Abies pinsapo (Boiss.), the Andalusian endemic fir

Abstract

Abies pinsapo (Boiss.), the Andalusian endemic fir. Abies pinsapo (Boiss.) is a relict, endemic fir species, that growths at Sierra de las Nieves and Sierra Bermeja (Málaga), and Sierra de Grazalema (Cádiz), in the western part of the Betic Mountain Range (S. of the Iberian peninsula). It is currently distributed within 1000-1700 m a.s.l., occupying about 2000 Ha only, in north-facing slopes, where local geographic and orographic determinants allows for very high precipitation values (from 1000 up to 3000 mm). In its basal altitudinal range, Abies pinsapoforms mixed forests with several Quercus species (Q. rotundifolia, Q. faginea,  and  even Q. suber). At higher altitude, it forms dense and pure stands, the "pinsapares", that resemble, in physiognomic terms, temperate-boreal conifer forests, despite being within a mediterranean-type climate region. The biogeographic singularity of Abies pinsapo, shared with that of the rest of circum-mediterranean fir species, resulted
from  an  extraordinary  concatenation  of  events,  including  the  collision  of  the  Eurasian  and  African  tectonic  plaques  and  the  formation  of coastal mountain ranges around the Mediterranean basin, the progressive aridification of the climate that took place from the mid-Miocene,the fluctuation between glacial a inter-glacial periods during the Quaternary, and the existence of local refuges that enabled its survival as a relict  species.  As  a  result  of  their  biogeographic  singularity,  the  "pinsapares"  represent  biodiversity  islands,  holding  many  associated endemic plant and animal species. They also constitute a specially suitable model to assess for early-warning signs of the global warming.