Postglacial history of alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.) in the British Isles

Bennett, K. D.; Birks, H. John B.

doi:10.1002/jqs.3390050204

Cited by 102 publications

(87 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Although it is now well established that the rise of Alnus was spatially and temporally variable during the early Holocene (Birks, 1989;Chambers & Elliott, 1989;Bennett & Birks, 1990), Tallantire (1993) has expressed doubt as to whether alder expanded in north-west Wales as early as c. 8465 yr BP, as claimed by Chambers & Price (1985) for the site of Moel y Gerddi. At Nant Ffrancon, the first appearance of Alnus pollen is reported as 9100+180 BP (Q-894; Hibbert & Switsur, 1976), but the Alnus curve does not rise there until 6880+100 (Q-900).…”

Section: Mid Holocene (C 7000-3000 Bp)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Once Alnus became established, its rate of increase appears to have been quite rapid, suggesting that habitat conditions were well suited for alder at Bryn y Castell. Many researchers have suggested that alder prefers a damp habitat including swamp, fen carr, river banks, lake shores and valley bottoms (Janssen, 1959;Huntley & Birks, 1983;Smith, 1984;Bennett & Birks, 1990); the stratigraphic evidence from Bryn y Castell suggests that a lake environment existed during the early to midHolocene, allowing alder to colonize damper areas around the lake margin to form an alder carr.…”

Section: Mid Holocene (C 7000-3000 Bp)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reasons for the spread and establishment of Abuts during the early Holocene have been well debated and they include Mesolithic activity, natural fires, beavers or the creation of suitable habitats through hydroseral successions and floodplain development (Huntley & Birks, 1983;Smith, 1984;Chambers & Price, 1985;Brown, 1988;Chambers & Elliott, 1989;Bennett & Birks, 1990;Edwards, 1990;Tallantire, 1993). Several authors have suggested that Mesolithic peoples might have contributed to the rise oi Alnus.…”

Section: Mid Holocene (C 7000-3000 Bp)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The principal suffered from this problem, with only a few sites approach has been to construct isopoll and isochrone providing radiocarbon-dated pollen records of the maps of the distribution and abundance of taxa major Holocene vegetation changes. A comparison throughout the British Isles (Huntley & Birks, 1983; of the radiocarbon-dated pollen sequences of Nant Birks, 1989;Bennett &Birks, 1990). Despite the lack Ffrancon in northern Snowdonia (Hibbert & of sediment sequences containing full Holocene Switsur, 1976) and Llyn Cororion in lowland pollen records in some regions, this approach has Gwynedd (Watkins, 1990) illustrates that the timing allowed palaeoecologists to build up a reasonable of vegetational change over a smaller geographical picture of the nature and timing of vegetation region can vary significantly.…”

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Holocene vegetation history and human impact at Bryn y Castell, Snowdonia, north Wales

Mighall

Chambers²

1995

New Phytologist

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SUMMARYThree radiocarbon-dafed pollen diagrams are presenfed from Holocene peat and lake deposits in Snowdonia, elose to the Late Iron Age/Romano-Britisb ironworking hill-fort of Bryn y Casfell, Gwynedd, in upland north Wales. This paper discusses pollen, charcoal and peat-stratigrapbic evidence for major local vegetation changes and for tbe development of the surrounding cultural landscape during the last 10000 radioearbon yr. Pollen data from one of the sites (BYC 2) provided a vegetational record for most of the Holocene. The early part of the sequence suggests an oligotrophie lake in a landscape that is being colonized by birch-pine woodland; later, mixed deciduous woodland surrounds an infilling lake basin. Dating of peat deposits at two of tbe sites (BYC, BY'C H) indicated that their pollen records commenced between 5500 and 5000 yr BP. By this time, the lake basin was fringed by alder carr. There followed a gradual and then, c. 2700 yr BP, a more abrupt decline in woodland, such that, by tbe end of the Bronze Age and with the basin largely terrestrialized, the local landscape became dominated by mire vegetation communities, which have persisted to the present. Human activity seems to have been a major factor in the loss of woodland eover. Although there is some circumstantial evidence for earlier phases of human disturbance at BYC 2, human activity becomes increasingly apparent from c. 5000 yr BP. During the mid Holoeene, the impaet of Neolithic and early-to mid-Bronze Age cultures appears to be characterized by temporary woodland clearances, for arable and pastoral agriculture. By c. 2700 yr BP the majority of woodland cover seems to have been permanently removed from the landscape, but as there is scant archaeological evidence for late Bronze Age cultures in this part of Snowdonia, other factors, especially climate change, could be implicated. During the late Holocene, especially during part of the late Iron Age and Romano-British period, remaining local stands of woodland seem to have been exploited for iron smelting, although the overall impact of ironworking was limited.

