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Plant Macrofossil Analyses (plant + macrofossil_analysis)
Selected AbstractsThe ,oriental' component of the Balkan flora: evidence of presence on the Thracian Plain during the Weichselian late-glacialJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 5 2008E. K. Magyari Abstract Aim, To obtain palaeobotanical evidence enabling evaluation of the viability of the hypothesis that the ,oriental' element of the Balkan flora reached south-east Europe from Turkey prior to the Holocene, probably via the Thracian Plain during a late Quaternary glacial stage but no later than the late Weichselian. Location, Ezero wetland, northern Thracian Plain, Bulgaria. Methods, We undertook analyses of pollen and microspores, plant macrofossils, wood fragments and molluscs recovered from sediments deposited in the Ezero wetland during the late Weichselian and Weichselian late-glacial. Sediment chronology was determined using radiocarbon age estimates. Results, Six metres of sediments were recovered from the basin, of which the lower 3 m, extending from c. 15,450 cal yr bp to the early Allerød, was analysed. A major hiatus occurred after c. 13,900 cal yr bp, the overlying sediments being of late Holocene age. Palaeobotanical evidence indicates predominantly open vegetation during the Weichselian late-glacial, although macrofossil remains of woody taxa demonstrate the local presence of patches of wooded steppe and gallery forest. Changes in the composition of the steppe vegetation, and in the nature of the sediments deposited in the basin, indicate changes in climatic conditions, especially in the hydrological regime and in the moisture available to vegetation. After an initially relatively moister phase, the final centuries of the late Weichselian were drier, as was a short interval that may correlate with the Older Dryas. Moister conditions characterize intervals corresponding to the Bølling and Allerød sub-units of the Weichselian late-glacial interstadial. Although the pollen evidence is thus consistent with that from previous studies of this period in south-east Europe and south-west Asia, indicating predominantly open steppe vegetation, the macrofossil evidence indicates the persistent local presence of woody taxa. The woody taxa recorded include Celtis tournefortii -type and Juniperus cf. J. excelsa, two taxa today characteristic of the wooded steppes of Anatolia and members of the ,oriental' element of the southern Balkan flora, as well as Rosaceae Subfams. Maloideae and Prunoideae, Alnus and Fraxinus. Main conclusions, The late Weichselian vegetation of the northern Thracian Plain included patches of wooded steppe that supported members of the ,oriental' element of the modern Balkan flora. The presence of such taxa renders viable the hypothesis that they could have reached south-east Europe from Turkey via the Thracian Plain during glacial times. Such hypotheses in historical biogeography can be evaluated critically using the evidence obtained from plant macrofossil analyses in combination with that from pollen analysis. [source] A multiproxy climate record from a raised bog in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland: a critical examination of the link between bog surface wetness and solar variability,JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE, Issue 7 2007Graeme T. Swindles Abstract A proxy climate record from a raised bog in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is presented. The record spans the interval between 2850,cal.,yr,BC and cal. yr AD 1000 and chronological control is achieved through the use of tephrochronology and 14C dating, including a wiggle-match on one section of the record. Palaeoclimatic inferences are based on a combination of a testate amoebae-derived water table reconstruction, peat humification and plant macrofossil analyses. This multiproxy approach enables proxy-specific effects to be identified. Major wet shifts are registered in the proxies at ca. 1510,cal.,yr,BC, 750,cal.,yr,BC and cal. yr AD 470. Smaller magnitude shifts to wetter conditions are also recorded at ca. 380,cal.,yr,BC, 150,cal.,yr,BC, cal. yr AD 180, and cal. yr AD 690. It is hypothesised that the wet shifts are not merely local events as they appear to be linked to wider climate deteriorations in northwest Europe. Harmonic analysis of the proxies illustrates statistically significant periodicities of 580, 423,373, 307 and 265 years that may be related to wider Holocene climate cycles. This paper illustrates how the timing of climate changes registered in peat profiles records can be precisely constrained using tephrochronology to examine possible climatic responses to solar forcing. Relying on interpolated chronologies with considerable dating uncertainty must be avoided if the climatic responses to forcing mechanisms are to be fully understood. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Micromorphology and plant macrofossil analysis of cattle dung from the Neolithic lake shore settlement of Arbon Bleiche 3GEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 6 2001Örni Akeret At the excavation of the Neolithic site of Arbon Bleiche 3, Switzerland (3384,3370 B.C., dated using dendrochronology), objects were found that strongly resembled cow pats. Both micromorphological characteristics and plant macrofossil content confirmed this. Although a detailed micromorphological description was possible, macrofossil analysis turned out to be more difficult than expected because of contamination along fissures. The contents of two of the four coprolites analyzed had conspicuously high amounts of leaves and wood of silver fir (Abies alba). This animal feed may have come in large quantities as a byproduct of house construction. In addition, mistletoe (Viscum album), blackberry (Rubus fruticosus s.l.), and ferns could be identified as animal fodder. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] Quantifying patterns and controls of mire vegetation succession in a southern boreal bog in Finland using partial ordinationsJOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 6 2007E.-S. Tuittila Abstract Question: How do we distinguish between concurrent allogenic and autogenic forcings behind changing patterns in plant community structures during mire development? Location: Lakkasuo raised bog, southern Finland. Methods: Two radiometrically dated peat profiles were studied using high resolution plant macrofossil analysis. A combination of partial direct and indirect gradient analyses (CCA and DCA) was applied to quantify the role of different drivers of vegetation changes. Results: Autogenic hydroseral succession explained 16% of the compositional variation in the vegetation. Disturbance successions initiated by fire explained 15% of the variation in the hummock, but only 9% in the wetter lawn. The early post-disturbance successional stages were characterized by Eriophorum vaginatum. After partialling out the effects of peat depth and time since fire, a moisture gradient explained 29% of variation in the hummock core and 26% in the lawn. The analyses also indicated alternation between species with a similar niche. This interaction gradient explained 26% and 31% of the compositional variation in the hummock and lawn, respectively. The similar order of species replacement from both cores supported the existence of general directional succession in mire vegetation, both during the mire development and after fire events. The autogenic succession was slow and gradual while the disturbance successions were episodic and fast. Conclusion: Our results support the paradigm of the complex nature of mire vegetation dynamics where several interlinked agents have simultaneous effects. The approach of combining partial ordinations developed here appeared to be a useful tool to assess the role of different environmental factors in controlling the vegetation succession. [source] | |||||||||||||