Palynological Evidence Research Articles

Palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental interpretations of the Late Oligocene, Late Miocene–Early Pliocene in the Çankırı-Çorum Basin

Palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental interpretations are reconstructed from the sedimentary sequences of the Late Oligocene and Miocene–Pliocene boundary in the Çankırı-Çorum Basin based on evidence obtained from palynofloras and ostracod and mammal faunas. Information on the main role of mixed mesophytic and broad-leaved evergreen forests was obtained from the Late Oligocene data from the Güvendik Formation. The pollen records of the formation showed a greater proportion of the hygrophytic forest communities. Thermophilic taxa and the taxonomic diversity of these forest communities developed mainly under dry subtropical climate conditions.Palynofloras and ostracods of the Latest Miocene and Earliest Pliocene were determined from coal bearing sediments of the Akaşdağı Formation in Central Turkey. The Latest Miocene palynoflora was represented by low diversity and abundance of spores and pollen, and it was characterized by mainly grassland species. The Earliest Pliocene palynoflora differs from that of the Latest Miocene through the presence of abundant and diverse palynomorphs. This palaeovegetation diversification from the Latest Miocene to Earliest Pliocene can be related to changes in temperature and precipitation in the southern part of the Çankırı-Çorum Basin. The identified ostracods, palynomorphs indicative of brackish environments, and a high abundance of gypsum crystals observed from the lower part of the Akkaşdağı Formation suggest brackish conditions during the Latest Miocene. Palynological evidence and results using the Coexistence Approach indicate that climate evolution in Central Turkey during this period can be referred to ongoing tectonic activity in this area and global climate change during the Neogene.

A Holocene vegetation history from the southern Cape coast of South Africa: palynological and microcharcoal evidence from Eilandvlei

A Holocene vegetation history from the southern Cape coast of South Africa: palynological and microcharcoal evidence from Eilandvlei

Lipid biomarker stratigraphic records through the Late Devonian Frasnian/Famennian boundary: Comparison of high- and low-latitude epicontinental marine settings

The pervasiveness of black shale preservation in association with Late Devonian biological crises suggests marine anoxia played a major role in driving ecological perturbations. However, Devonian black shale deposition is still mechanistically poorly understood. We have compiled detailed biomarker lipid chemostratigraphic records for 83 different rock samples using molecular constituents of bitumens of Upper Kellwasser equivalent black shales from two foreland basins: from the low paleolatitude Appalachian Basin (New York State) and from the high paleolatitude Madre de Dios Basin (Bolivia), in order to better understand local environmental conditions and organic source inputs during this depositional event. Despite strong indications from stable nitrogen isotopic signatures for fixed nitrogen nutrient limitation, the biomarker assemblages with consistently low-moderate hopane/sterane ratios (<0.8) indicate that algae were major marine primary producers in both basins throughout the Frasnian/Famennian (F/F) stratigraphic coverage. Consistently higher C28/C29 sterane ratios at higher paleolatitude in the more nutrient-replete Madre de Dios Basin suggest prasinophyte microalgae flourished in this setting in accordance with palynological evidence for high contributions of Tasmanites cysts in these strata. All samples contain only very low absolute amounts of aryl isoprenoids (with 2,3,6-trimethyl substitution) and other aromatic carotenoids, up to several orders of magnitude lower than concentrations reported from other Phanerozoic euxinic basins. These data are consistent with local marine paleo-redox models for both basins lacking a persistently shallow sulfidic aquatic zone and demonstrate that temporally persistent or spatially pervasive photic zone euxinia is not necessarily associated with all black shale sequences in the Late Devonian.

