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The southern lowlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG) are biogeographically distinct. Vast tracts of savanna vegetation occur there and yet most palaeoecological studies have focused on highlands and/or forest environments. Greater focus on long-term lowland environments provides a rare opportunity to understand and promote the significance of local and regional savannas, ultimately allowing non-forested and forested ecosystem dynamics to be compared. This paper examines palaeoecological and archaeological data from a lowland open savanna site situated on the south-central PNG coastline. The methods used incorporate pollen and micro-charcoal analyses, artefact recovery and sediment descriptions. We conclude with an environmental model of sedimentation and vegetation change for the past c. 5,800 years, revealing a mid to late Holocene savanna interchange between herbaceous and woody plant growth, with fluctuating fire occurrence increasing toward the present day. Increased silt deposition and modified regional hydrology are also recorded. Environmental changes correspond in timing with the start of permanent settlements and human use of fire. In particular, landscape burning for hunting and gardens for agriculture have helped create the open ecosystem still evident today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediments from a small lake, Loch Beag, in Barrees, Beara peninsula, south-western Ireland, provide a record of vegetation history that spans most of the Lateglacial and Holocene (14–0.43 ka). The detailed part of the record relates to the Holocene, which is the focus of this paper. The investigations carried out include pollen and macrofossil analyses, loss-on-ignition measurements and 14C dating. As well as providing records for tree and shrub taxa, and especially Pinus, Quercus, Ulmus, Fraxinus and Taxus, other taxa mainly with Atlantic and/or Lusitanian distributions are also considered. These include Arbutus unedo (strawberry tree) and fern species such as Osmunda regalis, and the filmy ferns Hymenophyllum tunbrigense, H. wilsonii and Trichomanes speciosum (Killarney fern). Detailed records for a suite of bog/heath taxa, including ericoid species (Erica tetralix and E. cinerea), Narthecium ossifragum, Hypericum elodes and Myrica gale, are presented. The results of 14C dating of bog-pines from western Ireland are summarised. Results of other investigations, including key Holocene pollen diagrams, and charcoal and fossil-wood records from archaeological excavations that relate mainly to the Bronze Age in the wider west Cork/Kerry region, are reviewed. Vegetation dynamics, human impact and plant biogeography are discussed in the light of the considerable data now available for the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantification of vegetation cover from pollen analysis has been a goal of palynologists since the advent of the method in 1916 by the great Lennart von Post. Pollen-based research projects are becoming increasingly ambitious in scale, and the emergence of spatially extensive open-access datasets, advanced methods and computer power has facilitated sub-continental analysis of Holocene pollen data. This paper presents results of one such study, focussing on the Mediterranean basin. Pollen data from 105 fossil sequences have been extracted from the European Pollen database, harmonised by both taxonomy and chronologies, and subjected to a hierarchical agglomerative clustering method to synthesise the dataset into 16 main groupings. A particular focus of analysis was to describe the common transitions from one group to another to understand pathways of Holocene vegetation change in the Mediterranean. Two pollen-based indices of human impact (OJC: Oleaceae, Juglans, Castanea; API: anthropogenic pollen indicators) have been used to infer the degree of human modification of vegetation within each pollen grouping. Pollen-inferred cluster groups that are interpreted as representing more natural vegetation states show a restricted number of pathways of change. A set of cluster groups were identified that closely resemble anthropogenically-disturbed vegetation, and might be considered anthromes (anthopogenic biomes). These clusters show a very wide set of potential pathways, implying that all potential vegetation communities identified through this analysis have been altered in response to land exploitation and transformation by human societies in combination with other factors, such as climatic change. Future work to explain these ecosystem pathways will require developing complementary datasets from the social sciences and humanities (archaeology and historical sources), along with synthesis of the climatic records from the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we test the performance of the Regional Estimates of VEgetation Abundance from Large Sites (REVEALS) model using pollen records from multiple small sites. We use Holocene pollen records from large and small sites in southern Sweden to identify what is/are the most significant variable(s) affecting the REVEALS-based reconstructions, i.e. type of site (lakes and/or bogs), number of sites, site size, site location in relation to vegetation zones, and/or distance between small sites and large sites. To achieve this objective we grouped the small sites according to (i) the two major modern vegetation zones of the study region, and (ii) the distance between the small sites and large lakes, i.e. small sites within 50, 100, 150, or 200 km of the large lakes. The REVEALS-based reconstructions were performed using 24 pollen taxa. Redundancy analysis was performed on the results from all REVEALS-model runs using the groups within (i) and (ii) separately, and on the results from all runs using the groups within (ii) together. The explanatory power and significance of the variables were identified using forward selection and Monte Carlo permutation tests. The results show that (a) although the REVEALS model was designed for pollen data from large lakes, it also performs well with pollen data from multiple small sites in reconstructing the percentage cover of groups of plant taxa (e.g. open land taxa, summer-green trees, evergreen trees) or individual plant taxa; however, in the case of this study area, the reconstruction of the percentage cover of Calluna vulgaris, Cyperaceae, and Betula may be problematic when using small bogs; (b) standard errors of multiple small-site REVEALS estimates will generally be larger than those obtained using pollen records from large lakes, and they will decrease with increasing size of pollen counts and increasing number of small sites; (c) small lakes are better to use than small bogs if the total number of small sites is low; and (d) the size of small sites and the distance between them do not play a major role, but the distance between the small sites and landscape/vegetation boundaries is a determinant factor for the accuracy of the vegetation reconstructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of wood charcoal analysis carried out on material from Theopetra cave in central Greece. The sequence dates from prior to 130-8 ka bp and is made up of layers of both anthropogenic and geogenic origins. The study of the wood charcoal samples from these layers sets out to distinguish changes in the local vegetation through time, to correlate these with broader environmental conditions and to discuss how they may relate to differences in the frequency and intensity of human occupation of the cave from shortly before the last interglacial to the Holocene. Changes in the presence and frequency of Prunus sp., Juniperus sp. as well as taxa needing temperate, thermophilous or riverine conditions in successive layers reflect a pattern of vegetation succession that can be correlated with the pollen and marine isotope stage (MIS) records. The earliest human occupation took place in an open park-woodland environment dominated by Prunus during the late MIS 6-6/5 transition. This was followed by a succession of temperate woodlands with deciduous Quercus, Carpinus and Fraxinus, reflecting the optimal conditions of the last interglacial (MIS 5e), followed by more open vegetation during subsequent cooling events. Middle Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers visited the cave repeatedly during the last interglacial, in contrast to more sporadic human presence during the following climatic deterioration. This was characterized by Juniperus dominated steppe and open vegetation and/or riparian woods, reflecting the harsh and unstable climatic conditions of the pleniglacial. Finally, the expansion of Pistacia and re-establishment of temperate woodland points to climatic amelioration during the Holocene from which there is evidence of regular use of the cave by Mesolithic and Neolithic people. The dominant role of Prunus observed in several periods provides important complementary information to the pollen evidence from the late Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an assessment of Holocene tree cover densities and forest disturbance in European Russia using the best-modern-analogue (BMA) technique of quantitative reconstruction and an innovative approach, which combines modern pollen datasets with remotely sensed data from moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer satellite images. The test of the accuracy of the applied method using a database of 450 sets of surface pollen assemblages shows that it can reproduce present day characteristics