Sensing small-scale human activity in the palaeoecological record: fine spatial resolution pollen analyses from Glen Affric, northern Scotland

Abstract

This paper examines the importance of palynological site selection criteria, speci cally basin size, for the detection of vegetation mosaics and small-or local-scale human activity within a spatially diverse, mosaic landscape. Using a site selection strategy which recognizes landscape patchiness, pollen analyses from three small peat basins (10-56 m diameter) in an open, exposed upland valley (.250 m OD) provide records which are sensitive to local vegetation mosaics and small-scale, localized agriculture. The results indicate c. 4000 14 C years (4400 cal. years) of land use, with spatial and temporal variations in the valley. Contrasts between the sequences suggest that local pollen production remains an important component of the pollen rain deposited in small peat basins, even in open environments; this is especially true of palynological 'agricultural indicators'. By comparison, sites with regional pollen source areas underestimate the spatial diversity of the upland landscape, and are insensitive to small-scale human activity in an environment where the fragmentary distribution of soils suitable for agriculture favoured a small-scale, dispersed pattern of farming. It is therefore essential to match the spatial resolution of pollen records with the grain size or scale of variations in the environment under investigation in order to sense the scale of mosaics in vegetation and agriculture within patchy landscapes.

Multidisciplinary approach to reconstructing local pastoral activities: an example from the Pyrenean Mountains (Pays Basque)

“…Pollen profiles from a number of small peat bogs in the region would provide a better understanding of the spatial distribution of pastoral activities (D. Galop, unpublished data, 2005). The selection of several small peat bogs for pollen analysis will allow the generation of local-scale reconstructions useful to archaeologists (Davies and Tipping, 2004). Further, the application of a modelling approach will provide estimates of the relevant source area of pollen for moss polsters and fossil pollen sites such as the Sourzay peat bog, which will allow to precisely define the spatial distribution vegetation communities within a given distance around the fossil pollen sequence for different time windows (eg, Gaillard, 2007;Sugita, 2007a, b).…”

“…Small peat bogs can sense the small scale and mosaic of such activity in a mountainous environment (Davies and Tipping, 2004), as documented in the modern vegetation mosaic of the studied area (Mazier et al, 2006). Moreover the small catchment of our selected peat bog renders it sensitive to the adjacent plant communities, to local small-scale events and anthropogenic interference.…”

Late Holocene regime shifts in moorland ecosystems: high resolution data from the Pennines, UK

“…This creates uncertainty about the extent of moorland turnover (Dallimer et al 2009) and the role of burning in sustainable management (Lee et al 2013). Extrapolating across heterogeneous upland terrain may underestimate the extent of past spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability (Davies and Tipping 2004;Fyfe and Woodbridge 2012), so high spatial-resolution pollen analyses from different peatland habitats can usefully be employed to address these issues. This is also the scale at which palaeoecology can contribute to management (Davies and Bunting 2010).…”

Sclerochronological records of Arctica islandica from the inner German Bight

“…Holocene palaeoclimatic reconstructions for the North Atlantic have been predominantly carried out using annually banded terrestrial proxies, such as tree-rings or ice-cores (Cook and Kariukstis, 1990;Luterbacher et al, 2002;Davies and Tipping, 2004). The increment of such proxy is controlled by environmental parameters and thus a time series of the proxy reflects historic environmental conditions.…”