Paleolimnological investigations of anthropogenic environmental change in Lake Tanganyika: IX. Summary of paleorecords of environmental change and catchment deforestation at Lake Tanganyika and impacts on the Lake Tanganyika ecosystem

Paleorecords from multiple indicators of environmental change provide evidence for the interactions between climate, human alteration of watersheds and lake ecosystem processes at Lake Tanganyika, Africa, a lake renowned for its extraordinary biodiversity, endemism and fisheries. This paper synthesizes geochronology, sedimentology, paleoecology, geochemistry and hydrology studies comparing the history of deltaic deposits from watersheds of various sizes and deforestation disturbance levels along the eastern coast of the lake in Tanzania and Burundi. Intersite differences are related to climate change, differences in the histories of forested vs. deforested watersheds, differences related to regional patterns of deforestation, and differences related to interactions of deforestation and climate effects. Climate change is linked to variations in sediment accumulation rates, charcoal accumulation, lake level and water chemistry, especially during the arid-humid fluctuations of the latter part of the Little Ice Age. Differences between forested and deforested watersheds are manifested by major increases in sediment accumulation rates in the latter (outside the range of climatically driven variability and for the last 40 years unprecedented in comparison with other records from the lake in the late Holocene), differences in eroded sediment and watershed stream composition, and compositional or diversity trends in lake faunal communities related to sediment inundation. Variability in regional patterns of deforestation is illustrated by the timing of transitions from numerous sedimentologic, paleoecologic and geochemical indicators. These data suggest that extensive watershed deforestation occurred as early as the late-18th to the early-19th centuries in the northern part of the Lake Tanganyika catchment, in the late-19th to early-20th centuries in the northern parts of modern-day Tanzania, and in the mid-20th century in central Tanzania. Rapid increases in sediment and charcoal accumulation rates, palynological and lake faunal changes occurred in the early-1960s. We interpret this to be the result of greatly enhanced flushing of sediments in previously deforested watersheds triggered by extraordinary rainfall in 1961/62. Regional differences in deforestation histories can be understood in light of the very different cultural and demographic histories of the northern and central parts of the lake shoreline. Incursion of slaving and ivory caravans from the Indian Ocean to the central coast of Lake Tanganyika by the early-19th century, with their attendant diseases, reduced human and elephant populations and therefore maintained forest cover in this region through the late-19th to early-20th centuries. In contrast, the northeastern portion of the lakeshore did not experience the effects of the caravan trades and consequently experienced high human population densities and widespread deforestation much earlier. These studies demonstrate the importance of paleolimnological data for making informed risk assessments of the potential effects of watershed deforestation on long-term lake ecosystem response in the Lake Tanganyika catchment. Differences in sediment yield and lake floor distribution of that yield, linked to factors such as watershed size, slope, and sediment retention, must be accounted for in management plans for both human occupation of currently forested watersheds and the development of future underwater reserves.     

Corroded Pollen and Spores as Indicators of Changing Lake Sediment Sources and Catchment Disturbance

Pollen and spores with resistant exines are preferentially preserved in soils, and during periods of soil erosion they can become incorporated into lake sediments. As a result, the contemporary vegetation may be poorly represented by the palynomorphs in the lake sediments because of the reworked component of inwashed pollen and spores. We record the proportion of palynomorphs with corroded exines in sediment cores from four lakes in the eastern North Island of New Zealand to document changing sources of palynomorphs over the last 2000 years. During this period, the catchments experienced major vegetation disturbances, both natural (from volcanism and fire) and anthropogenic including deforestation ca. 600 years ago, and the European conversion of fern-scrubland to pasture in the 19th century. Corroded palynomorphs are more abundant in inwashed sediments than authigenic sediments. Catchment soil disturbance was minor during the forested period, and characterised by small, inwashed, sediment pulses after storms, and a relatively low percentage of corroded palynomorphs. Although initial Maori forest clearance by fire led to a temporary increase in erosion in one lake catchment, rapid replacement of forest by a dense bracken fern cover helped to minimise soil erosion and reworking of palynomorphs in this period. European pastoralists replaced the bracken fern with shallow-rooted pasture grasses about 150 years ago. In erosion prone lake catchments, this led to a rapid increase of inwashed eroded soils and littoral sediments, and their component of resistant palynomorphs, reaching the lake sediments. As a result, the palynological records from these catchments during the European period are distorted by reworking. By contrast, over the same period, the palynological record from a lake with no inflowing streams and stable catchment soils more faithfully represented the contemporary vegetation cover. Exine corrosion has been used to help identify periods of reworking in the lake sediments and to allow for a correction of distortion caused by reworking.     

