Research Article| November 01, 2002 Rapid and widespread vegetation responses to past climate change in the North Atlantic region John W. Williams; John W. Williams 1National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93101, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar David M. Post*; David M. Post* 1National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93101, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Les C. Cwynar; Les C. Cwynar 2Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 6E1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar André F. Lotter; André F. Lotter 3University of Utrecht, Laboratory of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Budapestlaan 4, 3584 CD Utrecht, Netherlands Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar André J. Levesque André J. Levesque 4Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 6E1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information John W. Williams 1National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93101, USA David M. Post* 1National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93101, USA Les C. Cwynar 2Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 6E1, Canada André F. Lotter 3University of Utrecht, Laboratory of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Budapestlaan 4, 3584 CD Utrecht, Netherlands André J. Levesque 4Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 6E1, Canada Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 22 Jan 2002 Revision Received: 17 Jul 2002 Accepted: 18 Jul 2002 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2002) 30 (11): 971–974. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<0971:RAWVRT>2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 22 Jan 2002 Revision Received: 17 Jul 2002 Accepted: 18 Jul 2002 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation John W. Williams, David M. Post*, Les C. Cwynar, André F. Lotter, André J. Levesque; Rapid and widespread vegetation responses to past climate change in the North Atlantic region. Geology 2002;; 30 (11): 971–974. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<0971:RAWVRT>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Ongoing anthropogenic perturbations to the atmosphere and biosphere increase the risk of future abrupt changes in the climate system and generate concern about the ability of natural ecosystems to respond to rapid climate change. Study of past climatic events and biotic responses can inform us about potential future change. Qualitatively fast local responses of plant taxa to abrupt late glacial climate oscillations have been reported from individual records and attributed to short migration distances in areas of high topographic relief. By using quantitative time-series analyses, we show that vegetation responses to late glacial climate change around the North Atlantic were rapid and widespread and occurred in areas of differing relief. Cross-correlation analysis of 11 high-resolution lacustrine records in eastern North America and Europe indicates vegetation-response times consistently of <200 yr and often <100 yr, despite regional differences in physiography and species composition. Vegetation lags of <200 yr confirm theoretical predictions, and the apparently tight coupling between vegetation and atmosphere suggests that recent climatic trends may already have begun to affect plant population abundances and distributions. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.