Siliceous microfossil succession in the recent history of Green Bay,Lake Michigan

Quantitative analysis of siliceous microfossils in a ²¹⁰Pb dated core from Green Bay of Lake Michigan shows clear evidence of eutrophication, but a different pattern of population succession than observed in the main deposition basins of the Great Lakes. Sediments deposited prior to extensive European settlement (ca A.D. 1850) contain high relative abundance of chrysophyte cysts and benthic diatoms. Quantity and composition of microfossils deposited during the pre-settlement period represented in our core is quite uniform, except for the 30–32 cm interval which contains elevated microfossil abundance and particularly high levels of attached benthic species. Total microfossil abundance and the proportion of planktonic diatoms begins to increase ca 1860 and rises very rapidly beginning ca 1915. Maximum abundance occurs in sediments deposited during the 1970's, with a secondary peak in the late 1940's — early 1950's. Increased total abundance is accompanied by increased dominance of taxa tolerant of eutrophic conditions, however indigenous oligotrophic taxa, particularly those which are most abundant during the summer, are not eliminated from the flora, as in the lower Great Lakes. It appears that a combination of silica resupply from high riverine loadings and replacement of indigenous populations by periodic intrusions of Lake Michigan water allow sequential co-existence of species usually exclusively associated with either eutrophic or oligotrophic conditions.     

Response of the cladoceran community to trophic state change in Lake Apopka, Florida

A paleolimnological evaluation of cladoceran microfossils was initiated to study limnological changes in Lake Apopka, a large (125 km²), shallow (mean depth = 1.6 m), warm, polymictic lake in central Florida. The lake switched from macrophyte to algal dominance in the late 1940s, creating a Sediment Discontinuity Layer (SDL) that can be visually used to separate sediments derived from macrophytes and phytoplankton. Cladoceran microfossils were enumerated as a means of corroborating extant eutrophication data from the sediment record. Inferences about the timing and trajectory of eutrophication were made using the cladoceran-based paleo-reconstruction. The cladoceran community of Lake Apopka began to change abruptly in both total abundance and relative percent abundance just before the lake shifted from macrophyte to algal dominance. Alona affinis, a mud-vegetation associated cladoceran, disappeared before the SDL was formed. Planktonic and benthic species also began to increase below the SDL, indicating an increase in production of both planktonic and benthic species. Chydorus cf. sphaericus, an indicator of nutrient loading, increased relative to all other cladocerans beginning in the layer below the SDL and continuing upcore. Changes in the transitional sediment layer formed before the lake switched to phytoplankton dominance, including an increase in total phosphorus concentration, suggest a more gradual eutrophication process than previously reported. Data from this study supported conclusions from other paleolimnological studies that suggested anthropogenic phosphorus loading was the key factor in the hypereutrophication of Lake Apopka.     

Benthos of a perennially-astatic, saline, soda lake in Mexico

The effects of multiple stressors on the benthic macroinvertebrate community were monitored in Tecuitlapa Norte, a shallow, perennially-astatic, warm, mesosaline, sodaalkaline lake in Mexico. Physico-chemical and biological variables were determined monthly for one year. Tecuitlapa Norte displayed a clear seasonal environmental pattern (dry and rainy seasons). The benthic macroinvertebrate community consisted of five species:Culicoides occidentalis sonorensis Jorgensen,Ephydra hians Say,Stratiomys sp.,Eristalis sp., andLimnophora sp. of which the first two were dominant and the rest scarce.C. occidentalis was the most important species numerically (76 percent of the total), whileE. hians dominated the biomass (73 percent of the total). Primarily salinity and secondarily pH appear to be the most important environmental factors controlling dominance of benthic organisms in Tecuitlapa Norte. Seasonal abundance dynamics of the dominant organisms was associated with phases in their reproductive cycles: environmentally-triggered (i.e., temperature rise, water-level descent) pupation and emergence periods. We concluded that whereas physical and chemical factors (i.e., salinity, pH) exerted the primary control on benthic macroinvertebrate community composition in Tecuitlapa Norte, another assembly of variables (e.g., water-level, temperature) influenced species distribution and abundance.     