Relationship between surface pollen assemblages and vegetation in Luonan Basin,Eastern Qinling Mountains,Central China

The catchment of South Luohe River in Central China is an important region for investigating modern pollen-environment relationship, because it is located in the transitional zone between south and north China, an environment which is sensitive to climate changes. In this study, 40 surface samples under ten vegetation types were collected to reveal the relationship between pollen assemblages and vegetation. The results show that the surface pollen assemblages reflect the vegetation quite well. In forest topsoils, the average of arboreal pollen content is greater than 40%, and the Selaginella sinensis spore is high. As to sparse forest grassland and shrub community, the average arboreal pollen is 13.2% and 16.6% respectively, and the shrub pollen is relatively higher than that of grassland samples. The grassland and farmland are characterized by low percentage of tree and shrub pollen (<10% and <1%), and high percentage of herbs (>80%). Pinus, Quercus and some other arboreal pollen can indicate the regional vegetation because of their dispersal ability. Quercus pollen is under-representative and so is Pinus. Artemisia pollen is significantly over-represented, has poor correlation with the plant coverage, and may reflect human disturbance. Gramineae can indicate plant quite well, but with low representation. High content of Chenopodiaceae probably suggests human impact. Predominant Selaginella sinensis can be used as an indicator of forest environment. Cluster analysis and principal components analysis of pollen assemblages can distinguish forest and non-forest vegetation well. The former method is better at separating pine and mixed forests, while the latter is more stable and could better differentiate farmland and other non-forest area. The first axis of PCA mainly reflects the humidity.     

南洛河流域洛南盆地表土孢粉与植被的关系(英文)

The catchment of South Luohe River in Central China is an important region for investigating modern pollen-environment relationship, because it is located in the transitional zone between south and north China, an environment which is sensitive to climate changes. In this study, 40 surface samples under ten vegetation types were collected to reveal the relationship between pollen assemblages and vegetation. The results show that the surface pollen assemblages reflect the vegetation quite well. In forest topsoils, the average of arboreal pollen content is greater than 40%, and the Selaginella sinensis spore is high. As to sparse forest grassland and shrub community, the average arboreal pollen is 13.2% and 16.6% respectively, and the shrub pollen is relatively higher than that of grassland samples. The grassland and farmland are characterized by low percentage of tree and shrub pollen(<10% and <1%), and high percentage of herbs(>80%). Pinus, Quercus and some other arboreal pollen can indicate the regional vegetation because of their dispersal ability. Quercus pollen is under-representative and so is Pinus. Artemisia pollen is significantly over-represented, has poor correlation with the plant coverage, and may reflect human disturbance. Gramineae can indicate plant quite well, but with low representation. High content of Chenopodiaceae probably suggests human impact. Predominant Selaginella sinensis can be used as an indicator of forest environment. Cluster analysis and principal components analysis of pollen assemblages can distinguish forest and non-forest vegetation well. The former method is better at separating pine and mixed forests, while the latter is more stable and could better differentiate farmland and other non-forest area. The first axis of PCA mainly reflects the humidity.     

Late Pleistocene Vegetation and Climate in the Southern Cascade Range and the Modoc Plateau Region

