Palaeobotany

The main phases of the Late Gla cial and Ho lo cene de vel op ment of veg e ta tion in the Wigry Na tional Park were re constructed based on the pol len anal y sis of sed i ments from three small dystrophic lakes (Lake Suchar Wielki, Lake Suchar II and Lake OElepe). At the cur rent stage of re search, the age of the stud ied de pos its was de ter mined by AMS radio car bon dat ing of few sam ples only. This meant that the chro nol ogy of the in ves ti gated pro files had to be es ti mated also in di rectly us ing their palynological cor re la tion with a ra dio met ri cally well-dated pro file from Lake Wigry. The ob tained pol len data con firmed the pic ture of the postglacial veg e ta tion changes of the Wigry Na tional Park, which was based on ear lier stud ies of Lake Wigry. Fur ther more, it doc u mented the ex is tence, mainly in the Preboreal and Atlan tic chronozones, of tem po rary changes in veg e ta tion, which might be a re ac tion to a short-lived cold fluc tu a tions of cli mate.

The Late Glacial and Holocene development of vegetation in the vicinity of the Wigry Lake is reconstructed using pollen analysis. The Late Glacial sediments include the Allerød and Younger Dryas chronozones. The Holocene section is complete. Pollen data combined with archaeological evidence and radiocarbon dating permit the recognition and characterisation of human influence on the local plant cover caused by settlers of Mesolithic and Neolithic cultures, by west Balts, by Grand Dukes of Lithuania and by Cameldolites order. On the basis of pollen analysis the development of aquatic and mire vegetation in the Wigry Lake is described.

Pollen analysis of sediments from three lakes and analysis of plant macroremains including charcoal from archaeological sites in the Mazurian Lake District provide new data for the reconstruction of vegetation changes related to human activity between the 1st and 13th century AD. At that time settlements of the Bogaczewo culture (from the turn of the 1st century AD to the first part of the 5th century AD), the Olsztyn Group (second part of the 5th century AD to the 7th or beginning of the 8th century AD), and the Prussian Galinditae tribes (8th/9th-13th century AD) developed. The most intensive woodland clearing occurred between the 1st and 6th/7th century AD. Presence of Cerealia-type, Secale cereale and Cannabis-type pollen, as well as macroremains of Hordeum vulgare, S. cereale, Triticum spelta, T. cf. monococcum, T. cf. dicoccum, Avena sp. and Panicum miliaceum documented local agriculture. High Betula representation synchronous with microcharcoal occurrence suggests shifting agriculture. After forest regeneration between c. AD 650 and 1100, the area was strongly deforested due to the early medieval occupation by Prussian tribes. The archaeobotanical examination of samples taken in a cemetery and a large settlement of the Roman Iron Age revealed strong differences in the taxonomic composition of the fossil plant remains. An absolute dominance of birch charcoal in the samples from the cemetery indicates its selective use for funeral pyre construction. There is a difference between cereals found in both contexts: numerous grains of Triticum have been found in the cemetery, while in the settlement crops were represented mostly by Secale and Hordeum. Grass tubers, belonging probably to Phleum pratense, are among the particularly interesting plant remains found in the cemetery.

The development of vegetation in the Skaliska Basin has been reconstructed on the basis of palynological analysis and radiocarbon dating (AMS technique) of 6 sites from the late phase of the Bolling- Allerod interstadial complex to modern times. Although the area covers 90 km2, the mosaic character of habitats led to the development of different patterns of vegetation changes during the Late Glacial and Holocene. Only one site located in the eastern part of the Skaliska Basin reflected the ‘pine phase’ of Allerod, and this is the oldest data on vegetation in the Skaliska Basin. Interesting discrepancies were recorded during the Younger Dryas when patches of shrublands with Juniperus were distinct around some of the sites, while steppe with Artemisia was common in others. The beginning of the Holocene brought an expansion of birch-pine forest, but around 9600 cal. BC a cold oscillation took place which was reflected in an increase in birch in the woodlands in the western and eastern ...

Z okazji LV Zjazdu Polskiego Towarzystwa Botanicznego do rąk polskich botaników trafia kolejna monografia geobotaniczna. Tym razem jest to ujęcie nieco odmienne od opracowań poprzednich zjazdów, gdyż nie koncentruje się na pojedynczym regionie, ale na strefie przejścia między Europą Środkową i Północno-Wschodnią, a ujmując rzecz szerzej – między Zachodem i Wschodem Europy. Opracowanie prezentuje obiekty, leżące na Mazowszu, Polesiu, Podlasiu i Pojezierzu Litewskim. Ich położenie przy granicy wielkich jednostek geobotanicznych skutkuje różnorodnością flory i roślinności. Monografia, chociaż z racji ograniczonej objętości nie przedstawia wszystkich cennych obiektów przyrodniczych między Wisłą a Niemnem, to reprezentatywnie oddaje charakter i zmienność szaty roślinnej na tym obszarze. Dobór prezentowanych obiektów wynika z ich unikalnych walorów przyrodniczych, a jednocześnie z poznawczych upodobań autorów. Stąd też wszystkie rozdziały zawierają po części oryginalne i nierzadko niepubl...

