Palaeoecological analysis of Alnus wood peats with special attention to non-pollen palynomorphs

Abstract

Alder ( Alnus) wood peats have only rarely been subject of palaeoecological research because their bad preservation generally 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, an Alder peat core from the Ziese river valley (NE-Germany) was analysed for macro- and microfossils with special focus on non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs). 129 new types of NPPs, mostly fungal spores and remains of decomposed wood, were identified. In this paper we describe 12 new types; 13 other new types are described by Prager et al. [Prager, A., Barthelmes, A., Theuerkauf, M., Joosten, H., 2006. Non-pollen palynomorphs from modern Alder carrs and their potential for interpreting microfossil data from peat. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 141, doi:10.1016/j.revpalbo.2006.03.015]. In addition 25 types already described in literature were used for interpretation of fossil samples. The pollen and macrofossil content revealed that the upper section of the core has been formed in a very wet Alder carr and Willow–Alder-shrub. For the lower, strongly decomposed section, NPPs were necessary to reconstruct an Alder carr as the peat forming vegetation. Our research reaffirms that substantial additional ecological information can be derived from analysing NPPs, especially in highly decomposed Alder peats.