Multi-indicator conductivity transfer functions for Quaternary palaeoclimate reconstruction |
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Authors: | Jane M Reed Francesc Mesquita-Joanes Huw I Griffiths |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Geography, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK;(2) Dep. Microbiologia i Ecologia, Fac. Biologia, Univ. Val?ncia, 46100 Burjassot, Spain;(3) Hull, UK |
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Abstract: | Diatoms (Bacillariophyceae; single-celled algae) and ostracods (Ostracoda; shelled microcrustacea) are known for their sensitivity
to salinity. In palaeolimnology, the potential has yet to be tested for quantifying past salinity, lake level, and by inference,
climate change, by application of multiple-indicator transfer functions. We used weighted averaging techniques to derive diatom
(n = 91; r
2
= 0.92) and ostracod (n = 53; r
2
= 0.83) conductivity transfer functions from modern diatom, ostracod and water chemistry data collected in lakes of central,
western and northern Turkey. Diatoms were better represented across the full gradient than ostracods, at intermediate levels
of conductivity in particular, but both transfer functions were statistically robust. Because transfer functions are not infallible,
we further tested the strength and simplicity of salinity response and the potential for identifying characteristic associations
of diatom and ostracod taxa in different parts of the salinity gradient, to improve palaeoclimate reconstruction. We identified
a subset of 51 samples that contained both diatoms and ostracods, collected at the same time from the same habitat. We used
Two-Way Indicator Species Analysis of a combined diatom-ostracod data set, transformed to achieve numerical equivalence, to
explore distributions in more detail. A clear ecological threshold was apparent at ~3 g l−1 salinity, rather than at 5 g l−1, the boundary used by some workers, equating to the oligosaline-mesosaline boundary. Other salinity boundaries were poorly
defined, indicating lack of a simple, well-defined salinity response. We did, however, define characteristic associations
of taxa, to facilitate the distinction to be drawn between a hydrologically open, fresh lake and an oligosaline lake, in palaeoenvironmental
reconstruction. Over the rest of the salinity gradient, we highlighted the potential for the multi-proxy approach to strengthen
ostracod-based reconstruction in particular, to overcome the problem of broad apparent tolerance ranges in common halophilic
taxa such as Limnocythere inopinata, which often dominate in low-diversity fossil assemblages. The combination of multi-proxy quantitative reconstruction, complemented
by qualitative understanding of ecological responses generated by the analysis, remains a powerful tool in Quaternary palaeoclimate
research. |
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Keywords: | |
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