Littoral benthos of the saline crater lakes of the basin of Oriental, Mexico

Two saline crater lakes in the basin of Oriental, Puebla-Tlaxcala-Veracruz, were investigated for littoral benthic macroinvertebrates. Fifty taxa were identified with the oligochaetes, amphipods, chironomids and leeches the dominant organisms. These four taxa made up to 99 per cent in both number and biomass.Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, Hyalella azteca, Tanypus (Apelopia) sp. andStictochironomus sp. were the most abundant organisms. Unlike other saline lakes which have a littoral benthos dominated by chironomids, Alchichica and Atexcac were dominated by oligochaetes (70–73 per cent). The gastropod,Physa sp., was found up to a salinity of 8 g L⁻¹; in other studies, it has been found in lower salinities.L. hoffmeisteri is also a typical inhabitant of freshwater lakes, particularly of deep waters. It was dominant in the shallow, saline waters of the two lakes studied. Salinity did not affect species richness. Alchichica, the most saline of the six crater lakes of Puebla (salinity, 7.4 g L⁻¹), had 30 per cent more species than the freshwater lakes, and double the species number of Atexcac. It seems the main factor controlling species richness and the density and biomass of organisms in Alchichica and Atexcac is the presence of aquatic vegetation. It does this by increasing habitat heterogeneity and providing food and protection against predators.     

菲尔德斯半岛潮间带生态系统中的食物网

菲尔德斯半岛潮间带食物链是较简单的 ,一般说来在不利环境条件下的生物群落只有很少的消费者和较少的营养级。食物链中主要的生产者是大型底栖藻类 ,主要消费者是腹足类和石鳖 ,棘皮动物中的海胆与海星 ,甲壳动物 ,鱼和海鸟 ,海鸟和鱼占营养级的上层 ,草食软体动物位于中间营养级 ,大量的固着藻类 -叶状藻类、皮壳状藻类构成营养级的底层。观测实验表明 :(1 )海鸟和鱼类减少了草食性软体动物和肉食性螺类的数量 ;(2 )肉食性腹足类减少了草食性软体动物和固着无脊椎动物的数量 ;(3 )草食性软体动物减少了叶状藻类的数量并影响到皮壳状藻类的数量 ,在不清除消费者的实验中 ,皮壳状藻类显示出与其它固着生物竞争空间的优势。作者观察了并在本文中描述了异性底质与消费者对固着生物多样性的影响。壳状藻类在低潮带岩石表面占优势 ,其它的固着生物 (叶状藻类与固着无脊椎动物 )占据洞穴和狭缝。同质岩石表面固着生物的种类与数量低于异质性的岩石表面。清除岩石表面的消费者后叶状藻类与其它固着无脊椎动物的种数就超过皮壳状藻类     

Benthic foraminifera and their stable isotope composition in sediment cores from Lake Qarun,Egypt: changes in water salinity during the past ~500 years

We studied the sedimentology, benthic foraminifera, molluscs, and δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C of Ammonia tepida tests in two late Holocene sediment cores from Lake Qarun (Egypt). The cores, QARU2 (upper section, 8.2 m) and QARU4 (1.4 m), span approximately the past 500 years of sedimentation. Benthic foraminifera first appeared in the upper part of QARU2 at 314 cm depth, ca. AD 1550. This depth marks the beginning of colonization of the lake by foraminifera and indicates a change in lake water salinity, as foraminifera cannot tolerate fresh water. Initially, three species of benthic foraminifera colonized the lake, Ammonia tepida, Cribroelphidium excavatum and Cribrononion incertum. Relative abundance of these species fluctuated throughout cores QARU2 and QARU4 and highest overall faunal diversity occurred at the beginning of the twentieth century. High relative abundances of C. incertum and deformed tests are attributed to periods of greater lakewater salinity. Peaks in both δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C indicate times of higher evaporation and reduced fresh water inflow. Inferred salinity was high around AD 1700 and after AD 1990. Rapid response of climate proxy variables indicates the high sensitivity of Lake Qarun to environmental changes over the past several 100 years. Increases in lakewater Mg concentration during past evaporative events, associated with less fresh water inflow, probably provided conditions suitable for C. incertum to build its white or transparent tests. Gradual decrease of C. incertum, until its disappearance at 100 cm depth ca. AD 1890, indicates a more persistent trend in lake water chemistry. Higher concentrations of dissolved sulphates were the likely cause of this species disappearance. Recent, twentieth-century sediments were deposited under optimal salinity (37‰) for benthic fauna, but further environmental changes are indicated by the decrease or disappearance of several benthic foraminifera and mollusc species. Intermittent hypoxia in the lake’s bottom waters, caused by cultural eutrophication, may account for these most recent changes.     