Pollen and sediment from Grass Lake, California provide a history of vegetation and climate in the southern Cascade Range from 36 to 19 cal ka, revealing climate changes that led to the glacial advances recorded at Upper Klamath Lake (Rosenbaum and Reynolds 2004a – this issue). Variations in the percentages of conifer and Artemisia (sagebrush) pollen at Grass Lake recorded shifts in vegetation that reflect changes in precipitation. Between 36 and 34 cal ka, a progression from steppe to open pine forest to dense pine forest indicates that precipitation increased. After 32 cal ka, the forest became more open and by 30 cal ka sagebrush steppe surrounded the lake, implying that precipitation decreased. The area was arid for most of the interval between 30 and 19 cal ka. Increases in conifer pollen recorded increases in precipitation from 21 through 19 cal ka, when open pine forest colonized the lake area. Throughout the period from 36 to 19 cal ka, centennial- to millennial-scale intervals with increased conifer pollen imply that the arid interval was interrupted by periods of increased precipitation. Pollen data also provide evidence that the major fluctuations in sand concentration in the Grass Lake core reflect temperature shifts. Changes in sediment particle size are closely related to variations in pollen concentration and accumulation rate, which in turn reflect changes in plant cover, implying that sand was deposited in the lake due to deflation of clay- and silt-sized particles from sparsely-vegetated alpine areas of the watershed. Sand deposition increased as climatic cooling led to reductions in the elevation of upper treeline and alpine conditions affected a larger part of the watershed. There is no evidence of glaciation in the basin, but pollen data show the area was above upper treeline during Cold Period III (34–32 cal ka), one of several very cold intervals. Vegetation decreased at about 28 cal ka and remained sparse for at least 9000 years, implying that the climate became cooler and remained cool until after 19 cal ka. Cold Period II developed at about 25 cal ka and terminated by 23 cal ka. The Grass Lake watershed was again above upper treeline with the onset of Cold Period I, soon after 19 cal ka. Comparison of the Grass Lake record with those from Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon and Tulelake, California suggests a persistent pattern of environmental changes in this time interval throughout the Modoc Plateau region.     

Paleolimnological investigations of anthropogenic environmental change in Lake Tanganyika: III. Physical stratigraphy and charcoal analysis

Documenting the history of catchment deforestation using paleolimnological data involves understanding both the timing and magnitude of change in the input of erosional products to the downstream lake. These products include both physically-eroded soil and the byproducts of burning, primarily charcoal, which arise from both intentional and climatically-induced changes in fire frequency. As a part of the Lake Tanganyika Biodiversity Projects special study on sedimentation, we have investigated the sedimentological composition of seven dated cores from six deltas or delta complexes along the east coast of Lake Tanganyika: the Lubulungu River delta, the Kabesi River delta, the Nyasanga/Kahama River delta, and the Mwamgongo River delta in Tanzania, and the Nyamusenyi River delta and Karonge/Kirasa River delta in Burundi. Changes in sediment mass accumulation rates, composition, and charcoal flux in the littoral and sublittoral zones of the lake that can be linked to watershed disturbance factors in the deltas were examined. Total organic carbon accumulation rates, in particular, are strongly linked to higher sediment mass accumulation from terrestrial sources, and show striking mid-20th century increases at disturbed watershed deltas that may indicate a connection between increased watershed erosion and increased nearshore productivity. However, changes in sedimentation patterns are not solely correlated with the 20th century period of increasing human population in the basin. Fire activity, as recorded by charcoal accumulation rates, was also elevated during arid intervals of the 13th–early 19th centuries. Some differences between northern and southern sedimentation histories appear to be correlated with different histories of human population in central Tanzania in contrast with northern Tanzania and Burundi.     

Paleolimnological evidence for increased landslide activity due to forest clearing and land-use since 3600 cal BP in the western Swiss Alps

Schwarzsee is located in the western Swiss Alps, in a region that has been affected by numerous landslides during the Holocene, as evidenced by geological surveys. Lacustrine sediments were cored to a depth of 13 m. The vegetation history of the lake's catchment was reconstructed and investigated to identify possible impacts on slope stability. The pollen analyses record development of forest cover during the middle and late Holocene, and provide strong evidence for regional anthropogenic influence such as forest clearing and agricultural activity. Vegetation change is characterized by continuous landscape denudation that begins at ca. 4300 cal. yrs BP, with five distinct pulses of increased deforestation, at 3650, 2700, 1500, 900, and 450 cal. yrs BP. Each pulse can be attributed to increased human impact, recorded by the appearance or increase of specific anthropogenic indicator plant taxa. These periods of intensified deforestation also appear to be correlated with increased landslide activity in the lake's catchment and increased turbidite frequency in the sediment record. Therefore, this study gives new evidence for a strong influence of vegetation changes on slope stability during the middle and late Holocene in the western Swiss Alps, and may be used as a case study for anthropogenically induced landslide activity.     

