Macroscopic Remains Research Articles

Plant macroscopic remains from recent sediments of Banks Island, Northwest Territories, and Bathurst Island, Nunavut, Canada, and the interpretation of Quaternary cold stage plant macroscopic assemblages

Macroscopic plant remains were extracted from recent sediments of streams on Banks Island and Bathurst Island. Analyses of the samples are given and their general relation to the vegetation is described. Problems of interpretation of the contemporary and Quaternary cold stage macroscopic assemblages include the variation of the representation of taxa, the significance of taphonomy, especially under fluvial conditions, and the origin of the assemblages in a mosaic of vegetation. The contribution of analyses of macroscopic remains to interpretations of vegetation and environment based on pollen analysis is emphasised. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Plant macroscopic remains from recent sediments of Banks Island, Northwest Territories, and Bathurst Island, Nunavut, Canada, and the interpretation of Quaternary cold stage plant macroscopic assemblages

Plant macroscopic remains from recent sediments of Banks Island, Northwest Territories, and Bathurst Island, Nunavut, Canada, and the interpretation of Quaternary cold stage plant macroscopic assemblages

Meteorological Observations in 1999 at the Arctic Station, Qeqertarsuaq (Godhavn), Central West Greenland/Evidence of a warmer climate around AD 600, Mittivakkat Glacier, South East Greenland

In october 1990 an automatic weather station was established at the Arctic Station (65° 15', 53°31'W), Qeqertarsuaq (Godhavn), Central West Greenland. The Station register parameters each 20 minutes, and the paramters have been described in an earlier paper in this journal by Nielsen et al.(1995). The present paper summarizes meteorological parameters during 1999. During a field campaign in 1999, woody remains from Salix glauca were found on a nunatak, 515 m. a.s.l. on the Mittivakkat Glacier, South East Greenland. Radio carbon dating determined the age of a wood sample to AD 640. Together with analyses of macroscopic botanical remains and insect rests in peaty material found nearby, these results indicate, that a warmer climate prevailed near the glacier around AD 600. These findings are in accordance with temperature records based on studies of ice cores from the Greenland Ice sheet.

A diverse metaphyte assemblage from the Neoproterozoic black shales of South China

A fossil assemblage of diverse megascopic benthic algae is well preserved on bedding planes in black siliceous shales of the Neoproterozoic Lantian Formation (upper Sinian) at Lantian village, Xiunng county, Anhui Province, South China. Based on morphological differences, 12 taxa are recognized. Most specimens show both a holdfast and a vegetative thallus, some with dichotomous branching, which reveals that they are multicellular benthic algae. Each type presents a certain morphological appearance, e.g., spheroidal - Chuaria sp., filamentous - Doushantuophyton rigidulum, fan-like - Flabellophyton lantianensis. Four to six different benthic forms and more than 15 individuals are well preserved on the same bed with an area less than 150 cm2. These confirm that a great morphological evolutionary radiation of seaweeds took place no later than the Lantian epoch, with an absolute age around 570 Ma. Growth cycles in Flabellophyton strigata n.sp. reveal that periodical events, such as seasonal variations, occurred in that epoch. A benthic assemblage consisting of three differentiated macroscopic remains is similar to the Miaohe Biota reported from the Doushantuo Formation of the Yangtze Gorges 1200 km away, allowing biostratigraphic correlation of both of these Neoproterozoic Formations.