Palynological evidence of the geoecological belts dynamics from Eastern Cordillera of NW Argentina (23° S) during the Pre-Last Glacial Maximum

This paper presents the first palynological record for the dynamics of geoecological belts of the Eastern Cordillera in northwestern Argentina prior to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The study was carried out on a 5-m deep sedimentary core raised at Laguna Blanca (23°09’S, 65°12’W; 4,256 m a.s.l.), province of Jujuy. The geochronology was based on three 14C dating by AMS method. Results show the sensitive response of the geoecological belts to temperature and effective moisture variations from ca. 29,000 to ca. 25,000 cal. years BP. The High Andean belt probably suffered an altitudinal descent forced by intense cold climate conditions ca. 29,000 cal. years BP, and may have reached a comparable distribution to the present one on 26,300 cal. years BP, favored by a milder climate. The Puna belt did not suffer great changes, since it remained with low representation in the pollen spectrum. High percentages of tree species from the Yungas ca. 29,000 cal. years BP are probably a response to the intensification of anabatic winds ascending the slope of the Sub-Andean Range towards the Eastern Cordillera. These results represent an important contribution to the paleoenvironmental discussion of the Late Pleistocene for the northwestern Argentina, where the available information on vegetation history is scarce.

Palynological and Stratigraphical Evidences on the Age of the Outcropped Khabour Formation near Chalki Nasara Village, Kurdistan Region, Northern Iraq

Palynological and Stratigraphical Evidences on the Age of the Outcropped Khabour Formation near Chalki Nasara Village, Kurdistan Region, Northern Iraq

Revision of Eugenia and Syzygium (Myrtaceae) from the Comoros archipelago

A taxonomic revision of all native Myrtaceae genera (Eugenia and Syzygium) of the Comoros is presented based on herbarium specimens and molecular and palynological evidence. Eight native species are recognised, seven of which are endemic to the archipelago. We describe the following five new native species: Eugenia choungiensis, E. pascaliana, Syzygium comorense, S. labatii, and S. tringiense. Eugenia anjouanensis is reduced to synonymy under E. comorensis. Lobed stigmas are reported for the first time in Eugenia and only the second time in Myrtaceae. Androdioecy is reported in Eugenia for the first time outside of continental Africa, and its reproductive system is discussed in light of our findings. Preliminary conservation assessments for each native species are calculated according to IUCN Red List criteria, with the majority being threatened with extinction. Recent fieldwork coupled with widespread habitat conversion in the vicinity of the only known specimen suggests strongly that S. humblotii is now extinct.

Stratigraphy, palaeoenvironments and palaeoecology of the Loch Humphrey Burn lagerstätte and other Mississippian palaeobotanical localities of the Kilpatrick Hills, southwest Scotland.

Background and Aims. The largely Mississippian strata of the Kilpatrick Hills, located at the western end of the Scottish Midland Valley, enclose several macrofossil floras that together contain ca 21 organ-species of permineralised plants and ca 44 organ-species of compressed plants, here estimated to represent 25 whole-plant species (Glenarbuck = nine, Loch Humphrey Burn Lower = 11, Upper = seven). The most significant locality is the internationally important volcanigenic sequence that is reputedly intercalated within the Clyde Plateau Lava Formation at Loch Humphrey Burn, where ca 30 m of reworked tuffs and other clastic sediments enclose one of the world’s most important terrestrial lagerstätten of this period. We here explore the palaeoecology and palaeoenvironments of the locality, and elucidate its controversial age.Methods. Repeated re-excavation of key exposures allowed recognition of five main depositional units, differing in thickness from 4 m to 12 m. It also permitted detailed sampling for plant macrofossils and microfossils throughout the succession. Several approaches are integrated to re-assess the taphonomy and preservation of these exceptional plant fossils.Key Results. The deposits are rich in taxonomically diverse miospores and in toto contain at least six well-developed compression floras, together with two beds yielding nodules that enclose well-researched anatomically preserved plants permineralised in calcite. Bulk geochemistry shows that the upper nodules formed by migration of Ca with subordinate Mn and Na. Some phylogenetically important plant fossils recovered in the early 20th century have been traced to their source horizons. Trends in relative proportions of macrofossil and microfossil taxa through the sequence are only moderately congruent, perhaps reflecting the likelihood that microfossils sample the regional rather than the local flora.Conclusions. The Loch Humphrey Burn sequence encompasses a wide range of depositional environments that intercalates high-energy fluvial channels (possibly developed during flash floods in a seasonally arid environment) with lower energy flood plains and a brief lacustrine interval; all yield macrofloras typically dominated by allochthonous pteridosperms. The uppermost unit represents clastic swamps dominated by (hypo)autochthonous lycopsids and ferns s.l., and is tentatively correlated with the entire—reputedly mid-Visean—exposure at nearby Glenarbuck. Other nearby localities with rooted tree-lycopsids appear to have immediately pre-dated the onset of regional volcanism. These interpretations allow revised provenancing and dating of historical collections of key plant fossils. The late Tournaisian date previously attributed on palynological evidence to the lowest unit at Loch Humphrey Burn appears increasingly improbable when our re-appraisal of the macrofloras and microfloras is placed in the context of (a) statistical comparison with other permineralised Mississippian assemblages and (b) recent stratigraphic and geochronologic studies in the region; rather, we ascribe the entire Kilpatrick Hills sequence to the mid-Visean. Stratigraphic and palaeoenvironmental interpretations of the Mississippian rocks of the Kilpatrick Hills have especially profound implications for our understanding of the physical evolution of Scotland during the Variscan orogeny and formation of Pangea.

