Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Boris K. Biskaborn, Larisa Nazarova, Tim Kroeger, Lyudmila A. Pestryakova, Liudmila Syrykh, Gregor Pfalz, Ulrike Herzschuh, Bernhard Diekmann
Summary: The study examines millennial-scale climate change history in eastern Siberia by analyzing multi-proxy time series derived from sediment cores of Lake Bolshoe Toko in southeastern Yakutia, Russia. The changes in diatom species abundances are related to repeated episodes of thermal stratification and specifically to the onset of the Holocene Thermal Maximum. The analysis also reveals relationships between sediment-geochemical data, paleoclimate variability, and diatom species richness, showing a lag in changes of diatom alpha diversity behind deposited organic carbon concentrations.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Elena G. Lapteva, Nataliya E. Zaretskaya, Evgeniya L. Lychagina, Svetlana S. Trofimova, Denis A. Demakov, Sergey V. Kopytov, Alexey V. Chernov
Summary: This study presents a multi-proxy reconstruction of the Holocene environment in the northern upper Kama region of Russia, based on pollen, plant macrofossil, and radiocarbon records. The results indicate that changes in river flow and channel activity influenced the formation of floodplain deposits and possibly affected the settlement choices of ancient people.
VEGETATION HISTORY AND ARCHAEOBOTANY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Andrey N. Tsyganov, Evgeny A. Zarov, Yuri A. Mazei, Mikhail G. Kulkov, Kirill V. Babeshko, Svetlana Y. Yushkovets, Richard J. Payne, Joshua L. Ratcliffe, Yulia A. Fatyunina, Elya P. Zazovskaya, Elena D. Lapshina
Summary: By using a multi-proxy approach, researchers reconstructed the development of Mukhrino mire in Western Siberia and gained a better understanding of its response to climate change. With a warmer and wetter climate in the future, regional mires are likely to remain as carbon sinks, but a reversion to a wooded state with reduced carbon sink strength is also possible.
Article
Geography, Physical
Herve Cubizolle, Jacqueline Argant, Karen Serieyssol, Franck Fassion, Christine Oberlin, Andre-Marie Dendievel, Yun Deng-Amiot, Celia Beaudouin, Irka Hajdas, Jean Nicolas Haas
Summary: This study investigates the environmental history of the Gourd des Aille`res mire in the granitic part of the eastern Massif Central in France. Through the analysis of multiple proxies, the study reveals the climate and hydrological changes since the Late-Glacial period and identifies cooling phases and temperature fluctuations during different periods.
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Jeremy Courtin, Andrei A. Andreev, Elena Raschke, Sarah Bala, Boris K. Biskaborn, Sisi Liu, Heike Zimmermann, Bernhard Diekmann, Kathleen R. Stoof-Leichsenring, Luidmila A. Pestryakova, Ulrike Herzschuh
Summary: This study reconstructs changes in terrestrial vegetation composition and taxa richness in the southeastern Yakutia region during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, using pollen and sedimentary ancient DNA records. It shows significant changes in vegetation between the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, with an increase in tree and shrub taxa richness. The sedaDNA method suggests higher plant diversity in the late Pleistocene steppe-tundra due to the presence of megaherbivores, which is discussed in relation to the widely accepted species-area hypothesis.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Petra Hajkova, Libor Petr, Michal Horsak, Eva Jamrichova, Jan Rolecek
Summary: Western Podillia is a biogeographic crossroads with rich biodiversity, maintaining an open or semi-open landscape since the Holocene. Multi-proxy studies reveal the environmental history of the region, showing the unusual combination of relatively humid climate and continuity of open landscapes.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Vadim A. Kravchinsky, Rui Zhang, Ryan Borowiecki, Pavel E. Tarasov, Mirko van der Baan, Taslima Anwar, Avto Goguitchaichvili, Stefanie Mueller
Summary: A lack of high resolution climate proxy records for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) has hindered the understanding of climate-solar linkages. Recent studies on high resolution climate proxy records during the LGM confirm similar climate fluctuations and solar activity variations to the Holocene. The analysis of pollen concentration records from Lake Kotokel in southern Siberia reveals spectrally similar climate fluctuations in the LGM and Holocene.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Svetlana S. Kostrova, Boris K. Biskaborn, Luidmila A. Pestryakova, Francisco Fernandoy, Marlene M. Lenz, Hanno Meyer
Summary: The new dataset from Lake Emanda in northeastern Siberia provides insights into the climate and environmental dynamics in an extreme continental setting. The study reveals a relatively cold oligotrophic freshwater lake system persisting for the last 13.2 cal ka BP, with fluctuations in diatom records reflecting changes in past climate conditions throughout the Holocene. The patterns observed in the Lake Emanda delta O-18(diatom) record show similarities to those of Lake El'gygytgyn, suggesting a common regional signal in both records despite some hydrological differences.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Graham R. Mushet, Eduard G. Reinhardt, Ryan Whitehouse, Brian F. Cumming
