The history of vegetation and landscapes of the lake Ilchir basin for understanding the modern vegetation structure in the Okinsky plateau

Abstract

The method of detailed sampling of sediments from Lake Ilchir allowed obtaining a high-resolution record of changes in the natural environment, which meets the world modern standards of temporal resolution in the studies of the Holocene environment. The data on the palynological analysis of bottom sediments from Lake Ilchir (51°58’26.0” N and 100°59’29.0” E) enable us to reconstruct the composition of vegetation and the structure of landscapes in the lake basin as well as to understand the process of its change in Middle-Late Holocene. The lake is located in the Republic of Buryatia and is the source of the Irkut River, which flows into the Angara River. The results obtained are unique for the regional Holocene environment, since they allow us to clarify the nature of changes in regional vegetation with an average time interval of 125 years. A reliable age model provides for intra-and interregional correlations of environmental changes that helps to understand the possible causes of changes in regional vegetation. Palynological records from inland regions are important for reconstructing the processes of past changes in landscapes, assessing the sensitivity of ecosystems in these regions to future climatic variations that affect the composition of vegetation and its change in time.