南洛河流域洛南盆地表土孢粉与植被的关系

选取南洛河上游洛南盆地10 种植被类型下40 处样点表土苔藓开展孢粉与植被关系的研究.结果表明,表土中孢粉组成能很好地反映植被类型.森林表土中乔木植物花粉含量平均值大于40%,且有较高含量的中华卷柏孢子;疏林草原、灌丛群落中乔木植物花粉平均含量分别为13.2%和16.6%,灌木植物花粉相对草丛群落含量较高;草丛群落和农田中乔木花粉平均含量均<10%,草本植物花粉>80%,灌木植物花粉<1%.洛南盆地表土孢粉总浓度平均为1.42×10⁵粒/g,与植被覆盖度关系较弱,而与植被类型有一定联系,能辅助植被类型的辨识.聚类分析和PCA分析都能较好区分森林和非森林植被,前者能较好地区分松林和混交林,后者能较好地区分农田和灌、草丛植被,且比聚类分析更加稳定.松属、栎属等乔木花粉具有较强的扩散能力,能指示区域植被,松属没有表现出很强的超代表性,栎属具有低代表性;蒿属花粉与植被覆盖度间的相关关系较差,具有明显的超代表性,其大量出现与人类的干扰有一定的联系,禾本科花粉具有很好的植被指示性和低代表性,藜科花粉的高含量主要指示了高强度的人类活动;中华卷柏孢子在地层中的大量出现具有指示森林或松林环境的意义.     

Fire and vegetation history during the last 3800 years in northwestern Montana

Foy Lake in northwestern Montana provides a record of annual-to-decadal-scale landscape change. Sedimentary charcoal and pollen analyses were used to document fire and vegetation changes over the last 3800 years, which were then compared to similar records from AD 1880 to 2000. The long-term record at Foy Lake suggests shifts between forest and steppe as well as changes in fire regime that are likely the result of climate change. Fire activity (inferred from the frequency of charcoal peaks) averaged 18 fire episodes/1000 years from 3800 to 2125 cal year BP, and increased from 16 fire episodes/1000 years at 2125 cal year BP to 22 episodes/1000 years at 750 cal year BP, a period when the pollen data suggest that steppe vegetation yielded to increasing patches of forest cover. Between 2125 and 750 cal year BP, increased forest cover produced more background charcoal than before and after this period, when vegetation was dominated by steppe. Between 750 and 75 cal year BP steppe has expanded and fire episode frequency averaged 33 episodes/1000 years, increasing to a maximum of 40 episodes/1000 years at ca. 300 cal year BP and then decreasing to present levels. Since AD 1880, the pollen record indicates an increase in shrubs and grasses from AD 1895 to 1960 as a result of vegetation changes associated with timber harvesting and livestock grazing. No fires have been documented in the Foy Lake watershed since AD 1880. Charcoal from the extralocal fires of AD 1910, burning over 4,111,249 ha in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, however, is present in Foy Lake. Between AD 1970 and 2000, increased arboreal pollen in the record is consistent with observations that the forest has become more closed. The activities of Euro–Americans have led to a decline in forest cover between AD 1880 and 1970, followed by a recent increase as trees are now growing in areas previously occupied by steppe. Euro–Americans are likely the cause of a reduction in fire activity in watershed since AD 1880.     

太白山北坡花粉通量与表土花粉研究

太白山北坡各森林植被带乔木花粉百分比多高于45%,与植被组成类似。高山草甸带捕捉器样品乔木花粉百分比低于15%,与植被组成一致,但表土花粉组合中乔木花粉百分比高于50%,外来花粉数量较多,进行高山带古环境研究应予注意。太白红杉林花粉通量最低,高山灌丛草甸最高。落叶栎林带表土花粉浓度最低,红桦林带最高。表土中松、冷杉属花粉百分比远高于花粉捕捉器,表明其在表土中有较好的保存能力。落叶松属和杜鹃花科花粉在表土及捕捉器中百分比均较低,表明对植被指示性良好。栎属与桦属花粉通量类似,但桦属花粉浓度大于栎属,表明栎属较桦属易于保存。     