南极鳕鱼食性的初步研究

对 1 98 8年 1 2月 2 5 - 2 6日在长城站附近海区采集的南极鳕鱼胃含物进行了初步分析。结果表明食物的主要种类有底栖动物 6种和钩虾多种 ,浮游动物 3种 ,海藻 8种。底栖动物占食物量的 5 2 .82 % ,其中帽贝占 1 0 .77% ,钩虾类占 3 3 .78% ;浮游动物占 6 .74% ,其中磷虾占 5 .47% ;海藻占 3 5 .49% ,其中紫菜占 6 .3 5 % ,倒卵银杏藻占 1 8.96 %。鱼的体重与体长相关显著 ,相关系数是 0 .96。分析结果反映了南极鳕鱼的食物来源主要是底栖动物和海藻     

The salinity tolerance of benthic invertebrates of the Aral Sea

Experiments to determine the upper limits of potential salinity tolerance of four species of Aral Sea benthic macroinvertebrates were carried out. Invertebrates of marine origin tolerate salinity increases up to 70–90 g L^–1, and the gastropodCaspiohydrobia, up to 100–110 g L^–1. It was concluded that the express-method based on the estimation of salinity resistance of isolated tissues cannot be used to estimate the limits of tolerance. The prediction is made that bivalve molluscs and polychaetes will remain in the Aral Sea until the salinity increases to 60–70 g L^–1, but perhaps gastropods will tolerate salinity increases to 100–110 g L^–1.     

Hydrobiology of a salt pan from the Peninsula of Baja California, Mexico

The study site, a salt pan in the northwest of Baja California, Mexico,has a surface area of 33.2 ha and water capacity of 216,072m³. It is intermittently isolated from the adjacent ocean by asand bar, so that flooding via the coastal plain is a low frequency eventassociated with extreme storm conditions. Temporal changes in water volumewere represented by a particular expression of the mass conservationequation having as variables the volumetric capacity of the system, waterinputs by pluvial precipitation, runoff and infiltration, and water loss byevaporation; the numerical model explained over 80 per cent of observedfluctuations. The hydrobiological study covered a three-year period and twohydrological cycles; the first one was of mixed marine and pluvial origin,and the second, continental. Throughout the first cycle, phosphate andnitrate concentrations were up to one order of magnitude higher as weretotal particulate protein, chlorophyll a and phytoplankton abundance. Ingeneral, nannoplankton abundance was up to three orders of magnitude greaterthan the microphlanktonic fraction. In the former, 29 different cell formswere observed; two halophytic bacteria constituted 60–80 per cent ofthat fraction. In the microplankton, there were 27 different forms; mostwere benthic diatoms. The zooplanktonic assemblages of the first cycle hadmarine and continental elements; at 141 per mille, Artemia sp. firstappeared; at 240 per mille, it was the only faunistic element in the system.During the second cycle, Artemia was always present, co-existing with othercontinental species up to a salinity of 99 per mille. The morphology andmorphometry of Artemia were similar to those of Artemia franciscana.     

Diatom assemblages and water depth in Lake 239 (Experimental Lakes Area,Ontario): implications for paleoclimatic studies

Diatom assemblages in surface sediments were sampled along three transects in Lake 239, from the Experimental Lakes Area (NW Ontario), and analyzed in order to explore the relationship between modern species distributions and water depth. Approximately 170 diatom species were identified in surficial sediments at lake depths from 2 to 30 m. The species composition varied with sample depth but remained highly similar across all three transects. The main patterns of variation in the diatom assemblages across transects, derived from a detrended correspondence analysis (DCA), showed that assemblages were highly correlated (r = 0.97 to 0.98). At depths > 8 m the pattern of predominantly benthic composition changed to a planktonic assemblage dominated by Cyclotella stelligera. This depth currently corresponds to the depth of 1% light penetration as assessed from extinction coefficient measurements. Diatom species diversity increases with the switch to the near-shore benthic taxa in all three transects. Additionally, there is a large decrease in the ratio of chrysophyte scales to diatoms at depths < 8 m. Light transmission data from wet and dry periods over the last 35 years suggests that during dry periods the extent of the littoral zone should change by over 2 m. We suggest that cores along a transect from 8 to 14 m should provide a highly sensitive location for detailed paleoclimatic study.     

