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Recent discoveries of several Mesolithic sites within the Dagsmosse Basin, south-central Sweden, offer an opportunity to study the lifestyle and skillsets of Mesolithic hunter-gatherer-fishers operating in wetland environments. In this paper, we present a combined archaeological and palaeoecological analysis of a Mesolithic fenland environment using Repetitive-Proxy Pollen Analysis (RPPA) of early Holocene sequences. Based on comparison of stratigraphic profiles from two cores within the basin, we infer that the variance in pollen composition and anthropogenic signals reflect variability in human/vegetation interactions in the fenland, at different distances to the main human dwelling at Jussberg (9.0–8.2 ka cal BP). Our study describes the socio-environmental relations within the wetland and adjacent terrestrial areas, providing a basis for tracking changes in forager interactions with their surroundings during the Mesolithic. Pollen analysis is consistent with the previously established sequence of settlement phases and extent as well as providing new data concerning the anthropogenic impacts on plant communities within the wetland including the use, reuse, and management of vegetation taxa. Correlations between palaeoecological and archaeological data demonstrate that forager communities (i) prevailed in the open fenland landscape between 9.3 and 8.2 ka cal BP, (ii) actively altered taxa composition through small-scale clearings of pine (Pinus), birch (Betula) and sedges (Cyperaceae) and (iii) reduced canopy cover, possibly to intentionally encourage the growth of taxa such as hazel (Corylus), but that also promoted the establishment of pioneer plants such as mugwort (Artemisia) and bracken (Pteridium). • Mesolithic foragers impacted forest and grassland vegetation around the Dagsmosse basin as well as the wetland formation. • HGF clearance and plant-use was perceivable at multiple spatial scales through comparative pollen analysis. • Human activity and movement within the middle Scandinavian inland changed throughout the Mesolithic and the 8.2 ka stadial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Most palynological studies of mangroves have been carried out in the Indo-Pacific region, but few have investigated these ecosystems along the southern Atlantic coast. This paper provides information on the palynology of a mangrove at Itanhaém, state of São Paulo, on the southeastern Brazilian coast. This mangrove occurs on microtidal flats adjacent to a fluvial-tidal channel mouth (Itanhaém River), part of an estuarine lagoon system established in the mid-Holocene. Pollen samples were collected from the surface and from bromeliad water in order to define the composition of modern pollen rain in the study area. The results show a strong presence of rain forest taxa in the mangrove pollen spectra, which differ from those obtained from northern Brazilian mangroves, which are characterized by higher percentages of the mangrove taxa Rhizophora and Avicennia. Based on palynological and 14C chronological analysis of a shallow core measuring 135 cm in depth, the Itanhaém mangrove already existed by 1300 years BP and began expanding about 1000 years BP, reaching its present extent sometime after 300 years BP. Its evolution is related to the sedimentary filling of the estuarine–lagoonal depositional system. Two factors may have controlled the development of this mangrove: the relative increase of intertidal areas due to this sedimentary filling and the decrease in wave action and increase in pelitic deposition in the intertidal zone related to the partial closing of the estuarine–lagoonal inlets. These processes were favored by the advance of bayhead deltas and by the development of sand spits as a part of the regression of the Holocene strandplain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents pollen analysis of badger coprolites from Cueva de los Torrejones, central Spain. Eleven of fourteen coprolite specimens showed good pollen preservation, acceptable pollen concentration, and diversity of both arboreal and herbaceous taxa, together with a number of non-pollen palynomorph types, especially fungal spores. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the coprolite collection derives from badger colonies that established setts and latrines inside the cavern over the last three centuries. The coprolite pollen record depicts a mosaic, anthropogenic landscape very similar to the present-day, comprising pine forests, Quercus-dominated formations, woodland patches with Juniperus thurifera, and a Cistaceae-dominated understorey with heliophytes and nitrophilous assemblages. Although influential, dietary behavior of the badgers does not preclude palaeoenvironmental interpretation of the coprolite pollen spectra. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents pollen analyses and radiocarbon dating on Crocuta coprolites from Las Ventanas (LV) and Carihuela (Car) Caves in southern Spain (Granada), with the aim of reconstructing the environmental conditions of these hominin sites. The LV coprolites are radiocarbon dated from c. 37,890 to 6980 cal yr BP, and the Car coprolites from c. 31,063 to 7861 cal yr BP. Overall, the palaeoecological scenario inferred from both coprolite series display similar patterns, with Pinus , Poaceae, and Artemisia as dominant during the full Pleistocene, and an important contribution of Quercus in the most recently dated coprolite samples. While the palynology is consistent with results of former investigations on the past environments in the region as obtained from other deposits (peat bogs, cave infills), the Late Glacial and Holocene chronology of several coprolites in both sites is in conflict with the generally accepted timing of extinction of Crocuta in western Europe. A discussion on the taphonomical processes and potential sources of carbon contamination of the radiocarbon samples is provided. The correlation between pollen from coprolites and from sedimentary records, and the paucity of the fossil bone record suggests nevertheless, that a late survival of Crocuta in southern Spain should not be categorically discarded. • New pollen analyses and radiocarbon dating on Crocuta coprolites from Las Ventanas (LV) and Carihuela (Car) Caves. • The palaeoecological scenario inferred from both coprolite series display similar patterns. • Timing of extinction of Crocuta in western Europe. • A late survival of Crocuta in southern Spain should not be categorically discarded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]