ALBERT

Description:    Pollen productivity estimates (PPEs) are indispensable prerequisites for quantitative vegetation reconstructions. Estimates from different European regions show a large variability and it is uncertain whether this reflects regional differences in climate and soil or is brought about by different assessments of vegetation abundance. Forests represent a particular problem as they consist of several layers of vegetation and many tree species only start producing pollen after they have attained ages of several decades. Here we used detailed forest inventory data from north-eastern Germany to investigate the effect of flowering age and understory trees on PPEs. Pollen counts were obtained from 49 small to medium sized lakes chosen to represent the different forest types in the region. Surface samples from lakes within a closed forest of Fagus yielded disproportionate amounts of Fagus pollen, increasing its PPE and the variability of all other estimates. These samples were removed from further analysis but indicate a high trunk-space component that is not considered in the Prentice–Sugita pollen dispersal and deposition model. Results of the restricted dataset show important differences in PPEs based on the consideration of flowering age and understory position. The effect is largest for slow growing and/or late flowering trees like Fagus and Carpinus while it is minimal for species that flower early in their development like Betula and Alnus . The large relevant source area of pollen (RSAP) of 7 km obtained in this study is consistent with the landscape structure of the region. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-14 DOI 10.1007/s00334-012-0373-z Authors Isabelle Matthias, Department of Palynology and Climate Dynamics, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany Anne Birgitte Nielsen, Department of Palynology and Climate Dynamics, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany Thomas Giesecke, Department of Palynology and Climate Dynamics, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany Journal Vegetation History and Archaeobotany Online ISSN 1617-6278 Print ISSN 0939-6314

Description:    To better understand the response of forest vegetation to climate and fire regimes with reference to human activities over the last deglacial period in the Aso Caldera, central Kyushu, southwestern Japan, a 33.9 m long sediment core was examined in order to reconstruct the vegetational and fire history using pollen and charcoal analyses. The results show that a cool temperate broad-leaved deciduous forest, dominated by Quercus (deciduous oaks) with Carpinus and Fagus , prevailed in the Aso Valley from ca. 14.6 ka cal.  b . p ., indicating warming since the last glacial period. The landscape was presumably covered by a mosaic of deciduous Quercus forests and terrestrial Artemisia communities. Around 12.8–11.7 ka cal.  b . p ., Quercus dominated the forest and fires occurred frequently. Co-expansion of distinctive Ulmus – Zelkova and Celtis – Aphananthe forests coupled with a progressive retreat of Quercus in the early Holocene could reflect a strengthening of the East Asian summer monsoon under mild and humid climate conditions. Around 8 ka cal.  b . p ., significant increases in Cyclobalanopsis (evergreen oaks), Castanopsis / Castanea and Podocarpus indicate a further warming, in particular an increased winter temperature. Warm temperate lucidophyllous forests, dominated by Cyclobalanopsis , flourished after 7.3 ka cal.  b . p ., probably corresponding to the “Holocene Climatic Optimum” interval. Progressive expansion of Quercus at the expense of Cyclobalanopsis began around 6.4 ka cal.  b . p . and paralleled an increase in charcoal until ca. 4.8 ka cal.  b . p .; this could be evidence of fire disturbance induced by the early-middle Jomon people. The disturbed evergreen forest experienced a temporary recovery but then opened again from 3.6 ka cal.  b . p . due to extensive fire deforestation, as suggested by the high charcoal levels during this time. Human exploitation and buckwheat ( Fagopyrum ) agriculture may have contributed to the opening of the forest, which allowed secondary forests (primarily Pinus and Quercus ) and herbaceous communities (mainly Poaceae) to spread. These results are discussed in comparison with other high-resolution pollen data from western Japan to better elucidate the vegetation and fire history over the last deglacial in the Aso Caldera. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-14 DOI 10.1007/s00334-012-0375-x Authors Jun-Wu Shu, Department of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008 People’s Republic of China Naoko Sasaki, Laboratory of Forest Vegetation Dynamics, Kyoto Prefectural University, Kyoto, 606-8522 Japan Hikaru Takahara, Laboratory of Forest Vegetation Dynamics, Kyoto Prefectural University, Kyoto, 606-8522 Japan Yoshitaka Hase, Goshoura Cretaceous Museum, Kumamoto, 866-0313 Japan Journal Vegetation History and Archaeobotany Online ISSN 1617-6278 Print ISSN 0939-6314