The long-term development of a humic lake ecosystem in Poland was investigated via palaeoecological analyses of age-dated sediment cores. Peat and lacustrine deposit records spanning approximately 12,000 years of lake history were analysed with regard to palynomorphs, plant macrofossils, degree of peat decomposition, Cladocera and geochemistry. Our study demonstrated the difficulty of classifying sediments deposited in humic lakes. We considered it inadequate to classify dy sediment exclusively using macroscopic criteria in the absence of geochemical parameters. Our study of the palaeoecology of the humic lake suggested three primary shifts in its trophic status: from oligotrophy to mesotrophy (Allerød-Boreal), to eutrophy (Atlantic), and to humotrophy (from the Sub-Boreal to the present). The results indicated that shifts in the trophic status occurred in response to climatic changes and factors linked to the catchment. The transformation from a clearwater lake of high trophic status to a humic lake was possible, such that the latter may originate not only from an oligotrophic lake. As a result of our pioneering study, we determined that a humic water body may even develop because of transformation of a eutrophic lake.

Pollen analysis of sediments from three lakes and analysis of plant macroremains including charcoal from archaeological sites in the Mazurian Lake District provide new data for the reconstruction of vegetation changes related to human activity between the 1st and 13th century AD. At that time settlements of the Bogaczewo culture (from the turn of the 1st century AD to the first part of the 5th century AD), the Olsztyn Group (second part of the 5th century AD to the 7th or beginning of the 8th century AD), and the Prussian Galinditae tribes (8th/9th-13th century AD) developed. The most intensive woodland clearing occurred between the 1st and 6th/7th century AD. Presence of Cerealia-type, Secale cereale and Cannabis-type pollen, as well as macroremains of Hordeum vulgare, S. cereale, Triticum spelta, T. cf. monococcum, T. cf. dicoccum, Avena sp. and Panicum miliaceum documented local agriculture. High Betula representation synchronous with microcharcoal occurrence suggests shifting agriculture. After forest regeneration between c. AD 650 and 1100, the area was strongly deforested due to the early medieval occupation by Prussian tribes. The archaeobotanical examination of samples taken in a cemetery and a large settlement of the Roman Iron Age revealed strong differences in the taxonomic composition of the fossil plant remains. An absolute dominance of birch charcoal in the samples from the cemetery indicates its selective use for funeral pyre construction. There is a difference between cereals found in both contexts: numerous grains of Triticum have been found in the cemetery, while in the settlement crops were represented mostly by Secale and Hordeum. Grass tubers, belonging probably to Phleum pratense, are among the particularly interesting plant remains found in the cemetery.

Pollen analysis of sediments from the upper part of bottom deposits from Lake Salęt allowed reconstruction of main stages of the Late Holocene vegetation transformation in the Mrągowo Lake District (from ca. 3600 cal. years BC) and to correlate some of these changes with immigration and economic activity of local human groups. Significant spreading of secondary semi-natural birch forest, development of horn beam forest and increasing importance of anthropogenic open communities were the most characteristic features of vegetation evolution. A definite break down of elm took place between 2900 and 2500 cal. years BC, slightly after increased contribution of birch in wood lands. Disappearance of hazel around 1200 cal. years BC, accompanied by expansion of horn beam has been observed and should be linked with activity of the Ząbie-Szestno type culture and the Lusatian culture tribes during the Bronze Age, but not with a climate change. Considerable intensification of settlement processe...

Pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, charcoal and geochemical analyses of sediments from Lake Salęt (NE Poland) were used to reconstruct vegetation changes related to the activity of the West Balt tribes during the Iron Age, in the period between the second half of the 7th century BC and the beginning of the 10th century AD. We distinguished five phases of human impact on environment. Woodland clearing around the studied lake started at the end of the 7th century BC. The most characteristic feature of this area during the whole Iron Age was a very high representation of semi-natural Betula woodlands, which was probably linked to a shifting agriculture. This type of land use lasted for over 1,500 years, until the second half of the 9th century AD. The greatest reduction in Betula woodlands took place between cal. years 650 and 450 BC. Its regeneration took place after ca. AD 830 when human activity decreased.