The occurrence of thermophilous trees in the Scandes Mountains during the early Holocene: evidence for a diverse tree flora from macroscopic remains

1 Macroscopic remains of the fairly thermophilous tree species Alnus glutinosa, Tilia cordata and Betula pendula were recovered in subalpine and adjacent boreal environments far above and beyond their present‐day distributional limits. This establishes that the early Holocene tree flora of the Scandes Mountains in northern Sweden was indeed richer than it is today. 2 Dates ranged between c. 8600 and 7000 radiocarbon years bp. These are much earlier than previous estimates by conventional pollen stratigraphical analyses of the arrival of these species at their maximum geographical limits. This highlights problems in using only pollen data for vegetation reconstruction, and suggests re‐evaluation of earlier records. 3 The results, together with similar macrofossils for Picea abies and Larix sibirica in northern Sweden, suggest that many tree species spread rapidly and became established at their most extended range limits during the early Holocene. Abundances have subsequently varied in accordance with the ecology of individual species as well as with climatic change. 4 Palaeoclimatic inferences may suggest a strongly continental climate, i.e. warmer and drier summers and possibly fairly cold winters between 8600 and 7000 bp relative to the present. Some change towards a more oceanic climate regime with less pronounced seasonal contrasts may have occurred towards the end of the period.

Fauna and flora in submarine early Holocene lake-marl deposits from the southwestern Baltic Sea

Studies of plant and animal macrofossils have been carried out on early-Holocene lake marls from the southwestern Baltic. The records have been dated to the interval from c. 8500 to 7800 14C years BP by correlating pollen assemblages to an onshore radiocarbon dated pollen diagram. The sediments contain from 5 to 81% carbonate, and only few macroscopic remains of wetland and terrestrial taxa. The plant and animal (mainly mollusc) macrofossils reflect deposition at the outer edge of the belt with submerged macro-limnophytes, in the lower littoral, perhaps at water depths at 4–7 m. The ratio between the shells and opercula of the snail Bithynia tentaculata points to some post-mortem disturbance, but it can be concluded that the water was highly alkaline and mesotrophic.

The Macroscopic Plant Remains from Euesperides (Benghazi): an interim report

AbstractRecent excavations at the Greco-Libyan site of Euesperides, Benghazi, have included a sampling programme for the retrieval of macroscopic plant remains. Preliminary results are now available and help to shed some light on the economy of the site between the sixth and the third centuries BC. Barley is the principal cereal crop recorded, while both hulled and free-threshing wheats are present. Fruit remains generally dominate the samples and include frequent seeds of grape and fig. The grape pips are of interest in that they appear to be morphologically more wild than cultivated. It is thought that they may be of a variety which does not conform with the characteristics of better known northern Mediterranean varieties of grape.

Über die komplexe Genese mittelpleistozäner archäologischer Fundstellen am Beispiel des Platzes Kärlich-Seeufer (Mittelrhein)

Abstract. The Middle Pleistocene site Kärlich-Seeufer is the youngest archaeological site in the Kärlich clay pit which, since the beginning of this century, has been the most important exposure for Quaternary stratigraphy in the Central Rhineland. The site was discovered in 1980 and excavated during the following years. Together with an Acheulean lithic assemblage and faunal remains, numerous macroscopic plant remains were recovered in an outstanding state of preservation. Wood of Abies and Quercus dominates the botanical assemblage in the form of trunks and branches. The faunal assemblage comprises: Panthera leo ssp., Elephas antiquus, Equus sp., Sus scrofa, Cervus elaphus, Rangifer sp. as well as Bos vel Bison. Elephas antiquus dominates the faunal assemblage and the molars of this species show a certain robustness in comparison to teeth of other Middle- and Upper Pleistocene Elephas antiquus populations. The results of the palynological analysis show that the sediments containing the archaeological assemblage were deposited during the second half of an interglacial phase, the Kärlich Interglacial. Moreover, these results allow detailed reconstruction of palaeoecological conditions during the Middle Pleistocene. Analysis of site formation processes, taking into account the sedimentology of the archaeological layers, the lithic and faunal assemblages and the numerous macroscopic palaeobotanical remains, shows that the Seeufer site functioned as a sediment trap in which evidence for hominid activity has been re-bedded together with wood and faunal remains. At Kärlich-Seeufer, as at other European Lower Palaeolithic sites, claims for hominid activity are very difficult to assess and can only be demonstrated for the lithic assemblage. The contribution of hominids to the presence of other categories of finds remains obscure.

