Past vegetation, fire, and climate dynamics, as well as human impact, have been reconstructed for the first time in the highlands of the Gilan province in the Alborz mountains (above the Hyrcanian forest) for the last 4,300 cal yrs bp. Multi-proxy analysis, including pollen, spores, non-pollen palynomorphs, charcoal, and geochemical analysis, has been applied to investigate the environmental changes at 2,280 m a.s.l., above the Hyrcanian forest. Dominant steppe vegetation occurred in the study area throughout the recorded period. The formation of the studied mire deposits, as well as vegetation composition, suggest a change to wetter climatic conditions after 4,300 until 1,700 cal yrs bp. Fires were frequent, which may imply long-lasting anthropogenic activities in the area. Less vegetation cover with a marked decrease of the Moisture Index (MI) suggests drier conditions between 1,700 and 1,000 cal yrs bp. A high proportion of Cichorioideae and Amaranthaceae, as well as the reduction of trees, in particular Fagus and Quercus, at lower elevations, indicate human activities such as intense livestock grazing and deforestation. Soil erosion as the result of less vegetation due to dry conditions and/or human activities can be reconstructed from a marked increase of Glomus spores and high values of K and Ti. Since 1,000 cal yrs bp, the increasing MI, as well as the rise of Poaceae and Cyperaceae together with forest recovery, suggest a change to wetter conditions. The occurrence of still frequent Cichorioideae and Plantago lanceolata along with Sordaria reflect continued intense grazing of livestock by humans.

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Past vegetation and environmental changes and the role of climate as well as human activities are of major interest. The Hyrcanian region with a high number of endemic species has a poorly known paleoenvironmental history, especially the western region of northern Iran. This study aims to investigate a radiocarbon-dated sediment core of the Kholasht-Kouh Lake (KHL) for the recorded between ca. 510 and 1180 cal yr BP. KHL is located at 2000 m elevation and surrounded with steppe vegetation above the present-day forest line. Multi-proxy analyses including pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, charcoal, loss on ignition, and X-ray fluorescence were applied to reconstruct past environmental dynamics. The results indicate the dominance of herbaceous vegetation (mainly Poaceae, Artemisia, and Amaranthaceae) around the lake during the whole record, except for the period between 1010 and 740 cal yr BP. During this period of the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (1000–700 cal yr BP) mixed forest increased, consisting mainly of Quercus, Fagus, Carpinus, and Juniperus. The K, Ti and Si elements (as indicators for increased in detrital inputs) suggest relatively humid condition between 1180 and 1010 cal yr BP. Furthermore, higher lake levels may indicate from low values of the Mn/Ti, Ca/Ti and Sr/Ti ratios. After 1010 until 740 cal yr BP the highest value of the Si/Fe ratio, suggested warmest period of the record. While the lowest value of the Si/Fe ratio, in line with the reduction of other elements and ratios, between 740 till 510 cal yr BP represented cold and dry period. Humans were present around the study area at least since beginning of the record, but did not played an important role impacting the vegetation.

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We studied the modern pollen rain in two different landscapes from Hyrcanian lowland forests up to the slopes of the Alborz Mountains in Gilan province for the first time. Pollen traps were installed for one year and moss samples were collected along two altitudinal transects from 100 to 1800 m and from 100 to 2300 m elevations. The results of pollen counting and environmental DNA barcoding (metabarcoding) of the collected pollen and moss samples were compared from 32 locations. In total, 81 vascular plant species from 36 families were identified by metabarcoding, and 68 taxa belonging to 39 families were identified by pollen counting. The pollen counting results reflect mainly wind-pollinated families, such as Betulaceae and Fagaceae while results from metabarcoding of the rbcL and ITS2 loci were more in line with the vegetation around the pollen traps and the moss samples. Furthermore, this study showed that the rbcL region is able to identify more taxa than the ITS2 region, while applying both markers provides higher confidence. Also using both metabarcoding and pollen data provides a better local and regional vegetation representation.