Description:    Abundant and diverse Prunus fruitstone remains from cherries, plums, sloes, peaches, etc. are frequently recovered from archaeological waterlogged contexts such as wells, latrines, lake dwellings etc. in Europe. The distinction between most of the Prunus species, based on traditional morphological characters of the fruit stones, is usually not problematic. However the discrimination between P. avium L., P. cerasus L. and related cherry species, based on classical criteria alone, often turns out to be ambiguous because of the increasing number of varieties which have been bred since Roman times. By combining geometric and traditional morphometrical approaches, the overall variation in shape and size of stones from French and Swiss excavations dating from the 1st century to the 16th century a.d. were assessed. Among these important archaeobotanical data, the detailed examination of 100 waterlogged stones from the 16th century Hôtel-Dieu cesspit at Tours, France, revealed that the morphological diversity is structured into two distinct morphotypes which diverge mainly according to geometrical features. Finally, the comparison between morphological features of these well-preserved archaeological stones and modern reference material including P. avium , P. cerasus and P.  ×  gondouinii , suggests that these two morphotypes, which have been initially attributed to P. avium (long stones) and P. avium/cerasus (rounded stones) according to traditional morphological parameters, would correspond to two different cultivated varieties, both belonging to Prunus avium . Results presented in this work constitute new and preliminary data obtained during the development of this project that throw light on morphological variability and biosystematic aspects. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 447-458 DOI 10.1007/s00334-011-0310-6 Authors Pauline Burger, Centre de Bio-Archéologie et d’Ecologie (CBAE) (UMR 5059 CNRS/Université Montpellier 2/EPHE), Equipe Ressources Biologiques, Sociétés, Biodiversité, Institut de Botanique, 163 rue Auguste Broussonet, 34090 Montpellier, France Jean-Frederic Terral, Centre de Bio-Archéologie et d’Ecologie (CBAE) (UMR 5059 CNRS/Université Montpellier 2/EPHE), Equipe Ressources Biologiques, Sociétés, Biodiversité, Institut de Botanique, 163 rue Auguste Broussonet, 34090 Montpellier, France Marie-Pierre Ruas, Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique-Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements (AASPE) (UMR 7209 CNRS/MNHN), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, 55 rue Buffon, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France Sarah Ivorra, Centre de Bio-Archéologie et d’Ecologie (CBAE) (UMR 5059 CNRS/Université Montpellier 2/EPHE), Equipe Ressources Biologiques, Sociétés, Biodiversité, Institut de Botanique, 163 rue Auguste Broussonet, 34090 Montpellier, France Sandrine Picq, Centre de Bio-Archéologie et d’Ecologie (CBAE) (UMR 5059 CNRS/Université Montpellier 2/EPHE), Equipe Ressources Biologiques, Sociétés, Biodiversité, Institut de Botanique, 163 rue Auguste Broussonet, 34090 Montpellier, France Journal Vegetation History and Archaeobotany Online ISSN 1617-6278 Print ISSN 0939-6314 Journal Volume Volume 20 Journal Issue Volume 20, Number 5

Description:    Archaeobotanical and archaeozoological analyses conducted on Late Neolithic settlement layers at Latsch provide the first data on the subsistence strategy, diet and environmental conditions in the valley of origin of the Alpine Iceman. The results prove that during the Late Neolithic, the valley was occupied by an agro-pastoral society based on the cultivation of Hordeum vulgare (hulled barley), Triticum monococcum (einkorn), T. dicoccum (emmer) and Pisum sativum (pea), as well as on the rearing of Ovis vel Capra , Ovis orientalis f. aries (sheep), Capra aegagrus f. hircus (goat) and Bos primigenius f. taurus (cattle). The settlement was located on a river terrace of the valley floor close to a river and was surrounded by mixed pine and oak woods beside alluvial woodland. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 367-379 DOI 10.1007/s00334-011-0308-0 Authors Daniela Festi, Institut für Botanik der Universität Innsbruck, Sternwartestraße 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria Umberto Tecchiati, Autonome Provinz Bozen, Denkmalpflege, Armando Diaz Straße 8, 39100 Bozen, Italy Hubert Steiner, Autonome Provinz Bozen, Denkmalpflege, Armando Diaz Straße 8, 39100 Bozen, Italy Klaus Oeggl, Institut für Botanik der Universität Innsbruck, Sternwartestraße 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria Journal Vegetation History and Archaeobotany Online ISSN 1617-6278 Print ISSN 0939-6314 Journal Volume Volume 20 Journal Issue Volume 20, Number 5

