Holocene vegetation history of the Jeseniky Mts: Deepening elevational contrast in pollen assemblages since late prehistory
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2018 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Journal of Vegetation Science |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12612 |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12612 |
| Keywords | Central Europe; cultural landscape; development of vegetation; elevational gradient; Hercynian mountains; Holocene; human impact; multivariate numerical analysis; pollen; regional synthesis |
| Description | We tested how did the vegetation of a Central European mountain region with a fragmented alpine zone develop during the Holocene and when did human land use start to alter summit grasslands. For the last 6,000 years, the main gradient correlated with altitude, which is a complex factor corresponding to temperature and geomorphology (flat summits vs alluvia of mountain rivulets). This elevational differentiation became more pronounced after 2,250cal BP. i.e. since the Iron Age. Human impact might facilitate beech expansion at high elevations, with Picea-dominated forests being restricted to alluvia and around mid-elevation basin peatlands prior to establishment of modern Picea plantations. |
| Related projects: |