title: [Proof of the indigenous nature of Populus alba L. in the western Mediterranean Basin].
abstract: Around the western Mediterranean Basin, the ecological status of Populus alba, whether indigenous or introduced, is controversial. This note presents new palaeobotanical data based on analyses of leaf imprints from a travertine formation located in southern France. This travertine presents two levels with Populus alba imprints. The oldest level is dated back by 14C to the Early Holocene, i.e., 8890 +/- 70 BP. This demonstrates that Populus alba is an autochthonous species of the southern-France vegetation, removing speculations reporting that its distribution area was greatly influenced by Roman civilization. Finally, we discuss this new data in regard to other Pleistocene and Holocene deposits circum the Mediterranean Basin and in Europe, where this species was identified.
authors.affiliation: Centre de bio-archéologie et d'écologie, UMR 5059, CNRS-Université Montpellier-2, Institut de Botanique, 163, rue Auguste-Broussonet, 34090 Montpellier, France. roiron@univ-montp2.fr
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roiron
authors.forename: Adam A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Guendon
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carcaillet
authors.forename: Jean-Frédéric
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Terral
mesh_terms: D002119:Calcium Carbonate; D004463:Ecology; D005580:Fossils; D005602:France; D019083:Mediterranean Region; D010163:Paleontology; D018515:Plant Leaves; D032107:Populus; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D002119:Calcium Carbonate