Lower Cambrian tubular micro-to macrofossils from the Paseky Shale of the Barrandian area (Czech Republic)

The carbonaceous megafossil (mega-alga)Marpolia spissa Walcott 1919 is described from the Early Cambrian of the Barrandian area for the first time. Macroscopic remains of colonies ofM. spissa are compared with tubular microfossils of the same rocks. Different areas in colonies ofM. spissa are assignable to several (part-based) genera and species of microfossils. Therefore, the microfossil taxaSiphonophycus robustum (Schopf 1968)Knoll et al. 1991,S. typicum (Hermann 1974)Butterfield 1994,S. kestron Schopf 1968,S. capitaneum Nyberg &Schopf 1984,Polytrichoides lineatus Hermann 1974, emend.Knoll et al. 1991,Tortunema angusta (Kolosov 1984)Butterfield 1994 andTortunema wernadskii (Schepeleva 1960)Butterfield 1994 should only be used as form-species in the sense of an artificial taxonomy. The palaeoenvironment of the Paseky Shale and the biological assignment ofMarpolia spissa are discussed.

Cultivated plant remains of the late Neolithic Michelsberg Culture at Heilbronn-Klingenberg (southwest Germany) - a comparison of different features, find assemblages and preservation conditions relating to the representation of archaeobotanical remains

A large area investigation was undertaken of the plant remains from a Michelsberg Culture (late Neolithic) settlement. The charred macroscopic remains and imprints in pieces of daub were expected to show both the spectrum of the cultivated plants there, and also the degree of their cultivation and use. The loess covered hill-top lies in a landscape with favourable climatic and soil conditions and is blocked off by two parallel ditches running in an arc. Ditches and pits filled with different sediments were investigated. The daub, unearthed in several pits, had been deliberately mixed with chaff of the glume wheats einkorn and emmer to temper it when it was originally made. The investigated imprints and charred plant remains give hints of spatial distribution of crop processing activities. To determine the amounts of the crops that were cultivated and used, it is necessary to study the charred remains. The degree of ubiquity (frequency of occurrence) of grains in the pit sediments seems to be the best indicator of the representation of cereals. Four main cereals were found: Triticum monococcum, T. dicoccum, T. aestivum/T. durum and Hordeum vulgare var. nudum. Pisum sativum also was an important cultivated plant, much more than Lens culinaris. The role of Linum usitatissimum and Papaver somniferum is less clear.

Soil analyses to identify ancient human activities

Mesoamerica. Apartment compounds generally consist of several rooms at slightly different levels, arranged around open spaces (courfyards, refuse areas, and light wells); these are places for ritual, rain water collection, partial refuse disposal, and the provision of light. The compounds consist of different apartments joined by passages for communication; they have domestic sanctuaries, and the entire compound is enclosed within an exterior wall. It is believed that these compounds were occupied by corporate groups sharing krnship, residence, and occupation' It has been archaeologically determined that craftsmen dedicated to the manufacture of different products lived in separate compounds (Millon 1973). In mapping activities shared by all households in oru compound, we have found additional data supporting this idea. From 1985 to 1988, as part of an intensive interdisciplinary project, we carefrrlly dissected an apartment compound in the northwestern fringe of ancient Teotihuacan. We knew that the stucco floors were scrupulously swept in the ancient domestic setting, so we would not have abundant macroscopic remains for our analysis. We thus planned a strategy that also took into consideration chemical traces of activities on the plastered floors, as well as microscopic evidence related to these activities. After the geophysical, geochemical, and archaeological plotting of surface materials, archaeological raw material, debris and artifact distribution were contrasted and complemented by the fine-grained analyses of phytoliths and pollen, botanical and faunal macrofossils, and chemical compounds on floors, as well as micro-artifactual distributions (Manzanilla and Barba 1990; Manzanilla 1993). In this manner, we obtained the anatomy of an apartment compound during the 6th century AD, room by room. The discrete distributions of artifacts, raw materials and debris were described as potential activity areas exhibiting a specific set of characteristics. These artifactual patterns were then contrasted with the distribution of the biological elements and chemical compounds, to gain an idea of the set of activities for each room. With respect to chemical analyses and activity area research, Barba (1986) has proven, in ethnographic as well as archaeological exarnples, that stucco floors trap chemical compounds in their structwe derived from repeated specific activities. At our apartment compound, we collected sam-

Current trends in studies of long-term plant community dynamics.

