Pešturina interglacial
Artistic paleo-reconstruction of vegetation during the last Interglacial (MIS 5) in a mountain with an altitude close to 1700–2000 m in the Central Balkans. The alder on the right symbolizes the general dominance of angiosperm forests during the warm and humid phases of the Pleistocene. The upper altitudinal zone is dominated by herbaceous and shrubby plants with cushion stands of Pinus mugo, Juniperus, and Alnus viridis. The zone marking the treeline is dominated by conifers, especially Pinus sylvestris, P. nigra, Abies, Picea, and Juniperus, along with Betula, Carpinus, and Fagus. The highest concentration of trees is found in the mixed forests dominated by oaks with a wide diversity of deciduous trees and heliophytes in areas cleared by the nature of the substrate (lithosols) or herbivory, where moist grasslands would prevail and Mediterranean elements (e.g., Pistacia, Olea, Cistaceae) would be present.
Carrión JS, Amorós G, Ochando J, Magri D, Marín-Arroyo AB, Sánchez-Giner MV, Amorós A, Munuera M, Di Rita F, Michelangeli F, Roksandic M, Mihailović D. Welcome to the Forest Theatre: Unveiling a Balkan Refugium through Paleoart. Quarternary Science Reviews, Volume 338, 15 August 2024, 108829.
