Holocene Fossil Pollen Record from Merj Lkhil (Western Rif Mountains, Morocco): A 7000-Year Reconstruction of Cedrus atlantica Forest Dynamics

This dataset presents the Holocene fossil pollen record from the Merj Lkhil site in the Western Rif Mountains (Morocco), documenting ~7000 years of Cedrus atlantica forest dynamics at the northwestern distribution margin of the species. The 2.3 m sediment core spans from the early Northgrippian (~7118 cal yr BP) to the present and provides percentage data for individual taxa, functional groups (Trees, Shrubs, Herbs, Ferns, Hygrophytes), non-pollen palynomorphs, total pollen concentration, and charcoal counts (>100 μm). Located at higher elevation than other previously studied sequences in Jbel Bou Hachem, this record offers new insights into long-term forest composition, resilience, and ecological thresholds, and allows assessment of vegetation responses to Holocene climate variability, increasing aridity, and anthropogenic disturbance in the western Mediterranean.