Long-term plant community dynamics has been investigated by analyses of macro- and microfossil remains found in unconsolidated limnic and terrestrial sediments, chiefly of Late-Quaternary and Recent age. Plant macrofossils preserved in packrat (Neotoma) midden sites in semi-arid regions have yielded the most informative data for the period between the lastest glacial to the present day. The remains can, with few exceptions, be identified to species level, they represent a large (>75%) proportion of the species composition of vegetation within a radius of 30-50 m of a site, and they can be dated by the accelerator mass-spectrometric radiocarbon method. Most sites have been found in the arid southwest of the United States and significant contributions have been made recently to understanding of long-term changes in species composition and shifts in range and elevational limits of species. Similarly, analysis of macrofossils in lake, mire and river sites can draw on the taxonomic precision, small source area and potential for precise radiocarbon dating of samples, to provide detailed reconstructions of the local vegetation of lacustrine, mire and fluvial habitats. The vast literature reporting these investigations deals with sites chiefly in northern temperate regions, but recent studies from tropical and warm-temperate regions show the promise of the approach. The use of analyses of microscopic charcoal preserved in sediments has increased significantly in the past few decades as part of attempts to reconstruct forest tire history and, when combined with other analyses (pollen, physical chemistry), to investigate past community dynamics. The major limitations of the method are poor chronological control in many sediments, uncertainties about source area and limited taxonomic precision. On the other hand, macroscopic remains of charcoal can usually be identified to species level, can be dated accurately and have readily defined source areas. However, sites with high frequencies of sample occurrence spanning long, continuous time intervals are very rare, as a remarkable example from the humid tropics of Africa illustrates. Pollen analysis of lake and mire sediments has a long history and has yielded a vast literature. Its weaknesses as a tool in the three main fields of interest where it is used - palaeoclimatology, cultural history and plant community dynamics are well known and increase in regions farther north and south of the boreal and Contents Summary 469 I. Introduction 470 II. Types of evidence 471 III. Problems and prospects 487 Acknowledgements 490 References 490.

Corrigiola litoralis L. in the British Middle Pleistocene

summaryPlant macrofossil analyses of fossiliferous silt and sand channel‐fill deposits from The Brays Pit near Mathon in the English West Midlands yielded the first record of Corrigiola litoralis L. in the British Middle Pleistocene. The presence of Corrigiola litoralis at this site shows that this taxon has occurred naturally in the British Isles. This may support the opinion that one of the extant populations of this species in south‐west England may be regarded as native. The stratigraphic context of the site is briefly considered followed by a description of the macroscopic remains.

Taphonomy of plant remains on floodplains of tundra rivers, present and Pleistocene

SUMMARYPlant remains in fine sediments on the floodplains of the Sagavanirklok and Atigun Rivers on the North Slope of Alaska have been analysed and related to sedimentary processes. The pollen spectra are very different from those from pool or surface samples from the wider regional vegetation. The difference is explained by rapidity and time of deposition. The macroscopic remains include elements of the floodplain and moist tundra communities, and include shrubs, heath taxa and herbs. The relation between the macroscopic remains and pollen spectra is examined. The results are compared with pollen spectra from Pleistocene cold‐stage fluviatile sequences in East Anglia, where similar differences have been found between the pollen spectra and macroscopic remains from sediments of floodplains and pools. The importance of a knowledge of taphonomy in interpreting pollen and macroscopic assemblages is stressed.

