A Late Würmian and Holocene pollen profile from Tüttensee, Upper Bavaria, as evidence of 15 Millennia of landscape history in the Chiemsee glacier region

A late Würmian and Holocene pollen profile from Tüttensee near Chiemsee, Bavaria, covering 14 millennia of vegetation history, shows the late Würmian reforestation of the area, Holocene woodland development, and later the human impact on the landscape. In the early Holocene a distinct Ulmus phase preceded the Corylus and Quercus expansion. Afterwards, between 6000 and 4000 BCE, Picea was most common. The expansion of Fagus and Abies started at 4000 BCE, together with the decline of Ulmus. Fagus was more common than Abies. From 500 BCE Abies started to decline, Fagus has also declined from 1000 CE onwards. Before the modern times Picea/Pinus phase Quercus is prevailing. The prehistoric human impact is rather weak. A short reforestation phase at ~ 1 BCE – 1 CE hints at the rather complex migration history in this region with so called Celts, Germanic people and Romans involved. Strong human impact indicated by cereals, Plantago lanceolata, other human indicators and deforestation started at 900 CE.

Typification of the genus Zizyphoides Seward et Conway (Magnoliophyta, Trochodendraceae)

Type material of Paliurus colombii Heer, Populus arctica Heer, Hakea arctica Heer, and Hedera macclurii Heer from the Atanikerdluk locality (Paleocene, Greenland) was restudied based on the original collection, stored in the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin. All these species were joined under the name Zizyphoides colombii (Heer) Seward et Conway, type species of the genus Zizyphoides Seward et Conway. A lectotype of Zizyphoides colombii is designated and the diagnosis of this species is emended. An emended diagnosis of the genus Zizyphoides is also presented.

Plant economy of the Trzciniec culture based on charred plant remains from Pielgrzymowice 9 site, in the context of archaeobotanical finds from southern Poland

In the paper, new carpological data from Pielgrzymowice site 9 are presented in the context of archaeobotanical finds from southern Poland. The results were obtained from detailed analyses of 45 samples from 38 archaeological features. Only charred plant remains were taken into account as they are considered contemporaneous with the Middle Bronze Age settlement. Among the cultivated plants, Panicum miliaceum, Triticum dicoccum, Triticum monococcum and Triticum sp. were documented. Among wild plants, several taxa were found, including Chenopodium t. album, Chenopodium sp., Melandrium / Silene, Polygonum lapathifolium and Fallopia convolvulus, among others. In archaeobotanical samples, Geranium sp., cf. Lamiaceae also appeared. In addition, plants typical of grasslands, forests and ruderal areas were noted, such as Coronilla varia, Rumex acetosella, Plantago media, Plantago lanceolata, Stellaria graminea and Hypericum perforatum. These results were compared with data coming from nine sites of the Trzciniec culture from Lesser Poland to track the Middle Bronze Age plant-based economy in southern Poland.

Coexistence of Lobelia dortmanna and Cladium mariscus, an ecological and paleobotanical study

Lobelia dortmanna L. (Lobeliaceae family) is an indicator species that is predominantly found in oligotrophic and acidic lakes. They are mainly distributed in northwestern Europe. Their occurrence in Poland is highly threatened by the increasing grade of human activity and environmental eutrophication; however, new sites of Lobelia were discovered in the last few decades, for example, in Lake Krzywce Wielkie situated in Bory Tucholskie National Park (BTNP), Poland. The existence of Lobelia in this lake was unexpected because Cladium mariscus was also found in the lake. Cladium has different ecological demands and is regarded as a species typical of calcareous habitats where calcium is found in abundance in the substrate. To explain the coexistence of both species in Krzywce Wielkie, pollen analysis of organic sediments was performed for four short cores collected from the littoral zone of the lake and for one long deep-water core. Additionally, macrofossil analysis was done for all the short cores. Pollen analysis revealed the existence of Cladium from the early Holocene period up to the present time. Pollen and seeds of Lobelia were found to be present since the beginning of the 20th century. Development of L. dortmanna and Myriophyllum alterniflorum populations and a decrease in the number of aquatic macrophytes in the eutrophic water indicate oligotrophication of water. This process started following the construction of drainage canal and the consequent water level decrease. This situation can be attributed to the abandonment of the agricultural areas adjoining the lake, which causes a decrease in the inflow of nutrients into the lake. Development of pine forest and establishment of BTNP enabled the protection and conservation of the surrounding catchment areas, thus restricting the potential eutrophication of the habitats.

