Non-pollen palynomorphs from modern Alder carrs and their potential for interpreting microfossil data from peat

Abstract

Alder ( Alnus) carr peats have only rarely been subject of palaeoecological research because their mostly bad preservation prevents successful reconstruction of local and regional vegetation development by means of macrofossil and pollen analysis. To test the potential of non-pollen palynomorphs as an additional source of information, surface samples from five different types of substrates and three different Alder forest types were analysed on microfossils with special focus on non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs). Forty-six new types of NPPs, mostly fungal spores and remains of decomposed wood, were described and illustrated. Ordination of the more common NPPs revealed a good differentiation between substrate groups and — to a lesser extent — site types. Comparison with microfossil data from Alder carr peat showed that the ecological information derived from the modern samples is consistent with the environmental conditions reconstructed from palaeoecological data (pollen, macrofossils, degree of decomposition) from the peat core. The analysis of NPPs in surface samples is a promising tool to assess the indicator value of NPPs, allowing an improved interpretation of fossil data. The fact that 2.6 times more NPP types than pollen types were found in the fossil samples illustrates the importance and potential of NPPs for palaeo-palynological research.