Siliceous microfossil distribution in the surficial sediments of Lake Baikal

Examination of surficial sediments at 16 stations shows minor, but consistent differences in the numbers and kinds of siliceous microfossils deposited in different regions of Lake Baikal. There is a general north-south decreasing trend in total microfossil abundance on a weight basis. Endemic plankton diatom species are the most abundant component of assemblages at all stations. Chrysophyte cysts are present at all stations, but most forms are more abundant at northern stations. Non-endemic plankton diatom species are most abundant at southern stations. Small numbers of benthic diatoms and sponge spicules are found in all samples. Although low numbers are present in offshore sediments, the benthic diatom flora is very diverse. Principal components analysis confirms primary north-south abundance trends and suggests further differentiation by station location and depth.     

红外相机记录的河西走廊荒漠生态系统中兽类和鸟类的群落动态

河西走廊地势狭长,位于两山之间,主要由荒漠构成,生境一旦遭到破坏,当地物种将很难找到替代的栖息地。本文以河西走廊中部典型砾质戈壁为研究区,经由2019—2020年红外相机和人工观测等方式监测到的兽类和鸟类数据为基准,探讨其群落动态及活动节律。结果表明：砾质戈壁兽类中的国家Ⅱ级重点保护及“三有”（有重要生态、科学、社会价值）动物有6种,而砾质戈壁鸟类中的国家Ⅱ级重点保护及“三有”动物有8种。兽类群落的季节变化小,春季鹅喉羚（Gazella subgutturosa）等的相对多度指数略高于其他季节,三趾跳鼠（Dipus sagitta）在4月大量出现;鸟类群落季节变化明显,春、夏季和秋季鸟类的相对多度指数高于冬季,物种数在夏季和秋季达到峰值。兽类和鸟类的相对多度变化趋势相似,均在夏末和春季达到顶峰。兽类的月相对多度指数与土壤含水量呈极显著的负相关,鹅喉羚和沙狐（Vulpes corsac）等日活动节律受人类活动影响出现在夜间、黄昏或黎明。鸟类的月相对多度指数与人类活动、空气温度、土壤温度和节肢动物均呈显著正相关,但人类活动在生长季会降低一些鸟类的活动频率。总之,河西走廊中部戈壁是鹅喉羚、沙狐、红隼（Falco tinnunculus）、锲尾伯劳（Lanius sphenocercus）、黑尾地鸦（Podoces hendersoni）、沙鵖（Oenanthe isabellina）、漠鵖（Oenanthe deserti）和短趾百灵（Calandrella cheleensis）等兽类和鸟类的主要栖息地,建立沙化土地封禁保护区对保护荒漠动物多样性具有重要的生态意义。     

科尔沁沙地植被恢复过程中群落组成及多样性演变特征

流动沙丘、固定沙丘和沙质草地均是科尔沁沙地土地沙化的产物,植被恢复重建则是该区域流沙治理的主要措施,理解植被恢复过程中群落组成及植物多样性演变特征有利于沙地植被恢复和生态重建.本研究基于连续15年对科尔沁沙地流动沙丘、固定沙丘和沙质草地长期植物群落结构调查数据,分析了 3种沙地类型植物群落年际变化特征及不同生活型植物年...     

Factors affecting diatom distribution in floodplain lakes of the southeast Murray Basin,Australia and implications for palaeolimnological studies

Diatom assemblages of surface sediments in 46 billabongs from four river floodplains in the southeast Murray-Darling Basin, Australia were sampled to investigate drivers of species distribution. The principal purpose of the study was to derive information to aid interpretation of diatom-based palaeoecological studies of these systems and of floodplain lakes more generally. Patterns in billabong diatom assemblages in relation to river reach, hydrology and farming intensity on surrounding land were examined, as were correlations with water quality variables. Seasonal variation in billabong water quality was high relative to spatial variation, and spatial patterns in billabong water quality were weak. In contrast, strong patterns were evident in diatom assemblages. Three main patterns were observed: (1) a distinction between billabongs dominated by planktonic diatoms from those dominated by benthic and attached forms; (2) differences in diatom assemblages in billabongs on different river reaches; and (3) differences in assemblages in billabongs with different hydrology. Of all water quality variables tested, total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN) and pH exerted the strongest independent influence on diatom distribution; however, only TP remained an important variable when species variation due to river reach, hydrology, and aquatic plant cover was taken into account. The weak influence of water quality on diatom distribution is interpreted as reflecting the dichotomy between plankton and non-plankton-dominated billabongs, the influence of hydrology and biogeography, the lack of strong spatial water quality gradients and the high degree of temporal variability in water quality. The findings show that diatom records from billabong sediments can provide evidence of long-term changes in the abundance of aquatic macrophytes and hydrology. They also suggest that merging calibration data sets across regions for the purpose of improving diatom transfer functions for water quality reconstruction is of limited value for floodplain lakes, and that performance is more likely to be gained by boosting site numbers within regions.     

