The local extinction of Cedrus atlantica in the Iberian Peninsula could have been completed due to biological interaction (Q8038)

This data set is used to explore the possibility that Cedrus atlantica (Endl.) Carrire and Pinus nigra Arnold could have interacted in the past, mutually excluding each other in the areas with suitable conditions for both species and, where, ultimately, the one that was most competitive would remain. The species show very well differenciated niches and a distribution of their habitats segregated by continents (P. nigra in Europe and C. atlantica in Africa), which responds to differences in climatic affinities. However, the contact of their distributions in bordering areas suggests that C. atlantica maintained its presence in the Iberian Peninsula until recent times, and that P. nigra could have displaced it due to its higher prevalence on the continent.