2013 Palynology: The bridge between palaeoecology and ecology for the understanding of human-induced global changes in the Mediterranean Area

The starting point of palynology when dealing with ecology is that ‘ecosystems are dynamic and have a history’ (Willis & Birks, 2006; Birks, 2012). In a thematic review centred on ‘cultural landscapes of the past’, recently published, Mercuri, et al. (2010) outlined the essential role of botanists in creating a bridge of knowledge between past and present vegetation and human impact dynamics. This is especially obtained by providing a faithful interpretation of the plant cover developed as a consequence of presence or pressure of both past and modern human activities. These concepts match the assumptions of history as ‘change with time’ and ‘ecology as a historical discipline’ by Boero (2010).