Dvije tisuće godina okolišnih promjena na području središnje Hrvatske – vegetacija, požari i hidrologija utjecani klimatskim prilikama i ljudskim pritiskom

This paper presents the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of a mire sequence near the village Blatuša, with a focus on changes in vegetation composition, hydrological regime and fire history of the Banovina/Kordun area during the last two millennia. For this purpose, pollen, non-pollen and charcoal analysis were done. By the application of CONISS statistical analysis three different pollen assemblage (sub)zones could have been distinguished: a dominance of alder-beech/oaks from the 2nd to the middle of the 7th century, followed by a prevalence of grasses-beech/oaks till the end of the 13th century. Finally, an assemblage of grasses-hornbeam/oaks populated the area from the 14th to the beginning of the 20th century. The high abundance of peat mosses (Sphagnum) from the 11th to the end of the 14th century must indicate increased precipitation and higher frequencies of rainfall during the Medieval Climate Anomaly. Transition from an ombrotrophic to minerotrophic phase of mire evolution during the Little Ice Age is caused by changing in moisture level, with somewhat wetter period prevailing till the middle of the 17th century followed by drier conditions till the beginning of the 20th century. Although cereal pollen grains first appear from the layers dated to the late 14th century and the proportion of secondary anthropogenic indicators were low during the entire Middle Ages, a large number of charcoal particles suggests stronger anthropogenic activity than indicated by observed changes in vegetation composition. Still, a sharp rise of non-arboreal pollen during the Migration period most likely reflect a general natural succession process on mire surface than persuable proof of Avaric-Slavic impact on vegetation. Direct anthropogenic pressure indicated by weeds and cereal pollen can be tracked from the Late Middle Ages onwards.

Mycological and palynological studies of early medieval cultural layers from strongholds in Pszczew and Santok (western Poland)

<p>Cultural layers from early medieval strongholds in Pszczew and Santok have been examined for the presence of pollen grains and spores as well as residues of fungi. The presence of the following remains has been recorded: fossil hyphopodia of <em>Gaeumannomyces</em>, teliospores of <em>Puccinia</em>, spores of <em>Bipolaris</em>, <em>Thecaphora</em> and <em>Tilletia</em>, teliospores of the genus <em>Urocystis</em>, <em>Ustilago</em> and <em>Uromyces</em>, ascocarps (perithecium) of the Ascomycota or the pycnidium of Sphaeropsidales. A greater diversity and abundance of fungi spores sensu lato was recorded in Santok, as compared to Pszczew. Both early medieval sites recorded a significant proportion of cereal pollen, including <em>Secale cereale</em>. It remains an undisputed fact that the grains and other plants collected in both strongholds were strongly infected with fungi. The analysis of the cultural layers for the presence of fungi remains provides significant data on the presence of certain species of plants and their growth conditions in natural environments and in agriculture.</p>

Palynology in Historical Rural-Landscape Studies: Great Meadows, Pennsylvania

Pollen deposited on the ground surface is carried down into the soil by percolating groundwater. Such postdepositional pollen transport preserves the record of historical vegetation and land use in slowly or nonaggrading sediment profiles by separating the pollen spectra of successive ground covers. This is demonstrated at Great Meadows, Pennsylvania, where pollen spectra in hillside cores indicating a preagricultural-era forest are succeeded during the clearance and agricultural period by weed and cereal pollen during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These are, in turn, replaced by grass during the park period of the last 65 years. The preagricultural pollen spectra indicate that differences in historical ground cover across relatively short horizontal distances and elevations can be reconstructed with pollen analysis.