浙江嵊州西白山表土花粉的初步研究

通过对浙江嵊州西白山香榧林、针阔混交林、茶园及竹园16份苔藓的花粉分析,研究其表土花粉与现代植被的关系。结果表明:①研究区植物孢粉共由50科属组成,以乔木花粉(主要为香榧和马尾松)为优势,含量为71.5%～92.9%,草本花粉次之,含量为5.3%～24.7%,蕨类孢子含量最低,含量为1.5%～7.2%,表土花粉组合基本上反映了该区植被的总体特征;②PCA结果显示,香榧和香榧林均能很好的区分出来,说明其具有很好的分异性;③香榧花粉在香榧林的含量较高,平均高达41.1%,但在林外,其含量则迅速降低,为5.2%～9.8%,可见香榧花粉的传播距离非常有限。该结果建议当地层中香榧花粉化石的含量达到10%,就可以初步断定在研究区附近有古香榧林的存在。     

A late Holocene pollen record of deforestation and environmental change from the Lake Tauanui catchment, Northland, New Zealand

Late Holocene pollen and sediment records from the Lake Tauanui catchment, northern New Zealand, indicate that the lake formed about 5500 years ago following a series of volcanic events in the Tauanui Volcanic Centre. These volcanic events initiated a volcanosere resulting in a mixed conifer-hardwood forest. Dacrydium cupressinum was the dominant tree. Agathis australis was always present. Changes similar to those registered in other Northland pollen diagrams are apparent. At ca 4000 yr B.P., when the climate became cooler and drier than before, a fire occurred in the catchment area causing erosion of the surrounding slopes and some destruction of forest. Fluctuations in abundance of many forest species, including Ascarina lucida, A. australis and D. cupressinum, from ca 3500 yr B.P. indicate repeated disturbance, increasingly so after 1600 yr B.P. Summer droughts and increased frequency of cyclonic winds are suggested as the cause. Major anthropogenic deforestation events defined by palynology occurred across many parts of the New Zealand landscape at ca 700 yr B.P. At Lake Tauanui anthropogenic forest disturbance, radiocarbon dated to ca 1000 yr B.P., is indicated by significant decline in all tree and shrub elements with concomitant increase in pteridophytes, especially Pteridium esculentum. Charcoal concentration increases steadily from the onset of disturbance, and in the final phase after the arrival of Europeans, major clearance of vegetation is indicated. Herbs increase markedly in this period, in diversity and abundance.     

Late Holocene paleoenvironmental changes in subtropical Taiwan inferred from pollen and diatoms in lake sediments

We analyzed pollen, spores, diatoms, organic carbon, nitrogen, and δ¹³C of organic matter in lake sediments to infer climate changes and reconstruct the paleo-environment of subtropical Taiwan over the past ∼1300 years. A 31.5-cm sediment core that represents deposition from 650 AD to present was taken from a mountain lake, Duck Pond, located 760 m a.s.l. We differentiated five zones using cluster analysis on pollen and spore assemblages. Fluctuations in the relative abundances of arboreal taxa, herbaceous plants, and ferns reflect changes in the relative amounts of woody versus grassland vegetation. Such shifts are associated with changes in temperature and humidity and are consistent with climatic periods reported for the temperate region of central China. Climate changes inferred from the pollen assemblages are also correlated well with changes in the ratios of fern spores to pollen, with organic carbon to nitrogen, and with the δ¹³C values in the sediments. Fluctuations in these data throughout the entire core were in good agreement with the changes in pH inferred from diatom assemblages. This study provides evidence of climate change in northern Taiwan over the past 1.3 millennia, assuming that climate can be inferred from the ratio of arboreal to non-arboreal pollen and from the pH of the aquatic environment.     

Surface pollen and its relationship to vegetation on the southern slope of the eastern Qilian Mountains

The objective of this study is to investigate pollen-vegetation relationship in the Qilian Mountains. The eastern Qilian Mountains are located in the transitional zone of the Tibetan Plateau, the Loess Plateau and the arid region of Northwest China, which is one of the key areas of global environmental change. A total of 13 surface pollen samples from main vegetation have been collected. Pollen percentages were calculated in all samples. In order to reveal the relationship between pollen composition and the vegetation types from which the soil samples have been collected, Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) ordination method was employed on the pollen data. The results show that dominating vegetation types can be recognized by their pollen spectra: Picea crassifolia forest, alpine shrub and alpine meadow as well. Altitude and temperature determine the distribution of the surface pollen and the vegetation. The good agreement between modern vegetation and surface samples across this area provides a measure of the reliability of using pollen data to reconstruct paleoenvironment and paleovegetation patterns in this or other similar regions. However the loss of Betula pollen in forest needs further investigation. Pollen oxidation is the most important factor contributing to the damage of modern pollen in the study area. Pollen concentrations decrease with the increase of pH values of soils, and decrease sharply when the pH exceeds 7.6.     