Between flax and fabric: Cultivation and processing of flax in a mediaeval peat reclamation settlement near midwoud (Prov. Noord Holland)

Abstract Macroscopic remains and pollen of flax (Linum usitatissimum) and flax dodder (Cuscuta epilinum) along with seeds of Spergula arvensis var. maxima were found in botanical samples from a 12th century peat reclamation settlement. The composition of the crop remains was such as to justify the interpretation of the samples as the debris from at least two separate stages in the processing of flax, namely beating/rippling and braking or swingling. The possible origin of the flax is discussed on the basis of the weed flora.

Palaeoecological study of a Middle-Pleniglacial deposit from Tilligte, The Netherlands

A 89 cm thick, predominantly organic deposit of Middle-Pleniglacial age (c.42,00 yr B.P.) from Tilligte (Twente, the Netherlands) was examined by means of an analysis of both microfossils and macroscopic remains of plants and animals. A detailed reconstruction of the local vegetation succession of the sample site is given, starting with the pioneer-species Parnassia palustris and blue-green algae of the Rivularia-type. The succession proceeds with the development of a moss-rich community with small sedges. Subsequently the mosses disappear and Carex rostrata-seeds reach high numbers. This species is then replaced by many aquatic taxa. The upper part of the deposit studied shows a marked impoverishment of the spectrum of fossil taxa. The presence of algae indicates open water. The organic part of the section is topped by sandy deposits, thus ending the organic sedimentation. Based on botanical and zoological evidence an estimate of palaeo-temperatures is made. The minimum mean July temperature based on botanical remains (10°C) is lower than the estimate based on the presence of some aquatic invertebrates (c.20°C or even higher). The total evidence, including records of Coleoptera, points to a cold and continental climate with mean July temperatures probably not exceeding 10°C.

A Hoxnian interglacial doline infilling at Slade Oak Lane, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England

AbstractSite investigations for the M25 motorway at Denham proved a maximum depth of 37.5 m of deposits filling an enclosed hollow up to 40 m across beneath a small seasonally dry valley near Higher Denham. This previously unknown very steepsided hollow is infilled with gravel and sand, partially laminated clayey silt and pebbly clay. Within these deposits a bed of organic clay mud up to 4.5 m in thickness is present. Resistivity survey of the hollow proves that it is completely enclosed.Palaeobotanical investigation shows that the organic sediment contains fossil pollen, spores and macroscopic remains. The pollen spectra indicate that the sediments accumulated during the later half of the Hoxnian interglacial Stage (Ho III/IV). Macroscopic remains include ‘relict’ species Dulichium arundinaceum, and Brasenia schreberi, the latter being new to the Hoxnian Stage. The evidence for waterlevel fluctuation during the interglacial at the site is discussed.The origin of the hollow is considered and the conclusion reached is that it is a doline formed by solution of the underlying Chalk bedrock. The infilling of the basin is attributed to collapse, solifluction and slope wash of local material under cold climates before and after the interglacial. The interglacial sediment is a shallow water pool accumulation. The hollow is thought to have been formed originally as a solution pipe beneath the Thames' Gerrards Cross Gravel, rapid drainage of a neighbouring glacial lake causing the major collapse in the late Anglian Stage. Subsequent infill took place during the later part of the Anglian, Hoxnian and Wolstonian Stages and possibly even later.Heavy mineral analyses of the silt-rich sediment above and beneath the interglacial deposits are appended and indicate that it is almost all of local Reading Beds material.

栃木県南部，二宮町における立川期の植物遺体群集

The pollen assemblages, macroscopic remains (seed, fruit, leaf, etc.), and wood remains obtained from the Latest Pleistocene peat bed at Harabun, Tochigi Prefecture, ca. 20, 000y.B.P., resemble each other in occurrence of such remarkable taxa, as Pinus subgen. Haploxylon, Picea, Larix, Betula, and Alnus. The forests are characterized by a dominance of Pinus koraiensis and Picea, accompanied by Larix and Betula platyphylla. Wood anatomy shows that Picea includes two groups, but P. cf. shirasawae is identified or the basis of cone morphology These indicate the upper cool-temperate to lower subalpine climate. From these facts and the previous reports it is inferred that such forests spread out widely in the northern Kanto region during the last glacial maximum.