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Section: Mid Holocene (C 7000-3000 Bp)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mid Holocene (C 7000-3000 Bp)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mid Holocene (C 7000-3000 Bp)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Holocene vegetation history and human impact at Bryn y Castell, Snowdonia, north Wales

Mighall

Chambers²

1995

New Phytologist

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“…The early Flandrian history of Alnus in Britain has been the subject of considerable recent debate (Smith, 1984;Chambers & Price, 1985;Moore, 1986;Bush & Hall, 1987;Brown, 1988;Chambers & Elliott, 1989;Birks, 1989;Bennett & Birks, 1990). Of particular interest is the cause of the sudden expansion of Alnus seen in many pollen diagrams.…”

Section: The Expansion Of Arboreal Taxa In the Early Flandrianmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flandrian vegetational history of southeastern England. Pollen data from Pannel Bridge, East Sussex

Waller

1993

New Phytologist

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SUMMARYPollen data, plant macrofossil remains and lithostratigraphy are used to reconstruct Flandrian vegetational history frotn a coastal site in south-eastern England. The record at this site, Pannel Bridge in East Sussex, extends back to c. 10000 BP and is the most complete so far obtained from this region.The thirteen pollen assemblages zones defined reflect, in part, the complex development of the site. Prior to c. 8500 BP, wetland in the Pannel valley was localized around the site. Between c. 8500 and c. 6000 BP, in response to changes in coastal configuration, such areas underwent expansion and the valley floor was occupied alternately by sedge fen and Alnus carr. A period of stability followed, with ^/wMx-dominated communities prevailing for c. 2000 yr. Erom c. 4000 to c. 2200 BP local conditions were more open with Cyperaceae and subsequently Myrica the dominant wetland types. Alnus carr became re-established c. 2200 BP.The vegetational history of adjacent dryland areas is obscured by the changing local conditions and nature of the deposits investigated. The problems of reconstructing past vegetation from coastal peats are explored. Amongst these are the determination of the pollen source area, establishing an environment of origin for many herb types, and distinguishing the processes controlling wetland vegetational change.The discussion focuses on the arrival and expansion of arboreal taxa in the early Elandrian and human activity. Unusually, Alnus is present in the pollen and macrofossil record from c. 10000 BP onwards. In dryland areas, after an mitial Pinus, Betula phase, Corylus populations expanded c. 9500 BP, Quercus and Ulmus became woodland components from c. 9100 BP and c. 8400 BP onwards respectively. Pollen values for Tilia increased c. 7000 BP and Fraxinus c. 5900 BP though both of these taxa were probably locally present earlier. Openings in the forest canopy appear to have persisted after the arrival of the deciduous trees, possibly as a consequence of human activity during the mesolithic. There is some palynological evidence for human presence accompanymg the elm decline, though substantial clearance did not occur until the decline in Tilia, c. 3700 BP. This, and a subsequent phase of disturbance c. 3200 BP, appear not to have been followed by periods of intense human activity. Woodland regeneration may have occurred c. 2000 BP.

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Devensian Late-glacial and early Flandrian environmental history of the Vale of Pickering, Yorkshire, England

Day

1996

J. Quaternary Sci.

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Postglacial history of alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.) in the British Isles

Cited by 102 publications

References 76 publications

Holocene vegetation history and human impact at Bryn y Castell, Snowdonia, north Wales

Holocene vegetation history and human impact at Bryn y Castell, Snowdonia, north Wales

Flandrian vegetational history of southeastern England. Pollen data from Pannel Bridge, East Sussex

Devensian Late-glacial and early Flandrian environmental history of the Vale of Pickering, Yorkshire, England

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