Caves as archives of ecological and climatic changes in the Pleistocene -: The case of Gorham's cave, Gibraltar

In this paper, we describe a new method for quantitative reconstruction of bioclimate using a combination of multi-scale ecological datasets of present-day distributions of species with fossil plant and bird data derived from cave deposits of known age. In the specific case of Gorham's Cave, Gibraltar, we make predictions as to the prevailing climate during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Our results indicate only slight variations compared to present-day climate. The present-day climatic regime is encompassed by a wider regime during the LGM. The importance of caves as climate archives is highlighted and our results additionally give focus to the generally underestimated importance of small-scale refugia during glacials. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.