Integration of landscape approaches for the spatial reconstruction of vegetation

Abstract

Reconstruction of ancient environmental conditions based on traditional analyses such as pollen and other proxies has provided understanding of climate variation and its influence on vegetation. These studies, however, are restricted to site-specific scales and have overseen the spatial understanding of past vegetation patterns. Hence, reconstruction of spatial distribution patterns of vegetation is yet a pending issue in paleoecological studies. The objective of this chapter is to develop a methodological integration of landscape approaches (paleoecological, bioclimatic, and geographical) to reconstruct spatial distribution patterns of vegetation in the Purepecha region in central Mexico. Correlation of climatic patterns, pollen rain, paleoecological data, and physical landscape components was jointly analyzed with the aid of a geographic information system. Result from this integrated approach indicated that during ca. 1000 B.C. (Preclassic period), climatic conditions were relatively more humid than the current climate. The dry climatic conditions were preferably dominant on valleys, plains, and footslopes. On the contrary, humid conditions were preferably distributed in hills and mountain landforms. Our outcomes provide a reproducible integrated methodology for reconstructing spatial patterns of vegetation. We, further, document for the first time the past spatial vegetation patterns in the core of the Purepecha culture.