Palynological evidence of cultural and environmental connections in Sudanese Nubia during the Early and Middle Holocene

Pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs have been studied from three archaeological sites (8-B-10C, 8-B-76, and 8-B-81) on Sai Island, in the River Nile, and one (2-R-66) from the Amara West district, in northern Upper Nubia of the present Sudan. The research aimed at obtaining information on the environmental conditions and changes occurring in the area during the Early and Middle Holocene. Archaeologically, this is a crucial period as it saw one of the most relevant economic transitions from hunting–fishing–gathering to animal herding. The archaeopalynological analyses are useful to reconstruct the environment and plant landscapes that supported human plant selection in this part of North Africa, between about 8700 and 4300 cal BC. However, pollen was not present everywhere because the sediments were very poor in organic content, or damaged by the repeated hydration–dehydration cycles determined by the Nile river floodings. The data obtained, the most consistent from any archaeological site in this area, are coherent with the regional and interregional palaeoenvironmental data. The interdisciplinary studies that allowed the correct interpretation of the pollen records presented in this paper included the archaeological features, and the faunal (mainly gastropod) and algal remains from the same sites. The state of preservation of most pollen, showing thinned exine, and the remarkable records of the terrestrial alga Fritschiella outline the seasonality of the area that has been evident in the past as in the present. Pollen samples included prevailing amounts of grasses and sedges that, with some hygro-hydrophilous taxa, largely represent the riverine and wetland vegetation of the Nile Valley. They suggest that the land use was not intensive and was not able to substantially modify the natural cover and cyclic renewal of the soils and the vegetation. The interdisciplinary evidence from the Sai Island, showing that site 8-B-76 has been continuatively occupied during the 8.2 ka BP dry phase, proves the key role played by the great river on attracting humans and supplying resources even, and especially, during the arid oscillations of the Holocene.

Pollen morphology and fossil record of the feathery mistletoe family Misodendraceae

Misodendraceae is a small family of mistletoes in the order Santalales. Its distribution is restricted to the southern South American temperate forests. The family comprises the sole genus Misodendrum with eight species of hemiparasitic shrubs, mainly parasitising the southern beech Nothofagus. This contribution presents palynological evidence from seven species, using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Pollen grains are consistently small, periporate and echinate, although differences in the length of echini and number and size of pores were noted. Pollen features can be used to distinguish groups of species and, in some cases, individual species. Cluster analysis of pollen characters differentiates two main groups: one includes M. brachystachyum, M. oblongifolium and M. quadriflorum; and the other includes M. gayanum, M. linearifolium, M. punctulatum and M. angulatum. Palynological results are compared with previous systematic studies of the family. The South American fossil pollen record is summarised and characters of the fossil pollen are analysed using UPGMA to test the relationships between extant and fossil species. Miocene pollen resulted similar to species of subgenus Angelopogon while Eocene pollen is disimilar to extant species of Misodendraceae.