of woody cover in Europe correctly ( R = 0.57, standard error = 10.8 %), and it is sufficient for reconstruction of major changes of woodland vegetation in the past. Application of the BMA technique to fossil pollen data from two key regions in the central part of European Russia demonstrates that changes in regional woody cover are useful for the reconstruction of prehistoric human disturbance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estanilles peat bog, located in the northeastern Iberian peninsula, was studied to determine the anthropogenic changes in the landscape over the past seven millennia. The pollen diagram and sedimentary charcoal analyses from this site permit us to reconstruct the landscape changes in an area of both Mediterranean and Atlantic influence. In addition, Montarenyo ombrotrophic peat bog was studied to strengthen the analysis of data from more recent centuries. This paper attempts a reconstruction of historical cultural landscapes using two complementary palaeobotanical proxies (pollen and charcoal) in high mountain environments. The macroscopic charcoal record shows a fire signal since 7500 cal. b. p. However, the relationship between fire frequency and human impact is not always linear. This divergence is linked to fuel availability and fire activity. Fire has been used repeatedly to clear ground and to maintain open areas, and has been a key tool for the management of these high mountain areas. The intensity of use of the landscape implies the expansion of agricultural areas into higher altitudes, including cereal cultivation above 2,200 m a.s.l., during the Middle Ages. The first clear human influence detected in the pollen percentage data is recorded between 6000 and 7000 cal. b. p. and, until present times, the greatest changes in vegetation and landscape history occurred during periods of particular specialization in socioeconomic activities during the Middle Ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recognition of Mesolithic impacts in mid Holocene pollen diagrams of the British Isles has led to the development of models describing sophisticated woodland management, particularly through the use of fire, by Mesolithic populations. However, the significance of human agency in creating mid Holocene woodland disturbances is unclear, with natural and human-induced clearings arguably indistinguishable in the pollen record. Analysis of non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) should aid the identification of events and processes occurring within these woodland disturbances and provide more precise palaeoecological data. In this paper we present pollen, charcoal and NPP analyses from a potentially critical location in the Mesolithic impacts debate. NPP types aid significantly in the reconstructions, suggesting periods of dead wood, grazing, local burning and wetter ground conditions. The results indicate that between 7700 and 6800 cal b.p., a predominantly wooded environment periodically gave way to phases of more open woodland, with inconsistent evidence for animal grazing. From 6800 cal b.p., a phase of open woodland associated with high charcoal concentrations and indicators of grazing was observed. This probably represents the deliberate firing of vegetation to improve grazing and browse resources, although it remains unclear whether fire was responsible for initially creating the woodland opening, or if it was part of an opportunistic use of naturally occurring woodland clearings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of pollen analyses from organic sediments of seven cores (299 spectra) in a mountainous area of the north-west Iberian peninsula. The pollen diagrams, supported by seven14C dates, are used to construct a regional pollen sequence covering the main stages of vegetation dynamics, from the last phases of the Late-glacial until the present. During the Late-glacial Interstadial an important development of cryophilous forests ( Betula and Pinus) was recorded, although various mesophilous and thermophilous tree elements were also present. The Younger Dryas, palynologically clearly defined, is characterized by an important reduction in tree pollen percentages and the expansion of steppe formations (Poaceae and Artemisia). At the beginning of the Holocene, there was an expansion of Quercus and a spread of other trees, which combined to give a vegetation cover of varied composition but dominated by mixed deciduous forests. Such forest formations prevailed in these mountains until 3000 years ago, when successive deforestation phases are recorded at various times as a result of increased farming activity. The results are compared with data from other mountainous areas in the northern Iberian peninsula and southern France. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shell mounds, or middens, are artificial accumulations of food remains such as shells, sediments, artefacts and remains from daily life and funerary rituals, which were deposited in our study area by groups of Sambaquian fisher-hunter-gatherers. These mounds contain remains, which are representative of the fauna and flora at the time they were formed, enabling the recovery of palaeoenvironmental data related to biodiversity of taxa and biogeography, 14C dating and analysis of changes in the patterns of marine biodiversity and ocean circulation. This paper uses the Casa de Pedra shell mound rock shelter, located in São Francisco do Sul, state of Santa Catarina, southeastern Brazil, to study aspects of the palaeoenvironment through analyses of the archaeological material of the site, which contains well-preserved phytoliths and sponge spicules. Among the phytoliths, those from grasses predominate and some trees and palms were present, with no variation in vegetation type during the period of site occupation, between 5,470 and 4,460 years bp. Despite the general stability of the vegetation, a small increase in the density of the tree cover was identified from the base to the top, which may be related to an increase in precipitation, and is in agreement with other palaeoenvironmental studies carried out in southern Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palaeoecological evidence indicates that highland pines were dominant in extensive areas of the mountains of Central and Northern Iberia during the first half of the Holocene. However, following several millennia of anthropogenic pressure, their natural ranges are now severely reduced. Although pines have been frequently viewed as first-stage successional species responding positively to human disturbance, some recent palaeobotanical work has proposed fire disturbance and human deforestation as the main drivers of this vegetation turnover. To assess the strength of the evidence for this hypothesis and to identify other possible explanations for this scenario, we review the available information on past vegetation change in the mountains of northern inland Iberia. We have chosen data from several sites that offer good chronological control, including palynological records with microscopic charcoal data and sites with plant macro- and megafossil occurrence. We conclude that although the available long-term data are still fragmentary and that new methods are needed for a better understanding of the ecological history of Iberia, fire events and human activities (probably modulated by climate) have triggered the pine demise at different locations and different temporal scales. In addition, all palaeoxylological, palynological and charcoal results obtained so far are fully compatible with a rapid human-induced ecological change that could have caused a range contraction of highland pines in western Iberia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new pollen record from Lago di Vico (core V1) provides fundamental new information towards reconstruction of flora and vegetation history in central Italy during the last 90 000 years. The chronological framework is secured by seventeen AMS14C dates, one40Ar/39Ar date and tephra analyses. At the base of the pollen record, i.e. shortly after the40Ar/39Ar date 87 000±7000 B.P., three phases with significant expansion of trees are recorded in close succession. These forest phases, which stratigraphically correspond to St Germain II (and Ognon?) and precede pleniglacial steppe vegetation, are designated by the local names Etruria I, Etruria II and Etruria III. During the pleniglacial, a number of fluctuations of angiosperm mesophilous trees suggest the presence of tree refugia in the area. The lowest pollen concentration values are recorded at ca. 22 000 B.P. which corresponds with other pollen records from the region. The late-glacial is characterized by an expansion in the arboreal pollen curves that is less pronounced, however, than in other pollen profiles from Italy. The Holocene part of the profile is consistently dominated by deciduous oak pollen. No major changes in arboreal pollen composition are recorded but several marked and sudden declines of the tree pollen concentration suggest that the forest cover underwent dramatic changes. Clear evidence for human impact is recorded only when cultivated crops became important which dates to ca. 2630±95 B.P. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integration of a diverse set of data from pollen, wood, macrofossils and dendrochronological studies from the Sierra de Ayllón, a mountainous region in central Spain, enables one of the most complete palaeoecological vegetation reconstructions for almost the whole Holocene on the Iberian Peninsula. Previously, the absence of pollen data for the early Holocene in the eastern part of the Sistema Central mountains had been a gap in the information needed for correctly reconstructing palaeoenvironmental change there. Our pollen study on the Valdojos site finally allows this issue to be resolved. This analysis highlights the crucial role played by pine woodlands throughout the first half of the Holocene in this region. The importance of the pine woods in the region enables us to show the clear difference in vegetation between the western and eastern parts of the Sistema Central mountains for the early to mid Holocene. Moreover, the Fagus pollen found at Valdojos, dating to ca. 7,000–6,600 cal years bp, is the oldest beech record for the central and eastern part of this chain of mountains during the Holocene. This supports the hypothesis of the existence of beech refuges in the Sistema Central for this time span. Furthermore, we used the tree-ring series from the Pinus cf. sylvestris subfossil wood from the Sandria site to extend the previous data from the Sierra de Ayllón to almost the entire Holocene. This tree-ring record is the most complete data set from the Iberian Peninsula and southern Europe and it also provides data on some aspects of the palaeoenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a continuous, perfectly stratified sedimentary sequence which was discovered under a large sandstone overhang in northern Bohemia, Czech Republic, we analysed multiple biological remains, archaeological features and artefacts. This multi-proxy record has allowed us to examine the interactions between woodland and humans in a permanently wooded environment throughout almost the entire Holocene. We paid most attention to massive finds of dung pellets from sheep, goats or pigs and bedding layers which show that the site was used as a pen and shelter for livestock which grazed in the woods. Our results imply that such practices have occurred since the Neolithic, but the most robust evidence of these is for the Iron Age and early Middle Ages. Detailed analyses of the dung indicate woodland grazing and foddering with branches, acorns, beechnuts and crop processing remains. In addition, the wide palaeoenvironmental range of this detailed investigation provides evidence of the impact of wood pasturing on ecological functions, taxon composition and diversity of the local woodland ecosystem in the Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Riwi, a limestone cave located in the south central Kimberley, northwest Western Australia, has one of the most accurately dated archaeological sequences in Australia, with human occupation beginning between 46,400 and 44,600 cal bp. Macrobotanical remains are well preserved at the site, particularly in upper stratigraphic units 1 and 2 dated to the late and mid-Holocene, respectively. Macrobotanical materials (excluding wood charcoal) are uncommon in Pleistocene contexts, and direct dating of some of the macrobotanical remains recovered from Pleistocene hearths suggest that they derive from the directly superposed Holocene layers. Analysis of the macrobotanical remains from the Holocene layers reveals a pattern where Aboriginal groups occupying Riwi intermittently between 7,000 years ago and the present principally exploited monsoon rainforest ecosystems for food plants, especially Vitex cf. glabrata. Fruiting times of dominant monsoon rainforest taxa indicate that the site was occupied seasonally, corresponding with periods of rainfall when people were able to move away from rivers and other permanent water sources. Results demonstrate a strong cultural preference for fruits associated with monsoon rainforest—a vegetation type restricted in distribution—highlighting the importance of moisture retaining limestone outcrops in foragers' subsistence organisation in the south central Kimberley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of high-resolution records of pollen, plant macroremains and charred plant particles, diatoms, Cladocera and geochemistry from a 14C-dated core, and geomorphological studies enabled the reconstruction of landscape development at a site in western Poland which was occupied by Mesolithic hunter-gatherer groups. Special attention was paid to the evidence of human activities recorded in the sediments of the palaeolake located next to the archaeological site. The presence of pollen types from communities characteristic of openings in the forest, macroscopic/microscopic charcoal, and charred particles of herbaceous plants (mostly from between 5500 and 4600 bc, with clearly visible maxima ca 5300, 4900 and 4700 bc) evidence the changes related to these various kinds of activities. These analyses allowed us to reconstruct the fire events at and around the site as well as to consider whether they originated from natural or human induced fires. The increase in the biogenic sediments of elements such as Na, K and Mg indicate an intensive erosion of mineral soil between 5100 and 4600 bc, mirroring human activity in the vicinity of the Kopanica site. In addition, Cladocera analysis permitted a detailed recognition of palaeolake eutrophication ca 7200–4600 bc, also eutrophication induced by human impact between 5100 and 4600 bc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice is one of the most important subsidence crops, however evidence of the origin and domestication of rice cultivation is still scarce in Indonesia. This study aims to trace the beginning of rice cultivation and buffalo husbandry in Sumatra, Indonesia. We carried out palaeoecological multi-proxy analyses of pollen and spores, non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) and macro-charcoal analysis on a sediment core from the swamp forest of Danau Bento (DB) in the Kerinci Seblat National Park (KSNP). Our results provide first evidence of buffalo husbandry in the Kerinci at least 4,300 years ago, in line with the migration of the Austronesians to Sumatra. NPPs and pollen results indicate the existence of grassland until about 3,200 cal bp around the site, which was used for buffalo grazing and not for rice cultivation. The rise of Poaceae about 2,500 cal bp suggests the beginning of rice cultivation in the swamp contemporary with a decline in grazing as shown by the NPPs. However, this phase lasted only few centuries until ca 2,100 cal bp. Following the decline of rice cultivation, the swamp remained in use as a grassland for grazing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pinus pinaster (maritime pine), a conifer native to the western Mediterranean, has a broad distribution, occupying a wide variety of habitats. On certain substrata such as ultramafic (ultrabasic) rock, the indigenous nature of this conifer has traditionally been questioned by the scientific community, which has regarded it as an introduction. In Sierra Bermeja, mountains forming the largest ultramafic outcrop in western Europe, the dominant woodland formations on serpentine soils are P. pinaster and Abies pinsapo. However the variable presence, albeit isolated, of various species of arboreal Quercus and the frequent forestry plantation of P. pinaster in recent centuries have led to broad-leaved woods being generally considered as the dominant natural communities in this mountain range, so marginalizing the role of these conifers. In an attempt to settle this scientific controversy, we have carried out soil charcoal analyses from seven localities in Sierra Bermeja. The palaeoecological data we have gathered show that P. pinaster has a natural status and has been present in this mountain range during a large part of the Holocene before the changes to its natural landscape by human activities. These results are of great importance for the management and conservation of rare serpentine ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity has attracted much attention recently due to its important relationships with ecosystem function under various global warming scenarios. However, an understanding of biodiversity mechanisms requires study over long time scales. Three high-resolution pollen records of Zoige Basin in the eastern Tibetan Plateau are used to reconstruct changes in vegetation diversity during the Holocene, allowing the mechanisms that drove the dynamic to be quantitatively explored. Rarefaction and Hill's indices are used to estimate the diversity richness and evenness based on pollen data. The results show that changes in palynological richness can be divided into five stages: an abnormal change from 10,500 to 9,000 cal bp, an obvious increase from 9,000 to 6,500 cal bp, a decreasing trend from 6,500 to 4,000 cal bp, an increasing trend after 4,000 cal bp until 1,500 cal bp, and a highly fluctuating stage from 1,500 cal bp to the present. Palynological evenness is relatively stable throughout the Holocene except for during a briefly elevated period from ca. 4,000 to 1,500 cal bp. The result of Boosted Regression Tree analysis indicates that climate is the main driving factor and the effect of temperature is stronger than that of precipitation in the study region. However, during ca. 4,000–1,500 cal bp, palynological diversity is primarily affected by vegetation structure, as shown by an increase in palynological evenness, which can in turn be explained by the climate threshold theory. This research provides a long-term, high-resolution reconstruction of palynological diversity which could be used to infer vegetation diversity change in the ecologically sensitive Tibetan Plateau. The results imply that vegetation diversity in the