Biotic response of benthic foraminifera in Aso-kai lagoon,central Japan,to changes in terrestrial climate and ocean conditions (~AD 700–1600)

We investigated responses of shallow-water benthic foraminifera to changes in climate and ocean conditions, using sediment core ASC2 from Aso-kai lagoon, central Japan. Six AMS ¹⁴C dates reveal that the studied interval corresponds to sediments deposited from ~AD 700 to 1600. Sulfur content of the bulk sediment and multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) axis 1 of fossil benthic foraminifera indicate that the composition of the benthic foraminifera community was closely related to dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in the hypolimnion. The sulfur content and MDS axis 1 also revealed two shifts over the 900-year interval. In the first phase (~AD 700–1250), the Shannon–Wiener Index (H′), E (S₂₀₀), evenness and rank abundance curve (RAC) kurtosis indicate a gradual deterioration in structure of the benthic foraminifera community. In that period, there are statistically significant correlations between the faunal composition (MDS axis 1) and faunal structure [Shannon–Wiener (H′), E (S₂₀₀), evenness and RAC kurtosis]. In the second phase (~AD 1250–1600), however, faunal composition and structure show no marked correspondence. Instead, abundance of benthic foraminifera fluctuated on a scale of ~200 years. Thus, a shift in the biotic response of benthic foraminifera in Aso-kai lagoon occurred in ca. AD 1250. Gradual deterioration of benthic foraminifera, with taxonomic losses, is consistent with declining DO in the first phase, possibly associated with the increasing influence of the Tsushima Warm Current. The possibility that closure of Aso-kai lagoon and development of the sand bar affected benthic foraminifera cannot, however, be ruled out. No corresponding response was observed in the second phase, during which there was no distinct taxonomic loss. Large variations in abundance, however, were a consequence of strength of the East Asian summer and winter monsoons. The shift in the biotic response of benthic foraminifera in Aso-kai lagoon during the period AD 700–1600 was apparently a result of changes in climate and ocean conditions on the East Asian continental margin.     

闽三角红树林底栖软体动物共存格局及机制

以漳江口国家级红树林自然保护区、九龙江口省级红树林自然保护区和泉州湾省级湿地保护区3个红树林分布区作为研究对象,研究底栖软体动物在中等尺度下的共存格局及机制。利用非度量多维标度分析、基于蒙特卡洛的零模型和网络分析探讨底栖软体动物的共存格局,利用raup-crik零模型识别决定性过程和随机过程测定底栖软体动物的相对重要性。结果显示,漳江口、九龙江口和泉州湾湿地共发现37种底栖软体动物,底栖软体动物的平均密度、物种数及群落物种组成差异显著。软体动物的共存格局呈现非随机分散和模块化,这些格局同时受到决定性过程和随机过程的调控作用,其中,物种竞争起主导作用。     

Lake Jezero v Ledvici (NW Solvenia) – changes in sediment records over the last two centuries

Lake Jezero v Ledvici (NW Slovenia) is a 14 m deep mountain lake at an elevation of 1860 m, situated on limestone bedrock. It is an oligotrophic, alkaline and hard-water lake with a transparency of about 14 m and has suffered several times over recent centuries from strong earthquakes. In 1996 five sediment cores, between 35 and 45 cm long, were collected from the deepest part of the lake and analysed to reconstruct environmental changes over the last few centuries. The data indicate changes induced by pollution and climate change during the last two centuries similar to those in other European mountain and remote lakes. However, at this site earthquakes have also affected the lake and partly obscure the interpretation of the sediment record. From 1780 to 1890, sediment records show low abundance of diatoms and relatively high abundance of Cladocera. After 1890, the number of diatoms started to increase coinciding with a strong earthquake. From the beginning of the 20th century, concentrations of spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCP), diatom valves and head capsules of chironomids gradually increased whilst in Cladocera the main difference observed was a change in the proportion of benthic taxa. After 1960, in parallel with a rise in air temperature, a further increase in accumulation rate of diatoms started, but there was a decrease in Cladocera.     