The best of both worlds: Human impact and plant subsistence at the Middle and Late Neolithic semi-agricultural site of Hekelingen III (2900–2500 BC)

Abstract Archaeological sites of the Dutch Neolithic Vlaardingen group (ca. 3400–2500 BC) are known from a large variety of environments with both dryland and wetland settings and display a variety of site functions. However, large and interdisciplinary archaeobotanical data sets are still scarce, which restricts the understanding of the subsistence of this cultural group. This paper presents a reconstruction of the vegetation, an analysis of human impact and a reconstruction of plant exploitation at the Vlaardingen site of Hekelingen III (2900–2500 BC). The analysis is based on an unusually large data set of four pollen sequences and more than 100 macroremain samples, supported by wood and charcoal data. The pollen data allows a reconstruction of the vegetation before, during and after the Vlaardingen occupation, and shows that human impact was very modest. The macroremain data indicates that there is evidence of emmer wheat, naked barley and flax. Arable weed analysis provides indications of an import of naked barley during at least one occupation phase, which corresponds with the restricted palynological evidence of human impact. In addition, there is plenty of evidence for the exploitation of wild fruits, such as hazelnuts, acorns, crab apples, and water chestnuts, and possibly root tubers of Ficaria verna. Despite indications of long-lasting occupation and a large variety of activities at Hekelingen III, the evidence of the consumption of agricultural products rather than their production and of the collection of a wide range of fruits fits very well with further indications of hunting, fishing and fowling and the absence of heavy, permanent structures. Moreover, the site can be seen as being part of a settlement system in which also other Vlaardingen sites played a role, such as the nearby site of Hellevoetsluis, where permanent occupation was verified and crops were locally cultivated.

New palynological evidence for the age of the Beda Formation, Sirte Basin, Libya

New palynological evidence for the age of the Beda Formation, Sirte Basin, Libya

Exploring Byzantine and Ottoman economic history with the use of palynological data: a quantitative approach (with one map and 32 figures)

This paper discusses the results of a numerical analysis of the existing palynological evidence from medieval and early modern Balkans and Anatolia; as such, it hopes to provide new quantitative data for the study of Byzantine and Ottoman economic history. After presenting the palynological database prepared for this project – as well as the numerical methods developed specifically to deal with this material - the core of the paper is devoted to historical interpretation. In the first section we deal with the late antique and early medieval periods, demonstrating that signs of both late antique agrarian prosperity and early medieval economic collapse may be observed across Greece, Macedonia and Anatolia. The following section focuses on evidence for the development of a pastoral economy in the central Balkan mountain ranges, between the early Middle Ages and the Ottoman era. The third section discusses environmental aspects of the middle Byzantine economic revival. Finally, the paper focuses on how different regions of the Balkans and Anatolia fared during the late Byzantine and Ottoman periods; in particular, we demonstrate how the Byzantine economic system came to an end, and how a new economic geography emerged during the Ottoman era.

Humans and Water in Desert “Refugium” Areas: Palynological Evidence of Climate Oscillations and Cultural Developments in Early and Mid-Holocene Saharan Edges

