Late-glacial and Holocene vegetation history and dynamics as shown by pollen and plant macrofossil analyses in annually laminated sediments from Soppensee, central Switzerland

Lotter, André F.

doi:10.1007/bf02342718

Cited by 176 publications

(177 citation statements)

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“…At Soppensee, on the basis of macrofossils Tilia dominated forests can be inferred for influx values > c. 300 (Lotter et al, 1999). A maximum influx of around 350 at Lac de Bretaye suggests that…”

Section: Interpretation and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstruction of Holocene vegetation dynamics at Lac de Bretaye, a high-mountain lake in the Swiss Alps

et al. 2015

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Abstract:A deeper understanding of past vegetation dynamics is required to better assess future vegetation responses to global warming in the Alps. Lake sediments from Lac de Bretaye, a small subalpine lake in the Northern Swiss Alps (1780 m a.s.l.), were analysed to reconstruct past vegetation dynamics for the entire Holocene, using pollen, macrofossil and charcoal analyses as main proxies. The results show that timberline reached the lake's catchment area at around 10300 cal. BP, supporting the hypothesis of a delayed postglacial afforestation in the Northern Alps. At the same time, thermophilous trees such as Ulmus, Tilia and Acer established in the lowlands and expanded to the altitude of the lake, forming distinctive boreo-nemoral forests with Betula, Pinus cembra and Larix decidua. From about 5000 to 3500 cal. BP, thermophilous trees declined due to increasing human land use, mainly driven by the mass expansion of Picea abies and severe anthropogenic fire activity. From the Bronze Age onwards (c. 4200-2800BP), grazing indicators and high values for charcoal concentration and influx attest an intensifying human impact, fostering the expansion of Alnus viridis and Picea abies. Hence, biodiversity in alpine meadows increased whereas forest diversity declined, as can be seen in other regional records. We argue that the anticipated climate change and http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/holocene HOLOCENE F o r P e e r R e v i e w decreasing human impact in the Alps today will not only lead to an upward movement of timberline with consequent loss of area for grasslands, but also to a disruption of Picea abies forests, which may allow the reexpansion of thermophilous tree species. Alnus viridis and Picea abies. Hence, biodiversity in alpine meadows increased whereas forest diversity declined, as can be seen in other regional records. We argue that the anticipated climate change and decreasing human impact in the Alps today will not only lead to an upward movement of timberline with consequent loss of area for grasslands, but also to a disruption of Picea abies forests, which may allow the re-expansion of thermophilous tree species.

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Section: Interpretation and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstruction of Holocene vegetation dynamics at Lac de Bretaye, a high-mountain lake in the Swiss Alps

et al. 2015

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“…The younger part of zone PLC-3 chronologically correspond approximately to the pronounced cooling of the YD (12,650-11,500 cal yr BP, see Ammann et al, 2000), which had strong effects on vegetation in the southern side of the Alps and elsewhere in Europe (e.g. Lotter, 1999;Litt et al, 2001;Finsinger et al, 2006). Other investigations from the southern side of the Alps suggest that this period can be subdivided into three parts (Lago di Annone, , but in our pollen series of PLC only one major phase is clearly detectable, i.e.…”

Section: Article In Pressmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Central Europe climatic warming at 14,700-14,500 cal yr BP-induced large-scale afforestation (Lotter, 1999;Litt et al, 2001Litt et al, , 2003 involving the expansion of Betula in open shrublands (Salix, Juniperus, Hippophaë). The beginning of ARTICLE IN PRESS Fig.…”

Section: Climatic and Vegetational Changes At Ca 14500 Cal Yr Bpmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactions between climate and vegetation during the Lateglacial period as recorded by lake and mire sediment archives in Northern Italy and Southern Switzerland

