Botanical macro-remains and insects from the Eemian and Weichselian site of Oerel (northwest Germany) and their evidence for the history of climate

Abstract

The late Pleistocene site of Oerel which represents the Eemian and the Weichselian interstadials Brorup, Odderade, Oerel and Glinde as well as parts of the stadials Herning and Rederstall was investigated for botanical remains such as fruits, seeds, wood, leaves and mosses, as well as insect remains. A large number of taxa were identified. They show the different environmental conditions, in particular several changes of water level leading to the formation of lakes and diverse forms of mires up to raised bogs. The trophic conditions, too, changed several times. The macrofossil record supports the pollen evidence of dense forests during the two early Weichselian interstadials and tundra vegetation during the later ones. Several indicator species show comparably warm summers but very cold winters during the Brorup and Odderade while the climate during Oerel and Glinde was generally cool. Climatic reconstructions using the MCR method were performed on the basis of the beetle finds.