MIS 5/4 transition in a mountain environment: herpetofaunal assemblages from C ueva del C amino, central S pain

The C ueva del C amino site ( P inilla del V alle, M adrid, S pain) is located in the upper valley of the L ozoya R iver in the S ierra de G uadarrama, a mountain range extending NE−SW within the C entral R ange S ystem. Due to its location within a mountain range on the central I berian P eninsula at an altitude of 1114 m a.s.l. and the numerical dating of its sediments, the palaeontological site of C ueva del C amino has proved a highly relevant location for studying the ecological changes linked to the climatic fluctuations at the end of M arine I sotope S tage ( MIS ) 5 and the beginning of MIS 4. Environmental reconstructions suggest a rather open, patchy landscape throughout the succession, with abundant evidence of dry meadows, scrublands and rocky habitats. The climate can be considered as generally warm, reaching mean annual temperatures ( MATs ) of up to 13.8° C (i.e. higher than today's by up to 2.9° C ). Three cooler events can be seen throughout the succession as reflected by the presence of R ana iberica , A nguis fragilis and C oronella austriaca . The first of these events may correlate with MIS 5b; the second in the C entral sector may correlate with the S tadial I pollen event occurring at the end of MIS 5a; and the third event, corresponding to the coldest MAT of the entire succession with MATs 0.9° C lower than today's, may correspond to the transition from MIS 5a to MIS 4. The evolution of mean annual precipitation ( MAP ) is characterized by warm periods, drier and cold periods, as well as wetter periods (up to +356 mm compared to today's MAP values), similar to what occurs today in the high‐elevation areas of the neighbouring mountains. Our study gives new quantitative estimations for the climatic fluctuations in mountain environments of central S pain at the MIS 5/4 transition and their associated ecological changes.