region may increase under global warming if human impacts are not considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional wisdom states Cannabis sativa originated in Asia and its dispersal to Europe depended upon human transport. Various Neolithic or Bronze age groups have been named as pioneer cultivators. These theses were tested by examining fossil pollen studies (FPSs), obtained from the European Pollen Database. Many FPSs report Cannabis or Humulus (C/H) with collective names (e.g. Cannabis/Humulus or Cannabaceae). To dissect these aggregate data, we used ecological proxies to differentiate C/H pollen, as follows: unknown C/H pollen that appeared in a pollen assemblage suggestive of steppe (Poaceae, Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae) we interpreted as wild-type Cannabis. C/H pollen in a mesophytic forest assemblage (Alnus, Salix, Populus) we interpreted as Humulus. C/H pollen curves that upsurged and appeared de novo alongside crop pollen grains we interpreted as cultivated hemp. FPSs were mapped and compared to the territories of archaeological cultures. We analysed 479 FPSs from the Holocene/Late Glacial, plus 36 FPSs from older strata. The results showed C/H pollen consistent with wild-type C. sativa in steppe and dry tundra landscapes throughout Europe during the early Holocene, Late Glacial, and previous glaciations. During the warm and wet Holocene Climactic Optimum, forests replaced steppe, and Humulus dominated. Cannabis retreated to steppe refugia. C/H pollen consistent with cultivated hemp first appeared in the Pontic-Caspian steppe refugium. GIS mapping linked cultivation with the Copper age Varna/Gumelniţa culture, and the Bronze age Yamnaya and Terramara cultures. An Iron age steppe culture, the Scythians, likely introduced hemp cultivation to Celtic and Proto-Slavic cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The value of non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) to complement reconstructions of past communities and environments has led to the identification of an increasing number of microfossil morphotypes. Unfortunately, limited knowledge about their specific ecological indicator values still restricts the interpretation of NPP accumulation rates or assemblage variations. Here, a comparison with classical palaeoecological proxies along a sedimentary sequence has been tested to improve the ecological indicator values of NPP morphotypes. Pollen, geochemical and NPP analyses performed on the same samples all along the Holocene sedimentary sequence of Lac de Moras (France) were compared using principal component analysis to identify statistical relationships and to establish correlations between all these parameters. Ecological indicator values were obtained for some morphotypes such as UG-1097 which is related to specific taxa ( Corylus sp.), or Diporotheca rhizophila defined as an indicator of the local presence of alder swamp habitat. However, most of the NPP morphotypes can be combined in two opposite NPP assemblages reflecting the change from natural to managed ecosystems at the drainage basin scale and over the Holocene. It more specifically illustrates a change in the source of organic matter transferred to the lake system provided from the plant debris of woodland cover (litter) to organic matter from animal excreta (dung and manure). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The infill of abandoned river channels is the main information source on postglacial vegetation and landscape evolution in inland northern Belgium. Palynological studies of these deposits also contribute to a better understanding of the environmental context of the numerous archaeological sites in this area. The results are presented of palynological analyses, including pollen, spores, non-pollen palynomorphs and microcharcoal from the palaeochannel infill at seven sites in the Scheldt and Durme valleys in northern Belgium. Based on the regional vegetation evolution and radiocarbon dating, a biozonation for the Scheldt Basin is constructed encompassing the final Late-glacial and Holocene period. The local taxa show a hydroseral succession from open-water environment, through reed or sedge fen to carr forest. Salix and Viburnum opulus were important elements in the Early Holocene riparian and carr vegetation, but are often underrepresented in pollen diagrams from larger valleys. There are indications for human disturbance and agriculture between 7,000 and 6,400 cal bp. The simultaneous decline of elm and lime in the study area around 4,000 cal bp can be linked to human impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic review of archaeological and palaeoenvironmental records of cannabis (fibres, pollen, achenes and imprints of achenes) reveals its complex history in Eurasia. A multiregional origin of human use of the plant is proposed, considering the more or less contemporaneous appearance of cannabis records in two distal parts (Europe and East Asia) of the continent. A marked increase in cannabis achene records from East Asia between ca. 5,000 and 4,000 cal bp might be associated with the establishment of a trans-Eurasian exchange/migration network through the steppe zone, influenced by the more intensive exploitation of cannabis achenes popular in Eastern Europe pastoralist communities. The role of the Hexi Corridor region as a hub for an East Asian spread of domesticated plants, animals and cultural elements originally from Southwest Asia and Europe is highlighted. More systematic, interdisciplinary and well-dated data, especially from South Russia and Central Asia, are necessary to address the unresolved issues in understanding the complex history of human cannabis utilisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifteen investigators in the Universities of Exeter, Durham and Bournemouth, the British Museum and Natural England have collaborated to produce the first meta-database of Holocene sediment cores for England increasing the number of core sites from 118 to 763 (Suggitt et al., Veget Hist Archaeobot; doi: , ). The final roster in their Electronic Supplementary Material (ESM-1) can be increased considerably by consulting both published and 'grey' literature from the coastal lowlands of England available from at least the 1870s onwards. No use has been made of the archives and publications of the British Geological Survey or the Soil Survey of England and Wales. Two examples are given from the coastal lowlands of Lancashire in north-west England and the submerged landscapes of Hartlepool Bay and adjacent areas on land in north-east England, the sediments of which have been treated in monographs recently published. Reference is made to other coastal lowlands in eastern and south-west England. The importance of a comprehensive meta-database cannot be underestimated for the starting point of investigations into vegetational history, climate and sea-level changes, environmental changes, and prehistoric land-use and settlement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollen diagrams from Lake Yeniçağa in northern Turkey published by Beug (Quaternary Paleoecology, Yale University Press, New Haven, ) and Bottema et al. (Palaeohistoria 35/36(1993/1994):13-72, ) are connected, reflecting the development of the vegetation over the time from the Older Dryas period to about ad 800. The sequence can be divided into four pollen zones with several subzones. Six periods of continuous human impact are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess quantitatively the age of the modern vegetated landscape of Europe and western Asia Minor, and to reconstruct Holocene dynamics in biomes and landscape openness, we convert pollen data into plant functional type (PFT) assemblages and interpolate the data in space and time with a 4D thin plate spline. We then assess overall vegetation change using the squared chord distance metric, changes in potential natural vegetation using the biomisation method, and changes in landscape openness by calculating the arboreal pollen PFT percentage. The age of the modern European vegetated landscape varies in space; while much of lowland Europe dates to ~2,000 cal years bp, some areas have remained unchanged since the beginning of the Holocene; on average, the European vegetated landscape is ~4,000 years old. Though the (PFT) assemblage became continuously more similar to present, biome assemblages changed in northern and southern Europe but stayed relatively constant in central Europe. Landscape openness as approximated by arboreal PFT % increased until the mid-Holocene and then returned to early-Holocene conditions by modern times. The temporally continuous dominance of forest biomes suggests climate remained favourable to forest cover across Europe throughout the Holocene. Nevertheless, arboreal PFT % decreased significantly between the mid-Holocene and the present, requiring a non-climatic explanation, which can be offered by disturbance from human activity. Thus, human activity may have been a main driver of European vegetation dynamics since the mid-Holocene, suggesting it should be included in future conceptions of 'natural' European vegetation dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Picea pollen abundance (percentage and PAR) was investigated in 23 Tauber pollen traps located in the mixed coniferous-broadleaved forest zone, broadleaved forest zone and forest-steppe zone in the European part of Russia. Modern data were compared with fossil pollen diagrams. In the modern spectra of non-forest zones average Picea pollen percentage