Saharan anthropic deposits from archaeological sites, located along wadis or close to lakes, and sedimentary sequences from permanent and dried basins demonstrate that water has always been an attractive environmental feature, especially during periods of drought. This paper reports on two very different examples of Holocene sites where “humans and water” coexisted during dry periods, as observed by stratigraphic, archaeological and palynological evidence. Independent research was carried out on the Jefara Plain (Libya, 32°N) and the Gobero area (Niger, 17°N), at the extreme northern and southern limits of the Sahara, respectively. The histories of the Jefara and Gobero areas, as revealed by the archaeological and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, suggest that these areas were likely to have been visited and exploited for a long time, acting as anthropic refugia, and therefore they have been profoundly transformed. Human presence and actions have conditioned the local growing of plants and selected a more or less synanthropic flora. Today, modern conservation strategies should take into consideration that water reservoirs, which are crucial for the long-term conservation of biodiversity, have provided refugia in the past just as they presently do under global warming conditions. IANSA 2015 ● VI/2 ● 151–160 Anna Maria Mercuri, Assunta Florenzano, Carlo Giraudi, Elena A. A. Garcea: Humans and Water in Desert “Refugium” Areas: Palynological Evidence of Climate Oscillations and Cultural Developments in Early and Mid-Holocene Saharan Edges 152 This paper reports on two, very different, examples of evidence concerning “humans and water” as observed in the stratigraphic, archaeological and palynological studies carried out on Holocene deposits at the extreme limits of northern and southern Sahara.

An Early Ordovician organic-walled microphytoplankton assemblage from the Nambeet Formation, Canning Basin, Australia: biostratigraphic and paleogeographic significance

A well-preserved and moderately diverse organic-walled microphytoplankton assemblage was recovered from the subsurface Lower Ordovician Nambeet Formation, Canning Basin, Western Australia. The microphytoplankton assemblage consists of prasinophyte phycomata (Leiosphaeridia spp.), acritarchs, cyanobacteria (Eomerismopedia maureeniae), degraded algae, chitinozoans and graptolite fragments. The acritarch assemblage comprises 13 genera, one of which is new (Aciculasphaera), 13 named species, three of which are new (Aciculasphaera interrupta, Gorgonisphaeridium martiniae and Loeblichia nambeetense), five species left in open nomenclature (sp.), and one cf. designation. The acritarch assemblage indicates an Early Ordovician (late Tremodocian through Floian) age and displays some similarities with comparable-age assemblages reported from North and South China, Australia and Laurentia. The paleogeographic distribution of the acritarch assemblage indicates that this assemblage represents a low- to mid-paleolatitude occurrence. Sedimentologic and palynologic evidence signifies deposition in a normal marine offshore environment.

The detrital record of late‐Miocene to Pliocene surface uplift and exhumation of the Venezuelan Andes in the Maracaibo and Barinas foreland basins

AbstractA multidisciplinary approach, combining sediment petrographic, palynological and thermochronological techniques, has been used to study the Miocene‐Pliocene sedimentary record of the evolution of the Venezuelan Andes. Samples from the Maracaibo (pro‐wedge) and Barinas (retro‐wedge) foreland basins, proximal to this doubly vergent mountain belt, indicate that fluvial and alluvial‐fan sediments of similar composition were shed to both sides of the Venezuelan Andes. Granitic and gneissic detritus was derived from the core of the mountain belt, whereas sedimentary cover rocks and uplifted foreland basin sediments were recycled from its flanks. Palynological evidence from the Maracaibo and Barinas basins constrains depositional ages of the studied sections from late Miocene to Pliocene. The pollen assemblages from the Maracaibo Basin are indicative of mountain vegetation, implying surface elevations of up to 3500–4000 m in the Venezuelan Andes at this time. Detrital apatite fission‐track (AFT) data were obtained from both stratigraphic sections. In samples from the Maracaibo basin, the youngest AFT grain‐age population has relatively static minimum ages of 5 ± 2 Ma, whereas for the Barinas basin samples AFT minimum ages are 7 ± 2 Ma. With exception of two samples collected from the Eocene Pagüey Formation and from the very base of the Miocene Parángula Formation, no evidence for resetting and track annealing in apatite due to burial heating in the basins was found. This is supported by rock‐eval analyses on organic matter and thermal modelling results. Therefore, for all other samples the detrital AFT ages reflect source area cooling and impose minimum age constraints on sediment deposition. The main phase of surface uplift, topography and relief generation, and erosional exhumation in the Venezuelan Andes occurred during the late Miocene to Pliocene. The Neogene evolution of the Venezuelan Andes bears certain similarities with the evolution of the Eastern Cordillera in Colombia, although they are not driven by exactly the same underlying geodynamic processes. The progressive development of the two mountain belts is seen in the context of collision of the Panama arc with northwestern South America and the closure of the Panama seaway in Miocene times, as well as contemporaneous movement of the Caribbean plate to the east and clock‐wise rotation of the Maracaibo block.

