Filling in the gaps: The contribution of non-pollen palynomorphs to knowledge about the local environment of the Sierra de Atapuerca caves during the Pleistocene

For several decades, conventional pollen analyses have been supplemented with information provided by Non-Pollen Palynomorphs (NPP). Generally, the taxa included in this group are microalgae, fungi, insects and arachnid's chitinous remains, as well as plant debris and other organic palynomorphs of undetermined origin, that are valuable tools with which to characterise the original strata as well as the local environmental features that influence deposit formation processes. In this work, we present the results of the NPP analysis of the archaeological and palaeontological deposits of Sima del Elefante, Gran Dolina and Galería, all of which are located in the Trinchera area (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos), spanning a period from 200 ka to almost 1.5 million years ago. The NPP analysis of the three deposits has provided information about the presence of decayed organic matter accumulations, erosion processes and moisture conditions. Knowledge of palynomorphs contributes to the understanding of the biological, physical and chemical dynamics that resulted in different sedimentary sequences. In almost all cases, there is a clear connection between the major stratigraphic trends established for the three deposits and the NPP assemblages identified. However, the eminently local character of the dispersion of most of the palynomorphs identified has prevented the interrelation between the three sequences analysed.