Palaeoecological investigations towards the reconstruction of the post-glacial environment at Lough Doo,County Mayo,Ireland

Results of palaeoecological studies involving pollen analytical, chemical and palaeomagnetic investigations on a 3 m core from Lough Doo, NE County Mayo, are presented. The record, which commences shortly after 7000 BP, shows a sharp Alnus expansion coinciding with a decline in Pius at 6400 BP, an elm decline taking place in the context of severe soil erosion and the final decline of Pinus occurring as the chemical record indicates onset of severe reducing conditions in the catchment. Pine becomes extinct at or shortly before 3200 BP in the context of increased farming activity and the expansion of blanket bog in the adjacent upland areas. A later feature (c. 1880 BP) is the expansion of Taxus to 7.1% of total pollen. On the basis of the palynological evidence, it is concluded that there were no major Neolithic Landnam phases, which contrasts sharply with the evidence for widespread woodland clearance and the laying out of extensive and regular field systems in the northern coastal part of County Mayo. In the upper part of the core a severe inversion of ¹⁴C dates is recorded. On the basis of the palaeomagnetic and pollen evidence this began at c. 1500 BP and is considered to have been initiated in the context of woodland clearance and a renewal in farming activity.