Newly Discovered Seed Dispersal System of Juniperus cedrus Questions the Pristine Nature of the High Elevation Scrub of El Teide (Tenerife, Canary Islands)

A newly discovered seed dispersal system for the endangered Juniperus cedrus challenges the notion that the high-elevation scrub of El Teide (Tenerife, Canary Islands) is pristine. The study proposes that a climactic woodland of J. cedrus once dominated above the pine forest, but human activities such as timber harvesting, herbivory by goats, and fires led to its regression. The survival of this relict dispersal system, dependent on the migratory thrush Turdus torquatus, suggests it may be a remnant of an older, more widespread interaction. To test this hypothesis, researchers propose a paleoecological approach using plant microfossils in sediments (e.g., pollen, spores, phytoliths, coprolites, and charcoal) to reconstruct past vegetation dynamics and the presence of the seed disperser bird. This study is the first to report such high dependence on a migratory bird for an endemic tree in an oceanic island context, with implications for restoring the pristine landscape and biotic interactions of Teide National Park.

Nogales, M., Rumeu, B., de Nascimento, L., & Fernández-Palacios, J. M. (2014). Newly Discovered Seed Dispersal System of Juniperus cedrus Questions the Pristine Nature of the High Elevation Scrub of El Teide (Tenerife, Canary Islands). Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 46(4), 853–858. https://doi.org/10.1657/1938-4246-46.4.853