Paleoclimatic and stratigraphic significance of Belgrandia marginata (Michaud) in Late Quaternary malacofauna of Belarus and Lithuania

Abstract

The fauna and flora of each Quaternary interglacial epoch of the middle latitudes possesses general and specific connections with climate. The presence of the Atlantic and West European mollusc Belgrandia marginata (Michaud) is distinctive in the freshwater malacofauna of the Eemian (Muravian, Merkine) interglacial in Belarus, Lithuania, and Poland. This species is present in eight malacofaunas of the region, with exclusively Eemian age. Paleontologic researches show that the species occupied reservoirs in this territory only during an optimum Eemian interglacial, giving it stratigraphical value in the region. The 1000 km sublatitudinal extent of the species through the Central European plain and Russian plain to the Dnieper River reflects, most likely, the direction of circulation of Atlantic air masses deep into the continent. The Eemian extent of B. marginata in the upstream Dnieper basin is imposed on the range of the Ponto-Caspian mollusc Dreissena polymorpha, which also occupied the upstream Dnieper basin only in the Eemian Interglacial. Both species are characteristic representatives of the Eemian (Muravian) freshwater malacofauna of Belarus.

Environmental changes of the Mazovian (Holsteinian /~MIS 11) palaeolake near Szymanowo (eastern Poland) in the light of malacological analysis

“…The general rise in rheophile species is gradual, but segregation of Bithynia opercula and shells in sample 1, with predominance of the latter, may also imply increasing water energy (cf. Sanko et al 2011). The occurrence of P. supinum, which is usually restricted to rivers, seems to support this interpretation.…”

“…Such separation may be also influenced by currents (e.g. Sanko et al 2011), which were clearly minimal. Also noteworthy is the fact that the maximum of B. tentaculata corresponds to the lowest values of V. diluvianus and L. jahni.…”

Changes of sedimentation in the Drużno Lake based on geoarchaeological data from the Teutonic fortress in Elbląg, North Poland

“…It is worth noting that non-synchronous occurrence of these species is quite common in lake deposits and often V. piscinalis covers the main phases of lake development and subsequently B. tentaculata appears (Alexandrowicz 1999a(Alexandrowicz , b, 2002(Alexandrowicz , 2007(Alexandrowicz , 2009Wojciechowski 2000;Alexandrowicz and Alexandrowicz 2010). A predominance of B. tentaculata shells over the opercula (very low values of BIN) points to the lack of dense reeds and bulrush and/or the overflow through the lake (Steenberg 1917;Sparks 1964;Gilbertson and Hawkins 1978;Alexandrowicz 1999a;Sanko et al 2011). The latter is also supported by a significant number of Pisidium supinum and Borysthenia naticina in the assemblage (Table 1, Text-fig.…”

Last interglacial in western Europe: 20 years of multidisciplinary research on the Eemian (MIS 5e) calcareous tufa sequence at Caours (Somme basin, France) – a review

“…16). This Hydrobiidae lives in springs (Germain 1930) and is typical of Pleistocene interglacial deposits in Europe (Kerney 1977;Keen 1990;Sanko et al 2011;Limondin-Lozouet 2022). The stages of forest expansion are related to fine-grained organic units illustrating stable environmental episodes (U10, U7, U5) and hosting the archaeological settlements, while the aquatic inputs revealing occasional flooding of the plain correspond to granular tufa deposits.…”