1999, palaeobotanical investigations for reconstruction of the late Glacial and Holocene succession of the local peat bog veg-etation in various hydrological conditions have been made in the Puszcza Knyszyńska Forest in north-eastern Poland (Drzymulska 2001, 2003). The main study, based on analyses of macroscopic plant remains and of botanical composition of peat, has been prepared by Drzymulska (2001, 2003). It is complementary to pollen analysis of selected investigated pro-fi les, of which main goal has been the descrip-tion of vegetation changes in the studied peat bogs and their vicinity. Pollen analysis results from the fi rst of the examined profi les – KBVII profi le from the Kładkowe Bagno peat bog – are presented in this paper. Preliminary palynological study of this profi le was the subject of a Master of Science Thesis (Brzostowska 2001). In 2002 its results were included to a scientifi c project "Late Glacial and Holocene history of veg-etation in Poland based on i...

Annually laminated lake sediments provide high-resolution and accurate timescales for reliable paleoenvironmental reconstructions. We investigated human activity in a low-human-impact region of Poland, taking advantage of varved sediments from Lake Szurpiły, which span the last 8200 years. Multiple sediment variables indicated that catchment evolution and lacustrine responses, mainly to changes in forest cover, were divided into four phases. Because of sparse or only seasonal occupation of settlements in NE Poland, human impact in the region was insignificant until ca. 939 ± 55 BC (lacustrine phase I). During Phase II (939 ± 55 BC-AD 1392 ± 38), we recorded an increase in human indicators, reflecting the direct influence of a Yatvingian community. Afterwards, between AD 1392 ± 38 and 1770 ± 30 (phase III), permanent settlements and agricultural land use stabilized. The beginning of the last period (phase IV) was clearly identified by all sediment variables, which responded simultaneously to local human activities. Disappearance of laminae from AD 1858 ± 22 until about AD 1997 indicated disturbance of pre-existing, stable depositional conditions, followed by environmental recovery in the last 20 years. Such recovery may have been related to recent socio-economic M. Kinder (&) Á W. Tylmann ().,-volV) ( 01234567 89().,-volV) changes and establishment of a park that reduced human influence on the lake.

Pollen analysis was conducted for sediments from two organic series in the profile Narew-Ill. Age of the lower series (depth 72.0-80.5 m) was determined as an upper part of the Lower Miocene. The upper is the Quaternary series (depth 58.5-61.55 m) which represents two warm climatic oscillations, separated by a cool period of a stadial rank. The older warmer period probably corresponds to an interstadial. The stratigraphic rank of the younger warmer period could not be determined on the basis of a palynologic examination as the pollen record includes only the very end of a warming and a beginning of the following cooling.

The Black Death (1347–1352 ce) is the most renowned pandemic in human history, believed by many to have killed half of Europe’s population. However, despite advances in ancient DNA research that conclusively identified the pandemic’s causative agent (bacterium Yersinia pestis), our knowledge of the Black Death remains limited, based primarily on qualitative remarks in medieval written sources available for some areas of Western Europe. Here, we remedy this situation by applying a pioneering new approach, ‘big data palaeoecology’, which, starting from palynological data, evaluates the scale of the Black Death’s mortality on a regional scale across Europe. We collected pollen data on landscape change from 261 radiocarbon-dated coring sites (lakes and wetlands) located across 19 modern-day European countries. We used two independent methods of analysis to evaluate whether the changes we see in the landscape at the time of the Black Death agree with the hypothesis that a large portion o...

Multi-proxy palaeoecological data (pollen, diatom, Cladocera) about the environment during the middle-Holocene from Suchar II and Suchar Wielki, dystrophic lakes, in NE Poland are presented. Fluctuations in the pollen concentration, indicative of changes in pollen productivity and shifts in woodland composition, document the considerable instability of the climate in NE Poland between 9200 and 5750 cal. yr BP. The recognised colder events were dated to ca. 9050–8950, 8700–7800, 7600–7250, 7100–6600 and 6050–5900 cal. yr BP. All these coolings are expressed as decreases in the pollen concentration of thermophilous taxa such as Corylus avellana, Ulmus, Quercus, Tilia cordata t. and Fraxinus exelsior. The most pronounced was the second of these cold climatic anomalies, which lasted about nine centuries and can be equated with the 8.2-ka event. Significant cooling at that time is confirmed by the appearance of cold-water species of cladocerans and diatoms.

