Review: Vegetation history of Cryptomeria japonica in Japan since the last interglacial period

Abstract

The natural distribution of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) has been disturbed by human activities, owing mainly to its value as timber; thus, its position in the vegetation zone of Japan is not clear. Therefore, it is important to determine the history of C. japonica forests before human influence. We reviewed the transitions in distribution and abundance of C. japonica in the Japanese Archipelago since the last interglacial period by using published pollen data. During the last interglacial, temperate deciduous broadleaf forests developed on northeastern Honshu Island, whereas on southwestern Honshu Island C. japonica populations increased, accompanied by warm-temperate evergreen broadleaf trees. During the first half of the last glacial period, C. japonica forests developed throughout the Japanese Archipelago except on Hokkaido. Thereafter, 60,000–30,000 years ago, C. japonica covered the area around Lake Biwa and the Izu Peninsula. During the Last Glacial Maximum, C. japonica was most abundant on the Izu Peninsula, and small refugial populations were located along the coast of the Sea of Japan from southwestern to northeastern Honshu, and along the Pacific coast of Shikoku Island. During the Middle Holocene, C. japonica populations increased rapidly in southwestern Honshu. Two thousand years ago, before the intensification of human activities, C. japonica was widespread in warm- to cool-temperate zones on the Sea of Japan side of Honshu, the Izu Peninsula, the Pacific coast of Shikoku Island, and Yakushima Island. This evidence indicates that C. japonica is one of the major tree species in the Japanese vegetation zone.