is about 1 %, the highest values (up to 3 %) are usually connected with open locations and reflect the regional component of pollen rain. Within the coniferous forest belt average pollen abundance is about 10 %, but this value varies considerably from 1 to 40 % depending on local characteristics of sampling points. The lowest Picea pollen percentages (1 % and less) are observed in the pollen spectra of oligo- and mesotrophic mires, thus the level of 1 % can be significant for Picea and can indicate the continuous range of Picea. For an appropriate interpretation of low Picea pollen abundance in fossil samples the abundance should be analyzed together with other components of the pollen spectra. Large areas of Picea forests are not always reflected in pollen spectra as a high Picea percentage/PAR, as in unfavorable climatic or hydrological conditions the pollen production of Picea forests can be very low. Comparison of fossil and modern pollen spectra shows that a modern analogue of Holocene Picea forests in Central European Russia has not yet been discovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamics of mangrove forest on the island of Marajó (Ilha de Marajó) at the mouth of the river Amazon during the past ~7,500 cal. b.p. were studied using multiple proxies, including sedimentary facies, pollen, δC, δN and C/N ratio, related to 15 sediment samples by C dating. The results allow us to propose a scheme of palaeogeographical development, with changes in vegetation, hydrology and organic matter dynamics. Today, the interior of the island is occupied by várzea freshwater herbaceous vegetation, but during the early to middle Holocene, mangroves with accumulations of estuarine organic matter colonized the tidal mud flats. This spread of mangroves was caused by post-glacial sea-level rise, which combined with tectonic subsidence, produced a marine transgression. It is likely that the relatively greater marine influence at the studied area was favoured by reduced discharge from the river Amazon, which was itself caused by a dry period that occurred during the early and mid Holocene. During the late Holocene, there was a reduction of mangrove vegetation and the contribution of freshwater organic matter to the area was higher than during the early and mid Holocene. This suggests a decrease in marine influence during the late Holocene which led to a gradual migration of mangrove vegetation from the central region to the northeastern littoral zone of the island, and, consequently, its isolation since at least ~1,150 cal. b.p. This was probably a result of lower tidal water salinity caused by a wet period that resulted in greater river discharge during the late Holocene. This work details the contraction of mangrove forest from the northeastern part of the island of Marajó under the influence of Amazon climatic changes, chronologically and spatially. This allows us to propose a model of successive phases of sediment accumulation and vegetation change, according to the marine-freshwater influence gradient. As demonstrated by this work, the use of a combination of proxies is efficient for establishing a relationship between the changes in estuarine salinity gradient and depositional environment/vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire caused by humans played an important role in prehistoric clearance of woodland, which was a prerequisite for the rise of agriculture since at least the Neolithic revolution. Therefore, reconstructed fire history provides insights into the spread of agriculture. However, for central Europe, the past fire regime is still poorly known. Thus, to help to fill this gap, fire history has been investigated using data relevant at a local scale, which is the scale of woodland clearance processes according to local human practices. For this purpose, soil/soil sediment charcoal analysis has been conducted at four sites in northern Germany and five in central Germany. At each site, four to nine sequences of soil/soil sediment were excavated, described in the field and sampled. The sampled material has been differentiated by soil horizons formed in situ and colluvial sediments. The charcoal content of both types of sampled material was quantified and some of it was taxonomically analysed. Chronological information was obtained by radiocarbon dating 73 single charcoal pieces that had previously been identified taxonomically. Such data sets have permitted us to identify a minimum number of fire events for every site, which had burnt various types of woodlands and at different chronological phases. Based on the local scale data, regional trends were identified. Charcoals from the late Pleistocene and early Holocene derived from conifers only, and these most probably indicate wildfire events in flammable woodlands. Charcoals dated to the mid and late Holocene derived predominantly from broad-leaved trees probably resulting from human-ignited fires in weakly flammable woodlands. The calculated minimum fire frequency indicates an increase in fire occurrences during the Holocene following the phases of cultural human development. This supports the importance of human-made fire in northern central Europe during the Holocene. Such minimum fire frequency appears much higher during the iron age and the middle ages, but not before. This fits with the general statement of regional woodland loss and landscape opening relatively recently, during the late Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late Glacial and Holocene environmental changes were reconstructed using physical, chemical and biological proxies in Lake Myklevatnet, Allmenningen, (5º13′17″E, 61º55′13″N) located at the northern side of Nordfjorden at the coast of western Norway. Myklevatnet (123 m a.s.l.) lies above the Late Glacial marine limit and contains sediments back to approximately 14,300 years before a.d. 2000 (b2k). Because the lake is located ~48 km beyond the margin of the Younger Dryas (YD) fjord and valley glaciers further inland, and did not receive glacier meltwater from local glaciers during the YD, the lake record provides supplementary information to Lake Kråkenes that received glacial meltwater from a local YD glacier. Lake Myklevatnet has a small catchment and is sensitive to Late Glacial and Holocene climate and environmental changes in the coastal region of western Norway. The age-depth relationship was inferred from a radiocarbon- and tephra-based smoothing-spline model with correlated ages from oxygen isotope maxima and minima in the Late Glacial sequence of the NGRIP ice core (in years b2k) to refine the basal chronology in the Myklevatnet record. The results indicate a two-step YD warming, colder early YD temperatures than in the later part of the YD, and considerably more climate and environmental variability during the late Holocene in western Norway than recorded previously in the oxygen isotopes from Greenland ice cores. The Myklevatnet record is also compared with other Late Glacial and Holocene terrestrial and marine proxy reconstructions in the North Atlantic realm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At northern temperate latitudes trees have adjusted their ranges substantially in response to changing climates during the Holocene. Results from dispersal model simulations suggest that postglacial migration rates may have been over-estimated from fossil pollen data. As a contribution to this debate, we infer the migration rates of Abies alba (Mill.), silver fir, as a case-study species, by using a spatially explicit approach based on fossil pollen but taking into account its modern genetic diversity pattern. Maximum estimates of migration rates from fossil pollen data alone are higher than 700 m yr during the Holocene. Considering the potential refugia as suggested from all the fossil data but restricting the area over which silver fir expanded from each glacial refugium using data on the current haplotype distribution, the estimated maximum migration rates of silver fir are less than 250 m yr. Genetic information may allow for (1) the exclusion of those refugial areas where the species may have survived during the last glacial period but from which it did not spread or spread only very locally and (2) the delineation of the areas over which the species spread from each glacial refugium. The estimated rates in the present study are generally consistent with rates suggested from modelling approaches. This study shows that integrating fossil pollen records can improve simulations of dispersal processes and, thus, allow for better predictions of future changes in tree species' ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study integrates analysis of wood charcoal assemblages with climate proxies, palaeoenvironmental and archaeological data sets in hyper-arid Wadi Sana, Yemen, to address the availability and use of wood fuels by South Arabian hunter-herder groups from the Early Holocene (8000-7700 cal. b.p.) to Middle Holocene (6900-4800 cal. b.p.) periods. The Early Holocene environment, regulated by a stronger Southwest Asian monsoon, was moister than the present, providing a marshy winter grazing area for cattle herders, whose construction of hearths and food preparation strategies changed over time. This study provides an insight into long term stability of land cover and use as well as the dynamics of human contributions to landscape change. We suggest that complex environmental and cultural processes affect species availability, fuel choice and land use management. Despite environmental and economic changes in Wadi Sana, our