Late Antique Environment and Economy in the North of the Iberian Peninsula: The Site of La Tabacalera (Asturias, Spain)

Abstract The exceptional preservation of organic remains in a well-reservoir at the site of La Tabacalera (Asturias, Spain) is the subject of an interdisciplinary study regarding past human-environmental interaction. The feature, dated to Late Antiquity, corresponds to a large well containing a wide range of organic material (animal bones, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs), mites, seeds, wood and wooden artefacts, etc.). This article examines both plant micro (pollen and NPPs) and macro-remains (seeds and wood) dated between the late 5th–8th c. AD. The palynological evidence suggests that the structure investigated was colonised by different species dominated by ivy, while the surrounding anthropised area was characterised by the presence of open areas, probably occupied by meadows and pastures. A mixed deciduous forest was also present not far from the site. The abundant plant macro-remains include the presence of water-loving woody species, which inform us about the vegetation growing around the well-reservoir. The seed record comprises cultivated plants, and a wide range of wild species typical of humid environments. Among the remains there are also some wooden artefacts. Plant remains have provided significant information, not only to reconstruct the landscape around the site, but also on the formation of the feature’s backfill. Moreover, the remains offer us information regarding objects of daily life and the maintenance of the feature.

Palynological evidence for human occupation in western Rough Cilicia (southwest Turkey)

Paleo-environmental investigation of landscape transformation has enabled the Rough Cilicia Survey Project (south coastal Turkey) to supplement its archaeological analysis of the process of Romanization. During Antiquity, Rough Cilicia was celebrated for its cedar wood, the rot-resistant properties of which made it excellent ship-building material. Today, all trace of ancient cedar forests of the Rough Cilician highland has vanished, raising important questions about the sustainability of ancient forestry practices. Remote sensing analysis indicates that approximately 3.5% of the region's current forest cover is represented by a mixed forest of cedar and fir trees; whereas, 8.5% is represented by black pine. Palynological analysis of pollen samples obtained from four geomorphologic trenches indicate a common pattern of Cedrus dominance followed by Abies, Pinus, Juniperus, Quercus ilex type and Juglans. An inverse relationship appears to exist between Cedrus, Abies, and Pinus. The intermittent presence of additional invasive species such as Quercus and Juniperus raises the likelihood of periods of more arid (colder) climate (scenario 1) or secondary growth following forest clearance (scenario 2). The emergence of Juglans in the upper zone of the pollen diagrams confirms the existence of anthropogenic activity.

Early Eocene equatorial vegetation and depositional environment: Biomarker and palynological evidences from a lignite-bearing sequence of Cambay Basin, western India

