Using multi-proxy palaeoecology to test a relict status of refugial populations of calcareous-fen species in the Western Carpathians
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2015 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | The Holocene |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0959683614566251 |
| Field | Ecology |
| Keywords | biodiversity; calcareous fen; climate; fossil record; Holocene extinction; Western Carpathians |
| Description | The distribution pattern of relict and specialised species in calcareous fens was revealed to be non-stochastic, with ancient fens harbouring more of these species than younger ones. This phenomenon could be caused by long-lasting in situ survivals over millennia, but direct palaeoecological evidence is lacking. We addressed the question whether at least some ancient calcareous fens indeed retained open-fen patches throughout the Holocene, using a palaeoecological approach involving proxies with different taphonomies (pollen, vascular plants, bryophytes, molluscs). We identified three old fens in the Western Carpathians, where several postglacial relict species have recently been found, and we reconstructed their histories with respect to sedimentary processes, vegetation structure and dynamics of relict species. The development at all the sites started with a (semi)-open fen community dominated by sedges and brown mosses. The site with the highest recent number of relict species was reconstructed to harbour open patches continually since the late Glacial to the present, including the middle Holocene when open-fen patches were restricted. By contrast, at the site with the lowest recent number of relict species, a large sedimentary hiatus suggested peat mineralisation or erosion that prevented the survival of light-demanding species. At all the sites, characteristic snails of European Glacial periods occurred during fen initiation, but disappeared around the early/middle Holocene transition. The probability of a relict species being present in a modern fen community increases with fen age, but it also depends on the continual existence of open-fen patches and peat accumulation throughout the middle Holocene. |
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