Holocene vegetation development and human impact in the Central Alps: The 'Pian Venezia' palaeobotanical record (Trento, Italy) (original) (raw)
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Il Capitale Culturale 12 (2015), pp. 537-563 (ISSN 2039-2362)
An enhanced radiocarbon-dated pollen-stratigraphical record from Rovegno (Liguria, 812m asl), northern Apennines (Italy), has provided a history of vegetation succession from before 17,056-16,621 cal yrs BP to the present day. The record indicates the transition from open Pinus woodland to Artemisia dominated grassland, and finally Juniperus shrubland during the late Würm. This is succeeded by Betula and Pinus woodland, and the expansion of thermophilous taxa, namely Abies, Corylus and Quercus during the Late Würm Lateglacial Interstadial. The ‘Younger Dryas’ is possibly represented by an increase in Betula and Artemisia. During the early Holocene, mixed coniferous-deciduous woodland is dominant with Quercus, as well as Abies, Fagus and Corylus. Fagus woodland becomes established sometime before 6488-6318 cal yrs BP, but never becomes a major component of the woodland cover. Throughout the middle Holocene, Abies woodland fl uctuates, with marked declines between 6488-6318 cal yrs BP and 5287-4835 cal yrs BP, although the cause remains uncertain. Finally, the paper evaluates the application of non-pollen palynomorphs, especially coprophilous fungal spores, at Prato Spilla ‘A’ (Emilia Romagna) and concludes that greater caution must be used when interpreting middle Holocene human activity based upon pollen data alone.
Late-Quaternary History of Vegetation at Lago Di Vico (Central Italy)
Plant Biosystems, 1994
A new pollen record from Lago di Vico (core V1) provides fundamental new information towards reconstruction of flora and vegetation history in central Italy during the last 90 000 years. The chronological framework is secured by seventeen AMS 14C dates, one 4°Ar/39Ar date and tephra analyses. At the base of the pollen record, i.e. shortly after the 4°Ar/39Ar date 87 000+ 7000 B.P., three phases with significant expansion of trees are recorded in close succession. These forest phases, which stratigraphically correspond to St Germain II (and Ognon?) and precede pleniglacial steppe vegetation, are designated by the local names Etruria I, Etruria II and Etruria III. During the pleniglacial, a number of fluctuations of angiosperm mesophilous trees suggest the presence of tree refugia in the area. The lowest pollen concentration values are recorded at ca. 22 000 B.P. which corresponds with other pollen records from the region. The late-glacial is characterized by an expansion in the arboreal pollen curves that is less pronounced, however, than in other pollen profiles from Italy. The Holocene part of the profile is consistently dominated by deciduous oak pollen. No major changes in arboreal pollen composition are recorded but several marked and sudden declines of the tree pollen concentration suggest that the forest cover underwent dramatic changes. Clear evidence for human impact is recorded only when cultivated crops became important which dates to ca. 26304-95 B.P.
