-term forest composition, resilience, and ecological thresholds, and allows assessment of vegetation responses to Holocene climate variability, increasing aridity, and anthropogenic disturbance in the western Mediterranean.

• Science and technology
• Environment

• http://hdl.handle.net/10261/401626
• https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17162413

Recommended citation : Alba Sánchez, Francisca; Abel Schaad, Daniel; López-Sáez, José Antonio ; Romera Romera, Daniel; Pérez Díaz, Sebastián; González Hernández, Antoni; 2025; Holocene Fossil Pollen Record from Merj Lkhil (Western Rif Mountains, Morocco): A 7000-Year Reconstruction of Cedrus atlantica Forest Dynamics [Dataset]; Zenodo; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17162413