东祁连山南坡现代花粉雨与植被

1 Introduction A significant problem in the analysis of pollen spectra is the incomplete comprehension of the relationship between modern pollen spectra and the vegetation that produces them. Pollen precipitation reflects many factors: pollen production,…     

共和盆地末次冰消期以来的植被和环境演变

在青藏高原共和盆地中的内陆湖泊--达连海获取40.92 m长的湖泊岩芯(DLH钻孔),选用植物残体作为测年材料,利用AMS14C测年技术建立可靠的地层年代序列,对岩芯进行孢粉分析,重建该地末次冰消期以来的古植被和古环境。末次冰消期以来达连海周围山地在14.8～12.9Cal ka BP和9.4～3.9 Cal ka BP时段曾发育森林,气候较湿润,达连海附近盆地发育的荒漠草原盖度增加或演化为草原;在15.8～14.8 Cal ka BP、12.9～9.4 Cal ka BP 和3.9～1.4 Cal ka BP 时段该地气候比较干旱,依据干旱的程度周围山地森林退化或消失,盆地内发育盖度较低的荒漠草原或草原化荒漠。1.4 Cal ka BP以来湿度有所增加,发育草原植被类型。依据植被的演替历史推断该地气候的变化历程是15.8～14.8 Cal ka BP 干旱,14.8～12.9 Cal ka BP 湿润,12.9～9.4 Cal ka BP干旱,9.4～3.9 Cal ka BP湿润,3.9～1.4 Cal ka BP干旱,1.4～0 Cal ka BP湿润。达连海的孢粉记录与附近青海湖的孢粉结果对比,发现两地植被发育基本一致。末次冰消期Bølling-Allerød 时期,山地森林发育;新仙女木事件发生时森林萎缩;全新世中期两地针叶林发育达到鼎盛,之后逐渐减少至消失。早全新世达连海森林扩张的时间滞后于青海湖,主要与两地森林树种的不同和植被演替的时间差异有关。该区森林发育的全盛时期在中全新世,这与石笋记录到的亚洲季风强盛时期在早全新世不相一致,可能与植被复杂的响应机制有关。     

A record of vegetation dynamics and lake level changes from Lake Emakat,northern Tanzania,during the last c. 1200 years

Analyses of down-core variations in pollen and charcoal in two short cores of lake sediment and wood samples taken from the in situ remains of Nuxia congesta from Lake Emakat, a hydrologically-closed volcanic crater lake occupying the Empakaai Crater in northern Tanzania, have generated evidence of past vegetation change and lake level fluctuations. Eight AMS radiocarbon (¹⁴C) dates on bulk samples of lake sediment provide a chronological framework for the two cores and indicate that the sediment record analysed incorporates the last c. 1200 years. The in situ remains of a Nuxia congesta tree, now standing in deep water, were dated with three additional AMS ¹⁴C dates, suggesting tree growth within the interval ∼1500–1670 AD. Down-core variations in pollen from terrestrial taxa, particularly the montane forest trees Hagenia abyssinica and Nuxia congesta, indicate a broad period of generally more arid conditions in the catchment to c. 1200 AD and at a prolonged period between c. 1420 and 1680 AD. Variations in pollen from plants in lake margin vegetation indicate low lake levels, presumably as a result of reduced effective precipitation, contemporary with indications of relatively dry conditions mentioned above, but also during the late 18th and the late 19th centuries. The presence of charcoal throughout both cores indicates the frequent occurrence of vegetation fires. An increase in burning, evident in the charcoal data and dated to the early to mid second millennium AD, could relate to an expansion of human population levels and agricultural activity in the region.     