Description:    We aim to provide a long-term ecological analysis of land-use and floristic diversity in the transition from traditional to modern land-use management in the time a . d. 1800–2008 in southern Sweden. We use the Regional Estimates of Vegetation Abundance from Large Sites (REVEALS) model to quantify land-cover changes on a regional scale at 20-year intervals, based on the fossil pollen record. Floristic richness and evenness are estimated using palynological richness and the Shannon index applied to the REVEALS output, respectively. We identified a transition period of 60 years between 1880 and 1940 when the total tree cover increased and the tree composition changed from deciduous to coniferous dominance. Within the shrinking area of open land, arable land taxa expanded, while the number and coverage of herbs in the remaining grasslands decreased. The succession from open grasslands to more tree-covered habitats initially favoured palynological richness, which reached its highest values during the first 40 years of the transition period. The highest REVEALS-based evenness was recorded in the time of traditional land-use and at the beginning of the transition period, reflecting higher habitat diversity at these time intervals. Our results support a more dynamic ecosystem management that changes between traditional land-use and phases of succession (〈40 years) to promote floristic diversity. We have developed and applied a palaeoecological methodology that contributes realistic estimates to be used in ecosystem management. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-14 DOI 10.1007/s00334-012-0357-z Authors Daniel Fredh, Department of Geology, Quaternary Sciences, Lund University, Sölveg. 12, 22362 Lund, Sweden Anna Broström, Department of Geology, Quaternary Sciences, Lund University, Sölveg. 12, 22362 Lund, Sweden Lovisa Zillén, Department of Geology, Quaternary Sciences, Lund University, Sölveg. 12, 22362 Lund, Sweden Florence Mazier, GEODE, UMR 5602, University of Toulouse-Le Mirail, 5 allées A. Machado, 31058 Toulouse Cedex, France Mats Rundgren, Department of Geology, Quaternary Sciences, Lund University, Sölveg. 12, 22362 Lund, Sweden Per Lagerås, Swedish National Heritage Board, Archaeological Excavations Department UV Syd, Odlarevägen 5, 226 60 Lund, Sweden Journal Vegetation History and Archaeobotany Online ISSN 1617-6278 Print ISSN 0939-6314

Description:    Linum usitatissimum L. (flax) has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years in China. Throughout the history of its cultivation, flax was mainly used for oil and medicine. It was not until the last 100 years that fibre flax began to be cultivated and used. This paper discusses the distribution, cultivation and use of flax in China especially in the past, based on literature reviews and ethnobotanical surveys for its traditional uses. The modern distribution of wild flax species in China is also presented in this paper. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 561-566 DOI 10.1007/s00334-011-0311-5 Authors Fei-Hu Liu, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Lake Road, Kunming, 650091 China Xia Chen, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Lake Road, Kunming, 650091 China Bo Long, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Lake Road, Kunming, 650091 China Rui-Yan Shuai, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Lake Road, Kunming, 650091 China Chun-Lin Long, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132 Lanhei Road, Kunming, 650204 China Journal Vegetation History and Archaeobotany Online ISSN 1617-6278 Print ISSN 0939-6314 Journal Volume Volume 20 Journal Issue Volume 20, Number 6

Description:    The origin and developmental history of Fagus sylvatica forests in south-eastern Norway have been studied through pollen analysis and AMS radiocarbon-dating of peat from two small forest hollows. In this area F. sylvatica appears to have a long history, from the first occurrence of F. sylvatica pollen at ca. 9100 cal. b.p. to its local expansion ca. 1300–1200 cal. b.p. At this time a shift from a diverse landscape mosaic with many plant taxa present, including broad-leaved trees, to a less diverse landscape mosaic with Picea abies and F. sylvatica trees is interpreted from the pollen data. The long history of F. sylvatica suggests that the existing forests are not recent plantations, but implies that these forests are native. The presence of pollen indicative of anthropogenic activity combined with charcoal before the expansion of F. sylvatica , as well as comparison with data from nearby sites, suggest that the forest development was likely to be a result of human activity and climatic changes, particularly changes in moisture conditions. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-15 DOI 10.1007/s00334-012-0371-1 Authors Anne E. Bjune, Uni Bjerknes Centre, Allégaten 55, 5007 Bergen, Norway Ingeborg Helvik, Department of Biology, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7803, 5020 Bergen, Norway H. John B. Birks, Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Allégaten 55, 5007 Bergen, Norway Journal Vegetation History and Archaeobotany Online ISSN 1617-6278 Print ISSN 0939-6314

Description:    We present a new method of identifying past plant communities based on a palaeobotanical dataset. The dataset used as a case study consists of plant macro-remains retrieved from the Neolithic settlement Swifterbant S4, The Netherlands. Taxa were grouped based on their present-day concurrence values. Subsequently, phytosociological analysis was performed on the subfossil taxon groups using the software package PALAEOASSOCIA, adjusted for this type of research. Results show that syntaxonomic knowledge on the concurrence of plant species can be used to reconstruct parts of the past vegetation. We further discuss the theory behind the reconstruction of syntaxa, with special emphasis on actualism. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-13 DOI 10.1007/s00334-012-0370-2 Authors Mans Schepers, Groningen Institute of Archaeology, University of Groningen, Poststraat 6, 9712 ER Groningen, The Netherlands J. F. Scheepens, Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland René T. J. Cappers, Groningen Institute of Archaeology, University of Groningen, Poststraat 6, 9712 ER Groningen, The Netherlands Onno F. R. van Tongeren, Data-Analyse Ecologie, Vrij Nederlandstraat 57, 6826 AW Arnhem, The Netherlands Daan C. M. Raemaekers, Groningen Institute of Archaeology, University of Groningen, Poststraat 6, 9712 ER Groningen, The Netherlands Renée M. Bekker, Community and Conservation Ecology Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands Journal Vegetation History and Archaeobotany Online ISSN 1617-6278 Print ISSN 0939-6314