Marine, lacustrine and terrestrial records from many sites located in various regions of the world suggest that the climate amelioration at the end of MIS-6 (Late Saalian) was interrupted by the short-termed cooling just prior to the MIS-6/MIS-5e boundary (Saalian/Eemian). This climatic event might be similar to the transition between interstadial conditions of the Allerød and stadial conditions of the Younger Dryas at the end of the Last Glacial (MIS-2). On the other hand, the results of quite numerous palaeobotanical studies show no stadial-interstadial oscillations below the Saalian/Eemian boundary, but reflect the gradual improvement of climate and increasing density of vegetation at that time. In western and central Europe, environment changes at the end of the Late Saalian are poorly recognized. Therefore, each new record illustrating this part of the Late Pleistocene is extremely important. We examined two profiles at the Wola Starogrodzka site, central Poland, by high-resolution analyses of pollen, Cladocera, plant macroscopic remains, mineral grain size and distribution, and organic matter content. The studied sequences represent the closing phase of the Late Saalian (in Poland called the Warta Stage of Odranian), and the early to middle part of the Eemian Interglacial. Change of the stadial-interstadial-stadial type at the end of the Late Saalian was registered both in aquatic and terrestrial environment. The recorded interstadial was correlated with Zeifen interstadial, while the following stadialwith the Kattegat stadial. Quantitative palaeoclimate reconstruction based on pollen data (modern analogue technique) showed the change in mean annual temperature by ca. 3 • C at that time.

An Eemian lake in a unique location at the top of a kame hill was found in NE Poland. Results of pollen and microscopic plant remains analyses show that despite the unusual location, its development and terrestrialization were typical for small meso-/eutrophic lakes of the temperate zone. At the end of the interglacial period an overgrown basin was flooded with water and again transformed into a lake. It existed until the beginning of the Brørup interstadial, and then it was covered with diluvia and/or aeolian sediment and finally disappeared.

The directions of the post-Wartanian (post-Saalian) migration of some thermophilous trees and shrubs into the territory of Poland was reconstructed on the basis of isopollen maps, prepared for the Eemian Interglacial based on the palynological data from 187 Polish pollen profiles. Isopollen maps clearly demonstrated, that all thermophilous trees, which appeared in this area in the early Eemian (Quercus, Ulmus, Fraxinus), migrated from the east or northeast. Also Tilia and Alnus, which arrived in the area of Poland in the middle part of the Eemian Interglacial migrated from the east. Picea, which colonized the territory of Poland twice: first at the very early stage of the interglacial, and then in the younger Eemian, migrated from the east and northeast. Only Corylus, Carpinus betulus and Abies alba migrated from other directions (from the south, from the southwest and from the southwest , respectively). Domination of the western and southwestern directions of migration routes clearly differentiates the Eemian Interglacial from the Holocene, during which the majority of trees and shrubs migrated into territory of Poland from the south, southeast , southwest and west, and only a few, such as Ulmus and Picea, also from the east and northeast. We assumed that the most probable reason of this difference was a presence of the Wartanian (Saalian) refugia of many trees, including thermophilous taxa, in the Eastern Europe (west Russia or Black See region). From those regions, together with the decay of the ice sheet, these trees migrated directly into Central Europe along the northern slopes of the Carpathians, or at first migrated to the north via regions which were beyond the maximum range of the Saalian, and from there to the west after the ice sheet melted in this part of Europe.

Nowadays Najas flexilis is believed to be extinct in Poland, Germany, and Switzerland, while in other European countries it is classified as endangered or vulnerable. During the Early and Middle Holocene the species occurred throughout much of Europe, but in the Late Holocene it underwent a significant decline and reduction in range following, as it is believed, the gradual cooling of the climate and/or the eutrophication and acidification of lakes caused by human activity. The article recognizes the existence and disappearance of slender naiad in the palaeolake at the Hieronimowo site, NE Poland, during the Eemian Interglacial and at the beginning of the last glaciation (Vistulian, Weichselian), when lake transformations were caused solely by natural factors without human impact. Results of palynological and macrofossil analyses reveal that the appearance of slander naiad in the studied water body was probably triggered by the change of its pH and trophic status, resulting from the start of spruce and pine expansion stimulated by climate worsening during the younger part of the hornbeam phase (E5 R PAZ) in the middle Eemian. The appearance of spruce and pine in the area of the lake led to its acidification and oligotrophication, and that caused the strong and rapid development of N. flexilis. The species existed in the palaeolake at the Hieronimowo site through the spruce (E6 R PAZ) and pine (E7 R PAZ) phases, until the end of the Eemian Interglacial. These observations suggest that regressive transformations of the environment typical for the late part of the interglacial cycle, 'unsupported' by human activity, do not lead the extinction of N. flexilis. Quite the opposite, these processes promote this species. Its disappearance started only at the beginning of the Early Vistulian (Weichselian), and it was probably caused by a drastic decrease in temperatures and/or by the development of green algae, which limited light availability on the bottom of the water body.