Paleolimnological investigations of anthropogenic environmental change in Lake Tanganyika: IV. Lacustrine paleoecology

Fossil invertebrates from cores collected in Lake Tanganyika provide a record of probable nearshore ecological response to recent watershed deforestation and sediment erosion in several East African watersheds. We compared paleoecological profiles (primarily from ostracodes) from watersheds spanning a range of sizes and present-day deforestation disturbance levels to understand the timing and magnitude of faunal changes, and their relationship in time to terrestrially-derived disturbance indicators. Profiles from the Lubulungu and Nyasanga/Kahama Rivers (Tanzania) provide a record of faunal variability in watersheds that are currently undisturbed with respect to deforestation. These records indicate continuous faunal turnover through time. However, this pattern of turnover is accompanied by relatively high levels of diversity throughout the record, with no wholesale extinction events. Ostracode taphonomic data and other fossil abundance data from the Lubulungu area provide strong evidence in support of at least two episodes of lower lake levels, associated with episodes of Late Holocene aridity. Records from deltas of disturbed watersheds at the Kabesi River (Tanzania) and those of Northern Burundi all show a combination of profound and abrupt faunal turnover, in some cases accompanied by local extinction and establishment of a few dominant taxa. At the Mwamgongo River delta, fed from a very small, disturbed watershed, species turnover was subtler. In disturbed watershed cores showing abrupt faunal changes the transitions mostly occurred in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, predating the major mid-20th century increase in sediment mass accumulation rates, with the latter only correlated with changing fossil abundance and flux. However, the earlier faunal community changes are contemporaneous with both palynological and geochemical changes in the core profiles indicative of changing land-use patterns. This suggests that lacustrine ecosystem response to deforestation was a two-stage process, with an earlier phase of response to changing quality of sediments or dissolved matter being discharged from the watershed, and a subsequent phase responding to increased quantity of sediment.     

松嫩平原晚第三纪—更新世孢粉组合及古植被与古气候的研究

本文通过大庆、乾安、长春、哈尔滨等地所揭示孢粉资料,试将松嫩平原晚第三纪到更新世时期划出13个孢粉带。根据孢粉组合系列变化和磁性地层测定,论述古植被与古气候演化过程,为研究东北平原第四纪自然环境变迁提供科学依据。     

Recognition of the 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes in Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee sediments using pollen data

Reelfoot Lake is located within the New Madrid Seismic Zone, a region characterized by ongoing seismic activity and the locus of a series of large earthquakes (m _b >7) during 1811–1812. Coseismic uplift and subsidence from the 1811–1812 events formed the lake basin from a partially inundated alluvial bottomland forest. Lithologic, chronologic, and palynologic data from a vibracore are used here to characterize the 1811–1812 earthquake record in lacustrine sediments. The stratigraphic record consists of a poorly consolidated upper silt, an intervening 10-cm sand layer, overlying a compact lower silt. Calibrated radiocarbon age estimates on wood samples from both silt units indicate deposition during historical time (1490–1890 AD).Better age estimates were obtained by correlating pollen assemblage data from the upper and lower silt with the historical record of land-use change in the Reelfoot Lake region. Two factors resulted in changing plant distributions (and hence pollen assemblages) in Reelfoot Lake sediments: 1) altered drainage patterns of Reelfoot Creek and Bayou de Chien resulting from 1811–1812 uplift and subsidence, and 2) deforestation and subsequent cultivation beginning approximately 1850 AD. The upper silt is characterized by a oak/cedar arboreal pollen (AP) assemblage, showing a mixture of upland and alluvial bottomland AP influx from the region to the open lake basin. Non-arboreal pollen (NAP) in the upper silt shows increasing abundance of Composites, particularly ragweed pollen indicating cultivation. This unit was deposited after the 1811–1812 earthquakes. The intervening sand layer was apparently emplaced by earthquake activity, or represents colluvium derived from most recent (1811–1812) coseismic uplift of Reelfoot scarp, which forms the western margin of the lake. The lower silt is characterized by a baldcypress/cedar AP assemblage with minor percentages of other flood-tolerant AP genera, interpreted as a baldcypress-dominated bottomland forest. Pollen influx in this environment is dominated by gravity-component deposition from local sources. The NAP in the lower silt shows that ragweed is rare or absent, suggesting pre-settlement conditions and deposition prior to 1811–1812.This is the 15th in a series of papers published in this special AMQUA issue. These papers were presented at the 1994 meeting of the American Quaternary Association held 19–22 June, 1994, at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Dr Linda C. K. Shane served as guest editor for these papers.