NEOGENE FLORA, VEGETATION AND CLIMATE DYNAMICS IN SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE AND THE NORTHEASTERN MEDITERRANEAN

Abstract

Pollen analysis of Miocene and Pliocene sediments from southeastern Europe and the northeastern Mediterranean is represented in pollen synthetic diagrams based on ecological criteria in order to clearly visualize changes in the composition and structure of the vegetation through time. New pollen data, together with abundant existing palynological information from this area, show a progressive reduction in plant diversity caused by a decrease in the most ther- mophilous and high-water requirement plants and, on the contrary, an increase in warm-temperate (mesothermic) and seasonal-adapted taxa during the Middle-Late Miocene and Pliocene. At the same time, an increase in high-elevation trees and herbs has been recorded, with a strong augmen- tation in Artemisia, first in the eastern Mediterranean and later on in the western Mediterranean area. This has been interpreted as a response of the vegetation to global and regional processes, including climate cooling related to the development of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS), uplift of regional mountains during Alpine orogenesis and progressive movement of Eurasia towards northern latitudes as a result of the northwards collision of Africa.