dataset does not show changes in fuel choice from the Early to Middle Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used fossil pollen to investigate the response of the eastern Chiquitano seasonally-dry tropical forest (SDTF), lowland Bolivia, to high-amplitude climate change associated with glacial-interglacial cycles. Changes in the structure, composition and diversity of the past vegetation are compared with palaeoclimate data previously reconstructed from the same record, and these results shed light on the biogeographic history of today's highly disjunct blocks of SDTF across South America. We demonstrate that lower glacial temperatures limited tropical forest in the Chiquitanía region, and suggest that SDTF was absent or restricted at latitudes below 17°S, the proposed location of the majority of the hypothesized 'Pleistocene dry forest arc' (PDFA). At 19500 yrs b.p., warming supported the establishment of a floristically-distinct SDTF, which showed little change throughout the glacial-Holocene transition, despite a shift to significantly wetter conditions beginning ca. 12500-12200 yrs b.p. Anadenanthera colubrina, a key SDTF taxon, arrived at 10000 yrs b.p., which coincides with the onset of drought associated with an extended dry season. Lasting until 3000 yrs b.p., Holocene drought caused a floristic shift to more drought-tolerant taxa and a reduction in α-diversity (shown by declining palynological richness), but closed-canopy forest was maintained throughout. In contrast to the PDFA, the modern distribution of SDTF most likely represents the greatest spatial coverage of these forests in southern South America since glacial times. We find that temperature is a key climatic control upon the distribution of lowland South American SDTF over glacial-interglacial timescales, and seasonality of rainfall exerts a strong control on their floristic composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Holocene mangrove dynamics are reconstructed from pollen, sediment and radiocarbon analyses of three cores (ANR, BNR, CNR) located across a 20 km transect in the Rufiji Delta, Tanzania. At the base of the sediment sequence, dated to about 5600 cal. year b. p., the mangroves which are present suggest a low intertidal ecosystem in response to wet conditions and a higher sea level than at the present day. After around 5600 cal. year b. p. in core BNR, mangroves retreated seaward probably due to a lower sea level and drier environmental conditions. At around 4640 cal. year b. p., mangroves shifted landward suggesting a phase of sea level rise. In the late Holocene, mangroves became established at higher elevations of the Rufiji Delta, which is now a paddy field. Mangrove taxa decreased after 1170 cal. year b. p., suggesting drier conditions and less inundation frequency, possibly due to a lower sea level. Marked vegetation changes from mangroves to terrestrial vegetation occurred after around 750 cal. year b. p., possibly related to sea level regression and/or a desiccation phase recorded during the late Holocene. Paddy fields replaced mangroves in the landward part of the transect, reflecting an increase in human settlement in this area, a trend that continues to the present day. The recent decrease of mangrove species, particularly Rhizophora mucronata, could suggest less inundation by saline water and a lower sea level, although these changes may also be due to human activities during the last millennia as indicated by charcoal analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radiocarbon-dated palaeoecological study of Lago Riane (Ligurian Apennines, NW Italy) presented here forms part of a wider investigation into the relationships between Holocene vegetation succession, climate change and human activities in the northern Apennines. The record of vegetation history from Lago Riane indicates that, since the end of the last glaciation, climate change and prehistoric human activities, combined with several local factors, have strongly influenced the pattern and timing of natural vegetation succession. The pollen record indicates an important change in vegetation cover at Lago Riane at ~8500-8200 cal. years b.p., coincident with a well-known period of rapid climate change. At ~6100 cal. years b.p., Fagus woodland colonised Lago Riane during a period of climate change and expansion of Late Neolithic human activities in the upland zone of Liguria. A marked decline in Abies woodland, and the expansion of Fagus woodland, at ~4700 cal. years b.p., coincided with further archaeological evidence for pastoralism in the mountains of Liguria during the Copper Age. At ~3900-3600 cal. years b.p. (Early to Middle Bronze Age transition), a temporary expansion of woodland at Lago Riane has been provisionally attributed to a decline in human pressure on the environment during a period of short-term climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mid-continent of North America has experienced dramatic and abrupt climate change during the Holocene, but the response of grassland vegetation to past climate change has been difficult to quantify. To improve interpretation of tallgrass prairie vegetation from pollen assemblages, we acquired and analysed a surface sample set collected from 25 small ponds (less than 10 ha surface area) in the largest contiguous remnant of tallgrass prairie in the USA. We compared these tallgrass prairie assemblages to 476 modern pollen samples classified as 'prairie' in the North American Surface Sample database. We then compared the surface pollen assemblages with fossil pollen assemblages from sediment cores at two sites in Kansas-Cheyenne Bottoms and Muscotah Marsh-using the modern analog technique. Pollen assemblages in the Flint Hills surface samples were very similar to each other, with an average squared chord distance of 0.19. They were different than other modern grassland pollen assemblages mainly due to higher percentages of pollen from six woody taxa: Carya, Cornus, Juniperus, Juglans, Maclura, and Platanus. Arboreal pollen percentages ranged from 17 to 62 % and did not correlate with woody cover among sites. Cheyenne Bottoms was open grassland for the past 25,000 years, but it did not have many tallgrass prairie analogs. Muscotah Marsh did not have many grassland analogs over the past 30,000 years, possibly due to its position on the prairie-forest border or its surrounding wetland vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lake sediment record was used to reconstruct past vegetation dynamics and human impacts from the middle Neolithic (6500 cal. b.p.) to the Middle Ages (1500 cal. b.p.) around Lac d'Antre in the southern Jura mountains of France. This lake was surrounded by the Gallo-Roman sanctuary of Villards d'Héria, which has been widely investigated by archaeologists and enables a comparison between palaeoenvironmental proxies and archaeological data. Pollen and microscopic charcoal analyses were conducted on a 500 cm sediment core with eleven radiocarbon dates providing the chronological control. In a mixed oak woodland context, the successive development of Taxus, Fagus and Abies were mainly caused by climatic variations during the Neolithic, in which there was weak human impact. The first significant signs of human activity were detected during the Bronze Age from 3900 cal. b.p., followed by an increase of human pressure and woodland clearances during the Iron Age, from 2700 cal. b.p. The occupation of the Gallo-Roman sanctuary was continuous with the Iron Age occupation. All the analysed palaeoenvironmental data indicate that the strongest human impact occurred during the Gallo-Roman period, which matches the occupation of Villards d'Héria previously dated by archaeologists from 2000 to 1700 cal. b.p., 1st to 3rd century a.d. Moreover, there appears to have been a new period of human settlement close to the lake at the beginning of the Middle Ages. The low charcoal accumulation rate (CHAR) recorded during the Bronze and Iron Ages suggests that fire was not the main agent used to clear the dense woods to create new cultivated fields and pastures. High CHAR values recorded during the Roman period may represent fire use for domestic and agro-pastoral activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A detailed, AMS C-dated, pollen record from Cooney Lough, a small lake in Co. Sligo, western Ireland, is presented. Fluctuations in the pollen curves, indicative of changes in pollen productivity and shifts in woodland composition, suggest that the period spanned by the record (9.4-6 ka) was characterised by considerable climate instability. In all, five climate anomalies are recognised (CA-1 to CA-5). The most pronounced anomaly, CA-3, is dated to 8.45-8.2 ka, with the high point of that anomaly (CA-3b) centred on 8.2 ka and lasting about a century. On the basis of age, and also intensity and structure, CA-3b is equated with the 8.2 ka event as recorded in many proxies and especially the Greenland ice-core δO records. Key features of the event as recorded in the lake sediments include increased representation of Betula and Pinus (birch and pine; both widely recognised as cold tolerant trees) and a decline in Corylus and also Quercus (hazel and oak; both thermophilous). The anomalies CA-1 and CA-2 precede the 8.2 ka event, the former corresponding probably to the 9.2 ka event and the latter more pronounced, centred on ca. 8.8 ka and with a duration of approximately 100 years. The CA-4 event, at ca. 7.5 ka, is relatively minor as regards intensity while CA-5, which began at ca. 7.1 ka, initiated