Three early plant taphonomy experiments (1833-1836)

Between 1833 and 1836 in England, then in Prussia and finally in France, young botanists experimented with making plant fossils to understand better how such fossils could be formed and how to interpret fossil assemblages. These experiments are described and discussed. Despite these promising beginnings, plant taphonomy was not really developed as a science until much later.

Responses of the mangrove ecosystem to Holocene environmental change in the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve, India

The Sundarban Mangrove Forest in the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve, located at the mouth of the Ganga–Brahmaputra Delta in India, is the most diverse mangrove ecosystem in the world. Sediment cores were taken from two widely separated islands in that reserve: Chamta (CMT) and Sudhyanyakhali (SDK). Pollen analysis and radiocarbon dating were used to study the Holocene development and dynamics of this unique ecosystem. Modern pollen rain study reveals a strong relation between modern pollen rain and the present vegetation, as well as a high rate of Phoenix palludosa pollen production.The pollen records indicate that man-grove existed at CMT from ~5960 and at SDK from ~1520 cal yr BP. Changes in relative sea level, including the frequency and intensity of inundation as well as fluctuating precipitation, have been the major factors along with geomorphic processes that control the development and dynamics of the mangrove in the area during the Holocene. The mid Holocene mangrove at CMT declined, to be progressively replaced by successive communities, and eventually reached climax stage, while the SDK site is transitional in nature. The mangrove responds rapidly to changes in environmental conditions at both locations. Because of large-scale anthropogenic interventions, it is unlikely that similar rapid responses will occur in the future.

Palaeoclimatology and biostratigraphic significance of late Neogene/Quaternary vegetational changes recorded in the offshore western Niger Delta

Attempts at reconstructing palaeoclimatic changes over time using palynomorphs of three oil wells drilled in the shallow offshore Niger Delta led to cluster analysis-aided recognition of seven pollen zones. These pollen zones are equivalent to ten palaeoclimatic zones with alternating dry and wet conditions. The palynomorphs were classified into phytoecological groups and changes in their relative abundances were employed to interpret the palaeoclimatic conditions of their source areas. Contrasting fluctuations in the proportions of the Spore (Pteridophytes) phytoecological group and those of the Poaceae were the main basis for palaeoclimatic inferences. Trends of the occurrence of other phytoecological groups were used to substantiate our palaeoclimatic inferences. In the latest Miocene (5.8–5.5 Ma), climatic conditions were mainly wet until between 5.5 and 5.0 Ma, when extreme dry conditions prevailed. The early Pliocene part (5.0–>3.4 Ma) was generally wet, while the late Pliocene part (<3.0–2.7 Ma) was extremely dry, with wet conditions re-occurring at the latest Pliocene/earliest Pleistocene boundary at a lower magnitude than those of the early Pliocene. This is inferred from the bloom of open vegetation Acanthaceae undif., Polygala sp. and Asystacia gangetica, along with montane Podocarpus milanjianus from 2.4 Ma through 2.0 Ma and younger. The Acanthaceae bloom recorded the evolution of A. gangetica in the latest Pliocene/earliest Pleistocene at around 2.0 Ma in the Niger Delta. The upper Early Pliocene regional wet event is associated with distinct peaks of riverine forest, freshwater swamp and mangrove pollen. Our results further support earlier findings from other parts of West Africa with respect to palaeoclimatic changes in the late Neogene/earliest Quaternary. Equivalent qualitative palynostratigraphic events were recognized within the pollen zones which are useful for age determination, and the significance of biostratigraphic correlation of the zones is stressed.

Morphology and anatomy of the angiosperm fruit Baccatocarpon, incertae sedis, from the Maastrichtian Deccan Intertrappean Beds of India

Distinctive permineralized fruits of Baccatocarpon mohgaoense (Paradkar & Dixit) comb. nov. have been collected from several sites in the late Maastrichtian of the Deccan Intertrappean beds of Central India. We describe the peculiar fruits in detail, based on combined investigations by reflected light and X-ray CT scanning. Three-dimensional renderings and virtual slices confirm that the fruits have two lateral single-seeded locules and a central sterile chamber filled with parenchyma. The endocarp is thin-walled and opens apically longitudinal valves. Here we validate the generic name Baccatocarpon Bhowal & Sheikh ex Manchester, Ramteke, Kapgate & S.Y. Smith and recognize a single species, for which the name Baccatocarpon mohgaoense (Paradkar & Dixit) comb. nov. has priority. We document the occurrence of this species in cherts from the paleobotanical sites known as Bhutera, Keria, Mahurzari, Mohgoankalan, Paladaun, Marai Patan and Shibla. The systematic affinity of these fruits remains mysterious.