Description:    The mid-continent of North America has experienced dramatic and abrupt climate change during the Holocene, but the response of grassland vegetation to past climate change has been difficult to quantify. To improve interpretation of tallgrass prairie vegetation from pollen assemblages, we acquired and analysed a surface sample set collected from 25 small ponds (less than 10 ha surface area) in the largest contiguous remnant of tallgrass prairie in the USA. We compared these tallgrass prairie assemblages to 476 modern pollen samples classified as “prairie” in the North American Surface Sample database. We then compared the surface pollen assemblages with fossil pollen assemblages from sediment cores at two sites in Kansas—Cheyenne Bottoms and Muscotah Marsh—using the modern analog technique. Pollen assemblages in the Flint Hills surface samples were very similar to each other, with an average squared chord distance of 0.19. They were different than other modern grassland pollen assemblages mainly due to higher percentages of pollen from six woody taxa: Carya , Cornus , Juniperus , Juglans , Maclura , and Platanus . Arboreal pollen percentages ranged from 17 to 62 % and did not correlate with woody cover among sites. Cheyenne Bottoms was open grassland for the past 25,000 years, but it did not have many tallgrass prairie analogs. Muscotah Marsh did not have many grassland analogs over the past 30,000 years, possibly due to its position on the prairie-forest border or its surrounding wetland vegetation. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-13 DOI 10.1007/s00334-012-0369-8 Authors Kendra K. McLauchlan, Department of Geography, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA Julie L. Commerford, Department of Geography, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA Christopher J. Morris, Department of Geography, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA Journal Vegetation History and Archaeobotany Online ISSN 1617-6278 Print ISSN 0939-6314

Description:    The geomorphological analysis of the river Tocantins alluvial area was carried out by remote sensing techniques, jointly with studies of sedimentary facies, mineralogy and geochemistry, pollen and spores, C and N isotopes data and radiocarbon dating of a sediment core from a floodplain lake, near the river Tocantins in the southeastern Amazon region. The aim was to identify and discuss the relationship between the main geomorphological processes and climatic factors, as well as their influence on vegetation patterns. The data indicate three phases of sediment and organic matter accumulation associated with vegetation changes during the Holocene: in Phase 1 (〉7760 ± 80 cal yrs b.p. ), the channel was gradually being disconnected from its main course, accumulating organic matter from terrestrial woody plants; in Phase 2 (〉7760 ± 80 to 5145 ± 175 cal yrs b.p. ), the very low energy flows allowed the deposition of autochthonous organic mud from suspension. Herbaceous vegetation and a Mauritia palm-swamp dominated the study area, followed by an increase in the contribution of freshwater dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to the lake; Phase 3 (5145 ± 175 cal yrs b.p. until present) records the expansion of ferns and arboreal plants, and greater freshwater organic matter input into the lake with anoxic water conditions. The development of the studied lake occurred by geomorphological changes and the filling process of an abandoned channel according to hydrodynamics and vegetation changes which were probably influenced by climatic changes during the Holocene. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Article Pages 1-14 DOI 10.1007/s00334-012-0374-y Authors José Tasso Felix Guimarães, Instituto Tecnológico Vale Desenvolvimento Sustentável – ITV DS, Rua Boa Ventura da Silva 955, 3º andar (Umarizal), Belém, PA 66055-090, Brazil Marcelo Cancela Lisboa Cohen, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geologia e Geoquímica, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), Rua Augusto Correa 01, Belém, PA 66075-110, Brazil Marlon Carlos França, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geologia e Geoquímica, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), Rua Augusto Correa 01, Belém, PA 66075-110, Brazil Igor Charles Castor Alves, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geologia e Geoquímica, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), Rua Augusto Correa 01, Belém, PA 66075-110, Brazil Clarisse Beltrão Smith, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geologia e Geoquímica, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), Rua Augusto Correa 01, Belém, PA 66075-110, Brazil Luiz Carlos Ruiz Pessenda, Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA), Piracicaba, SP 13400-000, Brazil Hermann Behling, Department of Palynology and Climate Dynamics, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany Journal Vegetation History and Archaeobotany Online ISSN 1617-6278 Print ISSN 0939-6314