Abstract
AbstractAnalyses of pollen, charcoal and organic content in a lake sediment core from Wildwood Lake, Long Island, New York, provide insights into the ecological and environmental history of this region. The early Holocene interval of the record (ca. 9800–8800 cal. a BP) indicates the presence of Pinus rigida–Quercus ilicifolia woodlands with high fire activity. A layer of sandy sediment dating to 9200 cal. a BP may reflect a brief period of reduced water depth, consistent with widespread evidence for cold, dry conditions at that time. Two other sandy layers, bracketed by 14C dates, represent a sedimentary hiatus from ca. 8800 to 4500 cal. a BP. This discontinuity may reflect the removal of some sediment during brief periods of reduced water depth at 5300 and 4600 cal. a BP. In the upper portion of the record (<4500 cal. a BP), subtle changes at ca. 3000 cal. a BP indicate declining prevalence of Quercus–Fagus–Carya forests and increasing abundance of Pinus rigida, perhaps due to reduced summer precipitation. Elevated percentages of herbaceous taxa in the uppermost sediments represent European agricultural activities. However, unlike charcoal records from southern New England, fire activity does not increase dramatically with European settlement. These findings indicate that present‐day Pinus rigida–Quercus ilicifolia woodlands on eastern Long Island are not a legacy of recent, anthropogenic disturbances. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Highlights
Numerous paleoecological and paleoenvironmental records provide a broad view of the post-glacial vegetation and climate history of the northeastern United States (“the Northeast”;e.g., Bernabo and Webb, 1977; Gaudreau and Webb, 1985; Williams et al, 2001; Huang et al., 2002; Shuman et al, 2002a; 2002b; 2004; 2005; 2006)
There are various unresolved questions regarding the origin and history of forests dominated by fire-dependent Pinus rigida and Quercus ilicifolia on Long Island (e.g., Backman, 1984; Kurczewski and Boyle, 2000; Jordan et al, 2003), which provide habitat for a range of rare and endangered species (CPBJPPC, 1995)
It is uncertain whether the Pinus rigida woodlands of eastern Long Island have been maintained for millennia by frequent fire, or if they have expanded more recently in response to European settlement, forest clearance, and burning (e.g., Kurczewski and Boyle, 2000)
Summary
Numerous paleoecological and paleoenvironmental records provide a broad view of the post-glacial vegetation and climate history of the northeastern United States (“the Northeast”;e.g., Bernabo and Webb, 1977; Gaudreau and Webb, 1985; Williams et al, 2001; Huang et al., 2002; Shuman et al, 2002a; 2002b; 2004; 2005; 2006). There are various unresolved questions regarding the origin and history of forests dominated by fire-dependent Pinus rigida and Quercus ilicifolia (scrub oak) on Long Island (e.g., Backman, 1984; Kurczewski and Boyle, 2000; Jordan et al, 2003), which provide habitat for a range of rare and endangered species (CPBJPPC, 1995). It is uncertain whether the Pinus rigida woodlands of eastern Long Island have been maintained for millennia by frequent fire, or if they have expanded more recently in response to European settlement, forest clearance, and burning (e.g., Kurczewski and Boyle, 2000).
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