Investigating the response of Cladocera to a major saltwater intrusion event in an Arctic lake from the outer Mackenzie Delta (NT, Canada)

An increase in the frequency and intensity of marine storm surges is a predicted consequence of climate warming, and therefore it is important to better understand the biological responses to such events in coastal regions. In late September 1999, a major storm surge resulted in a saltwater intrusion event over a large area of the Mackenzie Delta (NT, Canada) front, causing rapid salinization of lakes on the alluvial plain. Due to a lack of long-term ecological monitoring data in the region, the impacts that the saltwater intrusion event had on the biota of affected lakes were unknown. We used high-resolution paleolimnological approaches to reconstruct past assemblage changes in Cladocera from impacted Lake DZO-29 (unofficial name) in order to determine how different cladoceran species responded to a major increase in lake salinity following the 1999 storm surge. Camptocercus were extirpated from the lake following the saltwater intrusion and have not recovered. We also observed an initial decrease in Alona relative abundance following the marine flooding, likely reflecting a loss of A. quadrangularis, A. barbulata, and A. costata from the lake. A. circumfimbriata, Chydorus biovatus, C. brevilabris, and Bosmina spp. were abundant both before and after the saltwater intrusion, and Paralona pigra was present following the storm surge, but not prior to it. The most notable shift in Cladocera in the recent sedimentary record, however, occurred much earlier, with an increase in pelagic Bosmina taxa and a subsequent decrease in the benthic/littoral taxa Chydorus and Camptocercus, an assemblage shift that is consistent with a response to climate warming in this region, and strongly correlated to other changes in the lake inferred to be as a result of regional warming.     

溱湖国家湿地公园水环境特征及底栖动物群落结构研究

2009年5月(平水期)和9月(丰水期)研究了泰州溱湖国家湿地公园11个采样点水体环境特征和大型底栖无脊椎动物群落结构,共获得4门6纲15目40科74属93个大型底栖无脊椎动物分类单元.研究结果显示,物种总分类单元数与总氮含量极显著正相关(n=21,r=0.597,p=0.004),Shannon-Wiener多样性指...     

Human impact on the forests of Bermuda: the decline of endemic cedar and palmetto since 1609, recorded in the Holocene pollen record of Devonshire Marsh

The wreck of the Sea Venture on Bermuda reefs in 1609 initiated continuous habitation by humans on these islands. Colonization brought significant changes to the native and endemic flora of Bermuda. Original floral diversity was low, due to the effects of isolation and lack of previous anthropogenic influences. Two dominant endemic components of the flora, Bermuda cedar (Juniperus bermudiana) and Bermuda palmetto (Sabal bermudana), were extensively utilized by the colonists. Cedar was used for housing, furniture, shipbuilding and export, while the palmetto was used for roof thatch, basketry, food and drink. Exploitation of these species occurred to such extent that the General Laws of Bermuda included resolutions protecting them as early as 1622. Later, in the period between 1946 and 1951, two accidentally introduced scale insects eliminated 95% of the existing cedar population.While the flora and geography of upland habitats on Bermuda have been drastically modified by humans, the peat marsh basins have remained relatively unaffected. From the peats of one of these, Devonshire Marsh, a 9-m core was extracted for pollen analysis and to evaluate the potential for further study. The pollen record below 1.6 m indicated very little change in the native and endemic flora of Bermuda, but above that depth statistically significant changes in the relative abundances of pollen of Bermuda cedar and Bermuda palmetto are noted. Relative abundances of both species decreases significantly above this depth. This decrease is interpreted to represent the arrival of colonists and their impact on the cedar and palmetto populations. A second decrease in relative abundance of Bermuda cedar is recorded above 0.7 m. This reflects the scale infestation and decimation of the remaining cedar population. Coincident with decreases in cedar and palmetto are increases in relative abundance of Poaceae and Asteraceae, indicative of cleared land and the spread of weedy taxa. A radiocarbon date of 520±70 yr BP at a depth of 1.7 m and major changes in relative abundance of palynomorphs in proximity to the marsh surface allows their interpretation as a record of human impact on the endemic flora of Bermuda.This is the 19th 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.