An investigation of palaeofloral distribution with depositional environment and palaeoclimatic condition of western Indian subcontinent during Early Eocene period has been carried out from a lignite-bearing succession of Cambay Basin, western India. The study of biomarkers, palynological remains and petrography is taken as proxies for providing supportive evidence for our inference. The petrographic results reveal that the sediments are thermally immature and coalification was extended up to the lignitic stage (low rank B). The palynological results show the dominance of angiosperms, mainly members belonging to the Arecaceae family, throughout the studied section. Triterpenoids with oleanane, ursane and lupane structure in extractable organic matter are derived from angiosperm wax. Pollen grains (Spinizonocolpites, Proxapertites, Dipterocarpuspollenites, Albertipollenites, Retipollenites, Arengapollenites, Lakiapollis and Longapertites) with pteridophyte spores and fungal fruiting bodies confirm the prevalence of tropical to subtropical climate during the deposition of the sediments. Sesquiterpenoids like longifolene-12, methanoazulene, cadinane and δ-selinene together with amyrin derivatives are the indicator of Dipterocarpaceae family that grows in the extant tropical rain forests in SE Asia. Appearance of dinoflagellate cysts and the predominance of lower molecular weight part in n-alkane series with the signature of submerged/floating vegetation in the shale horizon indicate marine influence in the younger part of the mine section. The presence of mangrove pollen such as Spinizonocolpites, Proxapertites and Acanthotricolpites further suggests that the lignite-bearing sequence was deposited in marshy marginal marine environment.

Neoholocene palaeoenvironmental changes in the Southern Roztocze region (SE Poland): The Kobyle Jezioro raised bog case study

The pollen diagram from the Kobyle Jezioro raised bog, situated in the source area of the Tanew River in the Roztocze region, covers the whole Neoholocene. The deposit thickness (about 3.5 m) has permitted high resolution pollen, peat (including macrofossils) and lithology analyses. Vegetational and palaeoenvironmental changes in this part of the Roztocze were recorded in pollen spectra and organic deposits. Palynological evidence shows the typical Neoholocene succession, which corresponds with the phenomena described from central Europe: from mixed deciduous forests at the decline of the climatic optimum, through hornbeam- and beech-dominated forests to pine forests. Peat accumulation in the Kobyle Jezioro peat-bog started during increased climatic humidity at the beginning of the Subboreal, and originally a fen peat was formed. Raised bog peat layers make up the uppermost 80 cm of the deposit. Within the fen deposits can be found layers of transitional peat, indicating short-term episodes of water deficiency in the early Subboreal phase (short-term climatic dryness) and towards its end (drainage of the bog resulting from the lowering of the groundwater table in the source area of the Tanew River). The growth of the raised bog started at the beginning of the climate deterioration in the Little Ice Age, and the unstable climatic conditions are reflected in the numerous periodical mineral (aeolian) material supplies in the developing ombrogenic bog. The accumulation of the younger section of transitional and raised peats during the Little Ice Age reflects the local hydrological changes in the source area of the Tanew River.

High-resolution palynological evidence for vegetation response to the Laacher See eruption from the varved record of Meerfelder Maar (Germany) and other central European records

The Laacher See eruption (LSE) was one of the larger Plinian eruptions of the late Quaternary in Europe. Distal tephra deposits of the LSE are found in three major directions and have been encountered over an area of at least 230,000km2. Large volcanic explosions such as the LSE can have direct as well as indirect effects on vegetation and climate. Previous studies suggest that the effects of the LSE probably were of short duration only, in the order of several decades at the longest. The varved sediment record of Meerfelder Maar provides an excellent natural archive to study the impact of the LSE on the vegetation. Using a sub-decadal sampling resolution, we are able to reconstruct an abrupt decrease in the abundance of pine pollen to only 5% in the last ~5years prior to the LST. A concurrent increase in charcoal strongly suggests that the disappearance of pine is related to fire-activity before the eruption. All taxa show decreased pollen productivity directly following the LSE, although most taxa recover within 1–2 decades. Pinus takes the longest to recover to high values after the LSE. Mechanisms that could explain this longer-lasting minimum include short-scale climate changes such as an increase in precipitation or a decrease in temperature, soil acidification, and an increase in wildfires. Variance partitioning shows that the pollen data (both percentage and PAR) show a statistically significant response to the LSE. A review of other high-resolution palynological records shows that sites that are situated relatively close (101–102km) to the Laacher See show a distinct change in the pollen diagrams, commonly mainly a decrease in Pinus, just above the LST, while sites that are located further away only show minor fluctuations or no change at all. The MFM record is the only dataset that shows a decrease in the abundance of pine pollen prior to the LST.