Summary: The Holocene Thermal Maximum is well-understood with regards to its external drivers and regional expressions, particularly in lake ecosystems. However, the connection between mid-to-late Holocene climate, drivers, and lake response is less understood, especially in western North America. A study of a small lake in British Columbia revealed shifts in effective moisture levels and the influence of Pacific ocean-atmosphere processes on late Holocene declines in effective moisture throughout the southern Interior Plateau.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Christoph Schworer, Erika Gobet, Jacqueline F. N. van Leeuwen, Sarah Bogli, Rachel Imboden, W. O. van der Knaap, Nadezhda Kotova, Sergej Makhortykh, Willy Tinner
Summary: The study demonstrates significant changes in vegetation and fire dynamics around Lake Svityaz during the Holocene. A boreal forest was established around 13,450 years ago, followed by the expansion of temperate tree species. Fire activity was highest during the Early Holocene, while human impact on vegetation began to increase around 3,400 years ago.
VEGETATION HISTORY AND ARCHAEOBOTANY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Andre-Marie Dendievel, Karen Serieyssol, Benjamin Dietre, Herve Cubizolle, Amelie Quiquerez, Jean Nicolas Haas
Summary: This paper focuses on the palaeoecological reconstruction of environmental and climatic changes affecting the sedimentary sequence of La Narce du Be'age Basin in the French Massif Central. Through the analysis of plant macrofossils, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, and diatom assemblages, the study reveals the changes in vegetation, temperature, pH, water level, and ice cover over time. The research shows the varying vegetation types and environmental conditions during different climatic stages.
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Julia Short, John Tibby, Marcus J. Vandergoes, Susanna A. Wood, Neville Lomax, Jonathan Puddick, John K. Pearman, Jamie D. Howarth, Christopher M. Moy, Charlotte Sunde, Reece Martin, Xun Li, Adelaine Moody, Jenny Dahl, Claire Shepherd, Kiely McFarlane
Summary: Lakes are rapidly degrading due to human activity. Palaeolimnology provides important methods to study the historical state of lakes, and Lake Oporoa in New Zealand is an ideal study site. The study found that both Maori and European settlement had impacts on the lake's ecology, leading to water quality degradation and decline in native fish populations. The palaeolimnological data can guide lake rehabilitation and conservation measures.
AQUATIC CONSERVATION-MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
E. D. Yuzhanina, S. N. Ivanov, A. S. Afonin, V. M. Kostomarov, N. E. Ryabogina
Summary: The lacustrine-peat sediments from Western Siberia provide insights into the climatic changes and forest-steppe border position during the Holocene. Meadow-steppe landscapes dominated the region between 7.5-4.7 cal ka BP, followed by the emergence of birch and pine forests. Human impact on the forest-steppe belt was minimal until the Iron Age, when semi-nomadic cattle breeding began.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Andrey Fedotov, Svetlana Vorobyeva, Konstantin Vershinin, Eduard Osipov
Summary: Researchers analysed records from Lake Frolikha and found four climate episodes in East Siberia since the middle Holocene.
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gen K. Li, Woodward W. Fischer, Michael P. Lamb, A. Joshua West, Ting Zhang, Valier Galy, Xingchen Tony Wang, Shilei Li, Hongrui Qiu, Gaojun Li, Liang Zhao, Jun Chen, Junfeng Ji
Summary: The research found that the fossilized particulate organic carbon (FOCash) in fly ash, a byproduct of coal burning, has a significant flux in rivers like the Chang Jiang in China. This highly recalcitrant FOCash is difficult to oxidize, unlike the more labile FOCrock derived from shale. The high FOCash flux in the Chang Jiang was attributed to increased coal combustion and construction of dams, leading to a substantial impact of anthropogenic activities on the global riverine FOC flux to the oceans.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Liisi Talas, Normunds Stivrins, Siim Veski, Leho Tedersoo, Veljo Kisand
Summary: The study reveals the diversity and changes in fungal communities in lake sediments throughout the Holocene period. It shows that plankton parasitic fungi became more diverse in the last few millennia, potentially in response to a cooler climate. Major shifts in fungal communities, particularly in plankton parasites and mycorrhizal fungi, occurred during the Late Holocene and Latest Holocene periods, possibly influenced by increased transfer rates of plant material and human impact.