what seems to be a more long-lasting shift towards cooler conditions. The relationship of these developments to the arrival and expansion of alder ( Alnus), a key feature of the Boreal/Atlantic transition in European, including Irish pollen records is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollen assemblages recovered from a 5 m sediment core from the Vravron coastal marsh suggest a close correlation between vegetation development and human presence in Attica, and provide the first complete record of middle to late Holocene vegetation history. Correlation of pollen with archaeological data attempts to decode the man-environment relations of the past, within the context of the known climatic variability of the mid-late Holocene, in the vicinity of ancient Athens, an area of high historical significance. The pollen record of Vravron denotes a rather variable landscape where open Mediterranean evergreen pine woods alternated with maquis shrublands and grasslands, where human activities and climate have left their imprints on vegetation. During the last 5,000 years agricultural practices displayed several variations: cereal cultivation appears more intense during the Bronze Age, especially in the Mycenaean, while a spread of Olea is observed during Geometric to Classical times. The gradual abandonment of Olea cultivation evidenced in our pollen diagram came as a result of the displacement of human activities in the interior of Mesogaia in Hellenistic and Roman times. Olea and cereal cultivation intensification is observed again during the Mesobyzantine period. In the upper part of the core evidence of intense soil erosion and expansion of Vravron wetland was recorded, coinciding with the Little Ice Age climatic event and the introduction of Arvanites populations in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past vegetation change and the influence of climate change and anthropogenic pressure during the Holocene is constructed from a series of palynological records sampled from three locations within the territory of the antique site of Sagalassos. The disappearance of the original deciduous oak woodlands and increases in anthropogenic indicator species around 5300 and 4300 b.c. correspond with an increase in settlements in the region. A period of drought following the deforestation may have hampered the recovery of deciduous oak. The timing of the onset of the Beyşehir Occupation Phase (BO-Phase) in the territory differs between locations, estimates ranging from ca. 1000-800 b.c. to the start of the Hellenistic period (334 b.c.). The most intense period of arboriculture coincides with the Roman and late-Roman periods. Increases in human pressure on the landscape as reflected in the pollen record correspond with an increased rate of sedimentation and fire activity. The timing of the end of the BO-Phase again differs between locations. Estimates range from the 4th century a.d. to the mid 7th century a.d., when a region-wide shift to dry environmental conditions is observed. Numerical analyses show that post BO-Phase vegetation change is largely driven by climate and displays a succession of dry and wet periods that coincided with well-defined European climate shifts, including the Medieval Climate Anomaly and the Little Ice Age. Current agricultural activities in the region are of a very recent (20th century) origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We reconstructed the palaeoenvironmental conditions of the last ca. 8,000 years in the Tres Lagunas region of the Quimsacocha volcanic basin (ca. 3,800 m a.s.l.) in the southwestern Ecuadorian Andes. By means of a pollen and charcoal record, we analysed vegetation, fire, and climate history of this area, which is sensitive to climatic changes of both the Pacific as well as of the eastern Andes and Amazon region. Sediment deposits, pronounced increases of pollen and charcoal concentrations, and pollen taxa reflect warmer and drier conditions in the early to mid-Holocene (~8000 to 3900 cal. b.p.). During the late Holocene (2250 to −57 cal. b.p.), five warm and cold phases occurred at Quimsacocha. The most prominent cold phase possibly corresponds to the globally recognized Little Ice Age (LIA; ~600 to 100 cal. b.p.). The cold phase signal at Quimsacocha was characterized by a higher abundance of Poaceae, Isoëtes and Gentianella, which are favoured by cold and moist conditions. Frequent charcoal particles can be recorded since the early to mid-Holocene (~7600 b.p.). The high Andean tree species Polylepis underwent several phases of degradation and re-establishment in the basin, which could indicate the use of fire by pre-Columbian settlers to enhance the growth of preferred herb species. The Tres Lagunas record suggests that human populations have been influencing the environment around Quimsacocha since the last ca. 8,000 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The domestication of the Neolithic founder crops of the Near East has recently been a topic of debate particularly with respect to how rapidly the domestication of these crops occurred. One school of thought maintains that these processes lasted several thousand years ('protracted model' with 'gathering', 'cultivation' and 'domestication' as three stages of a continuum, each taking up to several thousand years), while another favors the view that domestication occurred much more quickly, over several hundred years at most ('rapid transition'). Our study focuses on one of these crops, 1-grained domesticated Einkorn wheat, incorporating data from geology, vegetation history, and climate. In the Karacadağ region of southeastern Turkey, where 1-grained Einkorn wheat was domesticated, the climate was severe (i.e. cold and dry) during the Younger Dryas. The climate of the Younger Dryas acted as boundary during which a) conditions were not suitable for 'cultivation', and b) Einkorn would have retreated to refugia exhibiting more suitable moisture-bearing soils that would have made 'gathering' difficult. Around 11600 cal. b. p., the Younger Dryas ended and a very rapid climatic amelioration commenced at the beginning of the Early Holocene, enabling grasses to spread throughout the region. A ritual PPNA/PPNB site (Göbekli Tepe) and associated PPNB settlements such as Nevali Çori and Çayönü were established at this time. In the settlements of Nevali Çori and Cafer Höyük, the oldest domesticated Einkorn was found in the earliest archaeological layers. This confirms that the inhabitants made use of domesticated 1-grained Einkorn from the very beginning of settlement activity, although they continued to practice a mixed lifestyle as hunter-gatherers and farmers. For Çayönü the issue is more complex, but here domesticated Einkorn also appears around the same time. In summary, by 10400 cal. b.p. domesticated 1-grained Einkorn was present in large quantities at a variety of sites. This would give a maximum window of time lasting approximately 1,200 years and is therefore not in agreement with the 'protracted' model but would be consistent with a 'rapid transition'. It is improbable that the 'cultivation' of wild Einkorn was practiced in the Karacadağ region, since wild Einkorn was plentiful during the favorable growing conditions following the Younger Dryas, making it more likely that 'gathering' would have been practiced. Because Einkorn has not been found in early settlements in the southern Levant, this crop cannot have been 'gathered' and 'cultivated' there but instead was 'domesticated' independently and solely in southeastern Turkey. Therefore, the YD acts as a boundary, providing a maximum time frame for 1-grained Einkorn domestication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

17.81 m sediment core from Lake Naleng, a freshwater lake in the south-eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau was examined for its non-pollen palynomorph (NPP) composition. The frequencies of 15 NPPs and three aquatic pollen types were determined in 160 samples. Since the origin of several NPP types is still unknown, multivariate analysis, supported by findings from the corresponding fossil pollen flora, was carried out to extract information about their ecological environments. The analysis allowed a classification of all microfossils in four groups of environmental response, which provided an approach to tracing lake history and palaeoclimatic changes in the area since the Late Glacial (since 17,700 cal years b.p.). Unstable lake conditions and a low organic productivity were reconstructed for the Late Glacial before 14,600 cal years b.p. with high inputs of terrestrial material. Climate conditions became wetter during the Bølling/Allerød interval indicated by high productivity in the lake. After a short climate deterioration (12,500-11,500 cal years b.p.), stable lake conditions were inferred from the record. During the late Holocene (since 2,700 cal years b.p.) changes in the NPP composition might be related to human impact, the latter being inferred from the pollen data through the presence of grazing indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work we investigate the development of a salt marsh environment during the Holocene marine transgression in the North Adriatic coast (North Italy) near the pre-Roman and Roman towns of Cittanova and Concordia Sagittaria. Pollen, plant macrofossils, non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) and foraminifers are analysed in cores and archaeological excavations to indicate the development of salt marsh plant communities. Other independent proxies (foraminifers, plant macrofossils, molluscs) confirm the ecological interpretation based on pollen records. The relevance of NPPs as indicators of salt marsh environment is evaluated. Linings of foraminifers are the most frequent NPP type, recorded in 85% of the brackish sediments. They may tentatively be referred to the genus Ammonia, a very common benthonic genus in the present lagoons of the North Adriatic Sea. Radiocarbon dates available from previous work allow the salt marsh development to be dated in the sector from the east of the Lagoon of Venice to the Lagoon of Caorle. Near Cittanova, salt marshes developed before 6700 yrs cal. b.p. At Concordia Sagittaria, the first evidence dates from ca. 6700 yrs cal. b.p. and a phase of freshwater conditions is recorded in the sediments of ca. 4500 yrs cal. b.p. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed Late-glacial and Holocene palaeoenvironmental records from the northern Apennines with a robust chronology are still rare, though the region has been regarded as a main area of potential refugia of important trees such as Picea abies and Abies alba. We present a new high-resolution pollen and stomata record from Lago del Greppo (1,442 m a.s.l., Pistoia, northern Apennines) that has been dated relying on 12 terrestrial plant macrofossils. Late-glacial woodlands became established before 13000 cal b. p. and were dominated by Pinus and Betula, although more thermophilous taxa such as Quercus, Tilia and Ulmus were already present in the Greppo area, probably at lower altitudes. Abies and Picea expanded locally at the onset of the Holocene at ca. 11500 cal b. p. Fagus sylvatica was the last important tree to expand at ca. 6500 cal b. p., following the decline of Abies. Human impact was generally low throughout the Holocene, and the local woods remained rather closed until the most recent time, ca. a. d. 1700–1800. The vegetational history of Lago del Greppo appears consistent with that of previous investigations in the study region. Late-glacial and Holocene vegetation dynamics in the northern Apennines are very similar to those in the Insubrian southern Alps bordering Switzerland and Italy, across the Po Plain. Similarities between the two areas include the Late-glacial presence of Abies alba, its strong dominance during the Holocene across different vegetation belts from the lowlands to high elevations, as well as its final fire and human-triggered reduction during the mid Holocene. Our new data suggest that isolated and minor Picea abies populations survived the Late-glacial in the foothills of the northern Apennines and that at the onset of the Holocene they moved upwards, reaching the site of Lago del Greppo. Today stands of Picea abies occur only in two small areas in the highest part of the northern Apennines, and they have become extinct elsewhere. Given the forecast global warming, these relict Picea abies stands of the northern Apennines, which have a history of at least 13,000 years, appear severely endangered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thick accumulations of consolidated cow dung occur in ancient kraals (byres or corrals) in the bushveld and highveld areas of Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa dating from the last 2000 years. They originated from long-term cattle herding by Iron Age people. The “vitrified” or baked dung deposits are thought to be a product of the burning of cow dung as fuel, either for domestic purposes or for iron smelting. In order to establish the palaeoecological potential of this material, 36 samples of cow dung from archaeological sites within the present-day savanna and grassland biomes were analyzed for pollen and other microfossils. Of the samples, 29 contained pollen together with other microfossils that support a faecal origin of the material such as sordariaceous ascospores, Thecaphora, Gelasinospora, and Chaetomium, and eggs of the intestinal parasite Trichuris. Similar microfossils were also found in recent fresh cow dung from the same study areas. The presence of pollen grains and spores in most of the Iron Age samples lead to the assumption that they survived the burning because fire temperatures were not high enough to destroy them. Pollen in these cow dung pieces is apparently sealed and can be preserved under open-air conditions at sites under which pollen in other deposits like soils, will decay away. Good pollen preservation and palynomorph diversity were found with mainly Poaceae, and secondly Chenopodiaceae and Cyperaceae as the most important pollen types, while trees and shrubs indicating savanna are rare. In the case of the samples that came from the subtropical savanna biome the latter result is unexpected and suggests that the cattle were kept in more open vegetation than the woody environments of today. Recent cow dung samples reflect the composition of present-day vegetation by showing considerably higher proportions of tree pollen than the fossil assemblages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two14C-dated pollen profiles from mires in the steppe belt of southern Russia are presented. On the basis of these and data from earlier investigations, the Holocene forest history of the southern part of Russia and Ukraine is reconstructed. The steppe belt is very sensitive to climatic oscillations and, in particular, to changes in evapotranspiration. The most favourable climate occurred between 6000 and 4500 B.P. (6800–5200 cal. B.P.), when forest attained its maximum extent in the steppe belt. The period 4500–3500 B.P. (5200–3800 cal. B.P.) was characterised by drier climate with the most arid phase occurring between 4200–3700 B.P. (4700–4000 cal. B.P.). During arid phases, the area under forest and also peat accumulation rates declined. Subsequently, a number of less pronounced climatic oscillations occurred such as in the period 3400/3300−2800 B.P. (3600/3500−2900 cal. B.P.) when there was a return to more humid conditions. During the last 2500 years, the vegetation cover of the steppe belt in southern Russia and Ukraine took on its present-day aspect. On the one hand, there is close correlation between the Holocene vegetation history of southern Russia and Ukraine and, on the other hand, the steppe belt of Kazakhstan and transgressions in the Caspian sea. Human impact on the natural vegetation became important from the Bronze Age onwards (after 4500 B.P.; 5200 cal. B.P.). Particular attention is given to the history of Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris), which had a much wider distribution in the southern part of eastern Europe in the early Holocene. The reduction in range during recent millennia has come about as a result of the combined effects of both climatic deterioration and increased human impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollen profiles, based cores taken in Lake Kahala and from the adjoining mire, were used to establish general vegetation history and to reconstruct the extent and types of land-use over most of the Holocene. Modern pollen deposition was studied using moss polsters and the results were used in the interpretation of the fossil pollen data in terms of former land-use practices. The modern-day samples are from settlements, hay meadow and pasture, and overgrown pasture. Indications of human activity can be traced back to the Stone Age. At ca. 6400 cal. B.C., the first indications of possible woodland utilisation by humans are recorded. This may have involved grazing within the forests. From 4200 cal. B.C. onwards, animal husbandry with changing intensity was practised. Arable farming, involving cereals, was introduced to the area at ca. 1800 cal. B.C., but it was only at ca. 500 cal. B.C. that it assumed an important role in the farming economy. Secale cereale (rye) was introduced during the Roman Iron Age, intensive rye cultivation started at the end of the Iron Age, at ca. cal. A.D. 800. Ever increasing farming pressures triggered the formation of open alvars. Open landscape similar to that of today has persisted, with minor forest regeneration phases, since at least 500 cal. B.C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of Chenopodiaceae and Amaranthaceae has been recorded in a rock shelter site that shows evidence of human occupation from 40,000 B.P. more or less continuously to the present. The plant remains are discussed in the light of ethnographic information for use of these taxa in both Australia and north America. The presence of cheno-ams as environmental indicators of aridity will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palynological investigation and radiocarbon dating of a 6-m core from lake Durankulak, north-eastern Bulgaria, enables vegetation development and human occupation from ca. 5500–5300 cal. B.C. onwards to be traced. Steppe vegetation that included with groves of deciduous trees as Quercus, Ulmus, Carpinus belulus and Corylus changed to a forest-steppe after 4000 cal. B.C. The archaeopalynological record indicates three distinct phases of human activity as follows: (1) 5300–4200 cal. B.C. (late Neolithic and Eneolithic) during which farming, that included a substantial arable component, was pursued, (2) 3500–3000 cal. B.C. (transition to early Bronze Age) when stock rearing appears to have dominated, and (3) after 1300 cal. B.C. (late Bronze Age) when arable farming again assumed importance. The palynological data correlate well with the rich archaeological record for human settlement that is available for the region from late Neolithic times onwards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]