Interpretation of Macrofossil Assemblages from Surface Sampling of Macroscopic Plant Remains in Mire Communities

SUMMARY (1) Standard surface samples were collected in fen, fen-carr and swamp-carr communities to establish relationships between assemblages of macroscopic plant remains, particularly seeds and fruits, and the vegetation contributing them. (2) The source area of seeds was determined by measuring the distance from the sample point to the nearest mature individual of each species occurring within 5 m. The cover-abundance and reproductive performance of each species within 1 m of each sample were also recorded. (3) The proportion of species represented by seeds varied from 50 to 100% and was highest in swamp-carr and lowest in fen-carr deposits. The 'seed rain' was far from even. (4) There was a general relationship between cover-abundance and seed representation for some species (e.g. Carex paniculata) but not for others (e.g. Solanum dulcamara). (5) Most seeds and fruits in the surface samples could have come from plants growing within 1 m of each sampling point. Those from greater distances are adapted for dispersal by wind or water. Reconstructions of past plant communities from the assemblages in a single sample may therefore apply only to the immediate vicinity of that sampling point.

A late holocene deposit under the Westfriese Zeedijk near Enkhuizen (Prov. of Noord-Holland, The Netherlands): Palaeoecological and archaeological aspects

A Late Holocene lake and peat deposit preserved under the sea dike near Enkhuizen was examined by means of an analysis of both microfossils and macroscopic remains of plants and animals. The hypothesis that the abandonment of Bronze Age settlements in eastern West-Friesland was caused by a rise of the water table was confirmed. This hydrological change was most probably concomitant with the shift towards a more oceanic climate at the Subboreal/Subatlantic transition. The local succession, from the time that the rising of the water table led to a shallow fresh-water pool (viz., ca. 2850 B.P.) until the formation of Sphagnum peat (at ca. 1900 B.P.), could be reconstructed in detail. The gyttja deposited in the initial phase of the section was formed in stagnant, shallow, eutrophic and alkaline water, as is indicated by the presence of some representatives of the Zygnemataceae, Cyanophyceae and Diatomeae. The invertebrates also point to shallow water with a dense stand of vegetation and eutrophic conditions, judging by the presence of Eurycercus lamellatus, Simocephalus sp. and Moina sp. (Cladocera). During the phase in which the open water was gradually filled in by vegetable litter, especially Carex riparia, Lycopus europaeus and Equisetum fluviatile played a prominent part. Subsequently the mesotraphentous Menyanthes trifoliata could settle. The peat deposition continued until the surface had been raised high enough in relation to the water table to permit the establishment of Salix, Thelypteris and Lychnis flos-cuculi. From the subsequent birch carr the succession proceeded to a Sphagnum bog in which Ericaceae played a part. Late Medieval habitation on the oligotrophic bog, which probably began in the eleventh or twelfth century A.D., is reflected, among other things, by the presence of pollen of Secale cereale and Centaurea cyanus and of seeds of Plantago major and some other weeds. The drainage required for habitation and agriculture will have caused subsidence and oxidation of the peat in West-Friesland. In combination with the continuing rise of the sea level during the Late Holocene, this resulted in an increased influence of the sea (in the section this is shown by the occurrence of Salicornia europaea, Puccinellia distans, Triglochin maritima and Foraminifera). A dike was built to protect the cultivated area. In addition to pollen and seeds, more than 100 taxa of other micro- and macrofossils were identified, of which 39 hitherto unrecognized or incompletely known “Types”, predominantly from the gyttja, are described and figured. Among the fossils described are fungal and algal spores, spores of Riccia cf, sorocarpa (Hepaticae), invertebrates, and some Types of unknown origin.