Lanfredo Castelletti. Laboratorio di Archeobiologia dei Musei Civici di, Italy E-mail address: laboratorio.archeobiologia@comune.como.it In the period 2002 to 2010 we conducted systematic surveys and field works in the Cavargna Valley (Lepontine Alps, Lombardy, N-Italy) in order to determine the relationship between the population dynamics and the environmental transformations. On the basis of artifacts, the most ancient population dates back to the Mesolithic; almost exclusively through anthracological analysis and 14C dating it had been possible to determine a sequence from Middle Neolithic (5420 55 yr BP) and Modern Age (305 40 yr BP), with intermediate stages dated at 3730 80 yr BP, 3140 70 yr BP and 940 90 yr BP. The population, for the exploitation of mountainous resources, is probably related to the sheep-rearing from Neolithic, but also to the charcoal production (from Neolithic to Modern Age), to the mountainous agriculture up to 1700 m a.m.s.l. (traces of barley), to terracing and to structures of habitation in course of verification. Charcoal pits of the Modern Age are probably related to mining and iron activities (veins of siderite with traces of chalcopyrite), practiced until XX Century. Through charcoals studies is possible to obtain a vegetal succession that starts with a brush composed of Laburnum alpinum and Acer montanus at 1800ma.m.s.l. and proceeds, during ancient Bronze Age (3730 80 yr BP), with Abies alba accompanied by Picea/Larix, Acer montanus, Alnus viridis and Corylus avellana. In particular, Abies alba is still represented during Middle Bronze Age (3140 70 yr BP), Middle Age (940 90 yr BP) and Modern Age (305 40 yr BP). THE MULTI-PROXY EVIDENCES OF TH
Quaternary International, 2009
Compressed leaves and carpological assemblages from the Pià nico Formation, which was deposited into the Pià nico-Sè llere palaeolake, are newly studied, and the early 20th century leaf collection by Rytz is preliminarily revised. Despite the occurrence of two tephra layers, the dating of this Formation is still controversial: a long temperate period (Pià nico-Sè llere Interglacial), corresponding to its lower BVC (''Banco Varvato Carbonatico'') member, would either correlate to OIS 11 or to OIS 19. The macrofloral record of the BVC member includes the locally extinct species Acer cappadocicum Gleditsch sensu lato, Pinus peuce Griseb., Prunus lusitanica L., Pyracantha coccinea M.J. Roemer, and Rhododendron ponticum L. var. sebinense (Sordelli) Sordelli. A number of other locally extinct species (Picea omorika (Pancic) Purkine, Rhamnus alaternus L., Tilia caucasica Rupr.) have not been figured and described in detail by the reporting authors, thus they should be confirmed by better documentation. From the biostratigraphic point of view the Pià nico fossil flora does not display taxa typical for the Early Pleistocene (e.g. Carya, Liquidambar, and Eucommia), and a single fruit remain may putatively be assigned to the extinct species Potamogeton marginatus Dorofeev, which occurs from the Holsteinian to the Weichselian in Eastern Europe. Re-examination of the plant macrofossil record confirms that aquatic plants are absent from the leaf assemblages of the Pià nico Formation and only very rarely occur as carpological remains (Najas marina L. and Potamogeton). The presence of lake-margin species suggests that patches of sedge and reed marshes bordered the lake at the beginning of BVC deposition, and later decreased or disappeared. On the low mountain slopes, steeply dipping into the lake, closed and prevalently deciduous woody vegetation was growing during the BVC deposition. Evergreen shrubs to small trees might well have grown as understorey in the deciduous woodlands (Buxus, Ilex) or in more open, drier rocky places (especially Pyracantha). The macrofossil evidence suggests that, unlike Picea abies (L.) Karsten, P. peuce and Abies cf. alba were not restricted to higher altitudinal belts. The occurrence of P. abies cones in the basal layers of the MLP (''Membro di La Palazzina'') member most probably indicates the settlement of spruce close to the lake-shore. This would be in agreement with the cooling-related contraction of broadleaved forests and the expansion of cool-adapted vegetation types to lower elevations, as indicated by palynological data of the upper part of the Pià nico Formation.
Vallone Inferno rock-shelter is an archaeological site located in the Madonie mountain range in Sicily. Archaeological excavation and research have provided a long prehistoric and historic sequence from the Neolithic to the medieval period, this being the most complete work in this area at present. In this paper we present the preliminary data provided by a multidisciplinary study based on pottery, lithic, human, faunal and plant remains. Stratigraphic studies have identified four complexes, of which complex 3 has provided almost all the archaeological remains. 14 C AMS dates, obtained from four samples, place the human activities between 2601 cal BC and 644 cal AD. These dates are coherent with the cultural attribution of the ceramic and lithic remains. Macrofaunal and plant remains show a persistent use of the shelter for pastoral activities. Environmental data, obtained from microvertebrate and archaeobotanical remains, show the aridification and opening of the landscape from the base to the top of the sequence as a consequence of the human impact.