Pollen, non-pollen palynomorph, macrofossil, and lithological analyses of mid-Holocene deposits from a small peat bog in northern Poland provide new proxy data on vegetation dynamics and climate between c. 9500 and 4600 cal. BP. The most prominent wetter climate phases occurred between c. 9500 and 9280±160 and between c. 5000 and 4600 cal. BP while a hot and dry period between 8185±145 and 5299±195 cal. BP corresponds with the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM). The HTM phase has been characterized by absolute dominance of Tilia cordata and the presence of T. platyphyllos beyond its current geographical range limit and a c. 2700 yr long, high incidence of the parasite fungus Kretzschmaria deusta in the local forest stand, concurrent with a dry phase on the mire. For the HTM, we suggest mean summer temperatures at least 3°C higher than today’s values. These data are in accordance with the geographic pattern of the HTM temperature anomalies in northern Europe, including the Baltic region, which suggest a gradient of positive anomalies from north to south and from west to east. The data also illustrate the effect of climate warming on the mid-Holocene pathogen outbreak and may indicate intensive vegetative reproduction as a Tilia strategy for population survival. Summer drought was probably important for high success of K. deusta in infecting weakened Tilia trees.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.