Species mapping methods play a central role in biogeographical questions, as they may generate a domino effect on further works based on species distribution. In light of the massive recent increase in the availability of online occurrence data, we highlight the strengths and limitations of the mapping methods most widely used to display the geographic distribution of plants, namely geographic range maps and occurrence record maps. We use the modern distribution of the genus Arbutus in western Eurasia, North Africa, and Macaronesia, for which no occurrence record map has been published yet, to discuss critical issues in data collection and representation. The occurrence record map of A. unedo, A. andrachne, A. canariensis, and A. pavarii shows how well this mapping method captures the details of peripheral and isolated stands as well as the variability of population density. A number of biogeographical issues are addressed by this approach, including the determination of the chorological centre of gravity in relation to historical dynamics, genetic patterns in relation to range porosity, and the autochthony status of marginal stands. These issues constitute the necessary foundation for additional palaeobotanical research and ecological modelling to investigate the past-to-future dynamics of Arbutus and other species of the Mediterranean–Atlantic area.

The forest ecosystems of large Mediterranean islands are critical hubs of evolutionary diversity with unique floristic composition and distinctive vegetation patterns reflecting long-term population dynamics and ecological legacies. Mediterranean islands provide invaluable natural archives, preserving crucial insights into the resilience of past forest ecosystems and their responses to climate variability. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of the Holocene vegetation history of major western Mediterranean islands, with the twofold aim of examining the timing, extent, and rates of vegetation changes over the last few thousand years, and evaluating the influence of Rapid Climate Changes (RCCs) on forest ecosystems. The rate of change analysis allowed the identification of a distinct pattern of rapid shifts in forest composition, corresponding to periods of climate instability. These shifts align with the periodicity of Bond events, suggesting synchronicity between changes in forest ecosystems and centennial-scale climatic oscillations at a supra-regional scale. A REDFIT spectral analysis applied to palynological proxies of forest cover changes identified prominent periodicities suggesting a direct influence of solar activity and/or a relation with complex ocean–atmosphere circulation mechanisms triggered by global climate forcings.

Hindcasting is a widely used method to predict the past distribution of plant species. However, its reliability is often constrained by the scarcity of fossil records, which are fundamental for validating and refining model projections. Without sufficient palaeobotanical evidence, hindcasts may lack accuracy and ecological realism. Here, we incorporate palaeobotanical occurrences in the modeled distribution for the genus Arbutus L. (Ericaceae family) in the Macaronesian‐Mediterranean region to calibrate the ecological models for seven bioclimatic periods from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Late Holocene and to compare them with the traditional hindcast method. Species distribution models were developed using the biomod2 R package that applies an ensemble forecasting approach to produce species‐environment relations and to obtain spatiotemporal predictions. We used two calibration approaches: (i) a model trained with present‐day bioclimatic conditions, hindcasted for each past period with known presence‐only data plus random pseudo‐absences generated by biomod2 , and (ii) models trained for each past period with fossil data in different formats (presence only, presence‐absence, and presence‐absence complemented with pseudo‐absences). We evaluated the accuracy of hindcasts for each time period and assessed the spatial coherence among different methods over time by applying the Jaccard similarity index. Different modeling approaches projected partially overlapping suitable areas for Arbutus . The balanced accuracy indicator revealed large discrepancies between the hindcasted predictions and the projections calibrated with fossil data for each past period. The spatial coherence between different training methods shows an overall time‐increasing reliability. Our study suggests the following future directions: (i) incorporating modern and past datasets in modeling design, (ii) comparing different modeling approaches to predict past environmental suitability, and (iii) interpreting and validating past spatial distribution patterns using independent lines of evidence (e.g., palaeoclimatic and palaecological proxy data). This framework fosters collaboration and integration of multiple disciplines (e.g., palaeoecology, climatology, geology, ecological modeling, and biogeography).

Modern pollen deposition studies are essential to forestry and palaeoecological research, as they provide the key to understanding the relationship between the abundance of palynomorphs in natural (moss, litter, top core sediment) or artificial traps and the surrounding vegetation cover. In 1996, the EPMP (European Pollen Monitoring Programme) laid the foundations for pollen monitoring research in Europe, involving several countries and dozens of researchers in placing “Tauber-style” artificial traps across a wide range of ecosystems, and legitimising the collection of mosses for comparative studies. Here, we propose a straightforward, fast, and effective procedure—developed within the ALIVE “TrAcking Long-term declIne of forest biodiVErsity in Italy to support conservation actions” Project—for the collection of moss polsters and vegetation data, aimed at monitoring modern pollen deposition at the national scale. This protocol addresses a gap in existing literature, as no shared fieldwork guidelines are currently available. We demonstrate how the spatial pattern of modern pollen deposition can be investigated using two of the ALIVE Project’s target taxa (Fagus and evergreen Quercus) to explore the potential of microbotanical data in reflecting the current distribution of forest tree taxa at a national scale. The data collected within the ALIVE Project provide a synoptic picture of pollen deposition across Italy’s highly diversified landscapes and allow for preliminary considerations on the relationships between pollen deposition and modern vegetation cover of forest taxa.