Article
Plant Sciences
Ansis Blaus, Triin Reitalu, Anneli Poska, Juri Vassiljev, Siim Veski
Summary: Research indicates that the development trajectories of mires are associated with three major factors - post-glacial isostatic uplift, autogenic succession, and climate-induced changes. By analyzing modern pollen samples from six mires in western Saaremaa, Estonia, differences between the pollen signal and indicator pollen taxa for different mire development phases are identified.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Normunds Stivrins, Simon Belle, Liva Trasune, Ansis Blaus, Sakari Salonen
Summary: This study investigates the impact of climate-induced changes on temporal patterns in chironomid assemblages, using a novel approach combining traditional taxon-based analysis and species-trait framework in a sediment core covering the Late Glacial-Holocene transition in Northern Europe. Results show that taxonomic changes in chironomids are mainly influenced by temperature tolerances and optima of species, with potential effects from vegetation dynamics, highlighting the importance of studying the hidden functional composition of chironomids for climate reconstructions.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Ilmar Tonno, Liisi Talas, Rene Freiberg, Anu Kisand, Simon Belle, Normunds Stivrins, Tiiu Alliksaar, Atko Heinsalu, Siim Veski, Veljo Kisand
Summary: Understanding the long-term dynamics of ecological communities is crucial for explaining present-day biodiversity patterns and predicting future scenarios. Recent studies analyzed changes in a temperate lake ecosystem over the past 14.5 kyr, finding that both climate change and vegetation change impact the dynamics of phototrophs.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Anneli Poska, Vivika Vali, Juri Vassiljev, Tiiu Alliksaar, Leili Saarse
Summary: Current land use and climate change threaten the provision of ecosystem services from terrestrial land cover. Studying past land cover responses provides valuable information for future decisions. Using high resolution pollen data, this study reconstructed the vegetation dynamics, anthropogenic deforestation, species-specific responses to climate cycles, and environmental variables in a hemiboreal zone in Northern Europe. The findings show a good agreement between major land cover and environmental changes and the cyclic patterns of the Holocene.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
A. Izdebski, P. Guzowski, R. Poniat, L. Masci, J. Palli, C. Vignola, M. Bauch, C. Cocozza, R. Fernandes, F. C. Ljungqvist, T. Newfield, A. Seim, D. Abel-Schaad, F. Alba-Sanchez, L. Bjoerkman, A. Brauer, A. Brown, S. Czerwinski, A. Ejarque, M. Filoc, A. Florenzano, E. D. Fredh, R. Fyfe, N. Jasiunas, P. Kolaczek, K. Kouli, R. Kozakova, M. Kupryjanowicz, P. Lageras, M. Lamentowicz, M. Lindbladh, J. A. Lopez-Saez, R. Luelmo-Lautenschlaeger, K. Marcisz, F. Mazier, S. Mensing, A. M. Mercuri, K. Milecka, Y. Miras, A. M. Noryskiewicz, E. Novenko, M. Obremska, S. Panajiotidis, M. L. Papadopoulou, A. Pedziszewska, S. Perez-Diaz, G. Piovesan, A. Pluskowski, P. Pokorny, A. Poska, T. Reitalu, M. Roesch, L. Sadori, C. Sa Ferreira, D. Sebag, M. Slowinski, M. Stancikaite, N. Stivrins, I Tunno, S. Veski, A. Wacnik, A. Masi
Summary: By using the approach of 'big data palaeoecology', the authors of this study demonstrated the variability of land use change across Europe following the Black Death pandemic. The findings confirmed the heterogeneous responses to the pandemic with empirical data.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biology
Diego P. F. Trindade, Carlos P. Carmona, Triin Reitalu, Meelis Partel
Summary: Global change drivers impact both the observed species and functional traits in a local site and its dark diversity. Long-term temporal dynamics in observed and dark diversity are relevant for assessing and predicting biodiversity change. A study examining sedimentary pollen data in northern Europe found that taxonomic and functional observed and dark diversity increased over time, but dark diversity revealed expansion lags and extensive functional redundancy.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Triin Reitalu, Sandra Nogue
Summary: An analysis of pollen data from southeast Australia spanning the Holocene epoch reveals significant temporal and spatial variability in plant functional diversity. Adopting a functional perspective on palaeoecological data can enhance our understanding of the ongoing climate-biodiversity crisis and aid in predicting future changes.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Laurent Marquer, Andrea Seim, Niina Kuosmanen, Triin Reitalu, Olga Solomina, Miikka Tallavaara
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Regina Lindborg, Tibor Hartel, Aveliina Helm, Elisabeth Prangel, Ttriin Reitalu, Raimon Ripoll-Bosch
Summary: This study explores the ability of semi-natural grasslands (SNG) and intensified grasslands (IG) to provide ecosystem services (ES) in farmland. The results show that SNG can provide a wider range of ES compared to IG, including biodiversity, pollination, and cultural services. SNG also have more plant functional traits and functional richness, which may contribute to their ability to provide ES.
APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Geography, Physical
Boyang Zhao, James M. Russell, Victor C. Tsai, Ansis Blaus, Meredith C. Parish, Jie Liang, Alexander Wilk, Xiaojing Du, Mark B. Bush
Summary: Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) preserved in lake sediments are widely used to study past terrestrial temperatures. The distribution of brGDGTs is influenced by temperature, and current calibration methods rely on correlations with surface sediments. However, these methods may introduce complications in global temperature calibrations due to differences in temperature seasonality and brGDGT production with latitude. This study examines brGDGT data from tropical regions and finds a uniform response to mean annual air temperature, highlighting the dominant influence of temperature. Moreover, the study suggests the need for latitudinally-dependent calibrations or improved observations/models to account for seasonal effects on brGDGTs.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Kerry A. A. Brown, M. Jane Bunting, Fabio Carvalho, Francesco de Bello, Luke Mander, Katarzyna Marcisz, Ondrej Mottl, Triin Reitalu, Jens-Christian Svenning
Summary: Research has shown that quantifying spatial variation in ecosystem properties is effective for investigating the effects of environmental change, but there is a need for better understanding of temporal variation. Trait-based approaches can be used to reconstruct long-term variation in ecosystems, but there are challenges in translating palaeoecological datasets into functional traits. Despite these challenges, palaeo-trait research offers insights into ecosystem functioning and environmental change across time and can improve understanding of present-day and future ecosystem management.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
A. Blaus, C. N. H. McMichael, M. F. Raczka, C. Herrick, M. Palace, N. H. Witteveen, M. N. Nascimento, M. B. Bush
Summary: This study examines how pollen assemblages vary across biogeographic and environmental gradients in Amazonia. The results show that pollen assemblages accurately differentiate biogeographic regions and reflect gradients in temperature and precipitation. Poaceae percentages are the best predictor of deforestation and have a significant negative relationship with forest cover estimates.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Vojtech Abraham, Sheila Hicks, Helena Svobodova-Svitavska, Elissaveta Bozilova, Sampson Panajiotidis, Mariana Filipova-Marinova, Christin Eldegard Jensen, Spassimir Tonkov, Irena Agnieszka Pidek, Joanna Swieta-Musznicka, Marcelina Zimny, Eliso Kvavadze, Anna Filbrandt-Czaja, Martina Hattestrand, Nurgul Karlioglu Kilic, Jana Kosenko, Maria Nosova, Elena Severova, Olga Volkova, Margret Hallsdottir, Laimdota Kalnina, Agnieszka M. Noryskiewicz, Bozena Noryskiewicz, Heather Pardoe, Areti Christodoulou, Tiiu Koff, Sonia L. Fontana, Teija Alenius, Elisabeth Isaksson, Heikki Seppa, Siim Veski, Anna Pedziszewska, Martin Weiser, Thomas Giesecke
Summary: The collection of modern pollen data in Europe has shown that forest cover and climate parameters influence pollen accumulation rates, and long-distance transport of pollen grains is possible. Comparisons between modern and fossil pollen data demonstrate similar values, aiding in interpretations of fossil data.