Where did the trees go?
The vegetational and environmental history of Lesvos Island during the last glacial period
- Editore:
VDM Verlag
- EAN:
9783639132632
- ISBN:
3639132637
- Pagine:
- 384
- Formato:
- Paperback
- Lingua:
- Tedesco
Descrizione Where did the trees go?
This book presents an account of the vegetational and environmental changes, which occurred on Lesvos Island, Greece, during the last glacial period [Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 2-4]. Based on high-resolution pollen and sediment analyses it provides the most detailed record from Greece and western Turkey to date. Six tephra layers and multiple radiocarbon dates are used to develop its chronological framework. During the late MIS 4 cold and arid conditions prevailed and the landscape was characterised by increased erosion rates and the dominance of grassland/steppe. Arboreal populations (dominated by Pinus and to a lesser extent deciduous Quercus) expanded during the interstadials of MIS 3, suggesting increases in precipitation and temperature. During intervening stadials, steppe dominated the area indicating reversals to arid and cold conditions. Only a small portion of MIS 2 is represented in the sequence, showing a short-lived expansion of trees. The observed vegetational oscillations are in concert with North Atlantic millennial-scale climate variability and provide evidence towards the geographical extent of this variability in southern Europe and the response of ecosystems.