Vescovi

Ravazzi

Arpenti

et al. 2007

Quaternary Science Reviews

151

139

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We reconstruct the vegetational history of the southern side of the Alps at 18,000-10,000 cal yr BP using previous and new AMS-dated stratigraphic records of pollen, stomata, and macrofossils. To address potential effects of climatic change on vegetation, we compare our results with independent paleoclimatic series (e.g. isotope and chironomid records from the Alps and the Alpine forelands). The period before 16,000 cal yr BP is documented only at the lowland sites. The previous studies used for comparison with our new Palughetto record, however, shows that Alpine deglaciation must have started before 18,000-17,500 cal yr BP south of the Alps and that deglaciated sites were colonized by open woods and shrublands (Juniperus, tree Betula, Larix, Pinus cembra) at ca 17,500 cal yr BP. The vegetational history of a new site (Palughetto, 1040 m a.s.l.) is consistent with that of previous investigations in the study region. Our results show three conspicuous vegetational shifts delimited by statistically significant pollen zones, at ca 14,800-14,400, 13,300-12,800 and 11,600-11,200 cal yr BP. At sites situated above 1000 m a.s.l. (e.g. Palughetto, Pian di Gembro) forests expanded in alpine environments at ca 14,500 cal yr BP (onset of Bølling period, GI-1 in the Greenland ice record). At the same time, rather closed treeline communities of the lowlands were replaced by dense stands of Pinus sylvestris and Betula. These early forests and shrublands consisted of Larix, P. cembra, Juniperus, P. sylvestris, Pinus mugo, and Betula, and had become established at ca 16,000 cal yr BP, probably in response to a temperature increase. If combined with other records from the Southern Alps, our data suggest that treeline ascended by ca 800-1000 m in a few centuries at most, probably as a consequence of climatic warming at the beginning of the Bølling period. At 13,100-12,800 cal yr BP the onset of a long-lasting decline of P. sylvestris was accompanied by the expansion of Quercus and other thermophilous tree taxa below ca 600 m a.s.l. This vegetational change was probably induced by a shift to warmer climatic conditions before the onset of the Younger Dryas, as indicated by independent paleoclimatic records. Only a few centuries later, at ca 12,700-12,500 cal yr BP, an expansion of herbaceous taxa occurred in the lowlands as well as at higher altitudes, documenting an opening of forested habitats. This change coincided with the beginning of the Younger Dryas cooling (GS-1), which according to the paleoclimatic series (e.g. oxygen isotope series), started at 12,700-12,600 cal yr BP and lasted for about 1000 years. Environments south of the Alps responded markedly to climatic warming at the onset of the Holocene (11,600-11,500 cal yr BP). Thermophilous trees that had declined during the Younger Dryas re-expanded very rapidly in the lowlands and reached the high altitude sites below ca 1500 m a.s.l. within a few centuries at most. Our study implies that the synchronous vegetational changes observed over wide areas were probabl...

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“…goes back to the end of the last glaciation and covers the whole Holocene period to the present day without hiatus (Lotter, 1999). The major tree species pattern, as evidenced by the pollen record, shows that the reforestation lead to a birch woodland that was then followed by a pine forest around 12 800 cal.…”

Section: Biomass To Pollen Con6ersionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pollen data from the annually laminated sediments of Soppensee (Lotter, 1989(Lotter, , 1999 was used for the comparison with the model simulations. To allow a comparison between the subfossil pollen record and the model outputs, sidereal (calendar) years rather than radiocarbon years have been used as the time unit.…”

Section: The Soppensee Pollen Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

Untangling a Holocene pollen record with forest model simulations and independent climate data

Lischke¹,

Lotter

Fischlin³

2002

Ecological Modelling

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Adaptation potential of forests to rapid climatic changes can be assessed from vegetation dynamics during past climatic changes as preserved in fossil pollen data. However, pollen data reflect the integrated effects of climate and biotic processes, such as establishment, survival, competition, and migration. To disentangle these processes, we compared an annually laminated late Wü rm and Holocene pollen record from the Central Swiss Plateau with simulations of a dynamic forest patch model. All input data used in the simulations were largely independent from pollen data; i.e. the presented analysis is non-circular. Temperature and precipitation scenarios were based on reconstructions from pollen-independent sources. The earliest arrival times of the species at the study site after the last glacial were inferred from pollen maps. We ran a series of simulations under different combinations of climate and immigration scenarios. In addition, the sensitivity of the simulated presence/absence of four major species to changes in the climate scenario was examined. The pattern of the pollen record could partly be explained by the used climate scenario, mostly by temperature. However, some features, in particular the absence of most species during the late Wü rm could only be simulated if the winter temperature anomalies of the used scenario were decreased considerably. Consequently, we had to assume in the simulations, that most species immigrated during or after the Younger Dryas (12 000 years BP), Abies and Fagus even later. Given the timing of tree species immigration, the vegetation was in equilibrium with climate during long periods, but responded with lags at the time-scale of centuries to millennia caused by a secondary succession after rapid climatic changes such as at the end of Younger Dryas, or immigration of dominant taxa. Climate influenced the tree taxa both directly and indirectly by changing inter-specific competition. We concluded, that also during the present fast climatic change, species migration might be an important process, particularly if geographic barriers, such as the Alps are in the migrational path.

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Late-glacial and Holocene vegetation history and dynamics as shown by pollen and plant macrofossil analyses in annually laminated sediments from Soppensee, central Switzerland

Cited by 176 publications

References 55 publications

Reconstruction of Holocene vegetation dynamics at Lac de Bretaye, a high-mountain lake in the Swiss Alps

Reconstruction of Holocene vegetation dynamics at Lac de Bretaye, a high-mountain lake in the Swiss Alps

Interactions between climate and vegetation during the Lateglacial period as recorded by lake and mire sediment archives in Northern Italy and Southern Switzerland

Untangling a Holocene pollen record with forest model simulations and independent climate data

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