Title: The Role of Bryophyte Paleoecology in Quaternary Climate Reconstructions
Abstract:The Quaternary covers the past 2.5 million years of Earth history. This unique period is well known for a record of oscillating climatic parameters. If one wishes to understand the trajectory of futur...The Quaternary covers the past 2.5 million years of Earth history. This unique period is well known for a record of oscillating climatic parameters. If one wishes to understand the trajectory of future climatic changes triggered by human activities, one should also have a clear picture of the climate of the past. Fluctuating climates are reflected in peat bog profiles. Paleoecological studies using plant macrofossils, like bryophyte remains, have an important role in the reconstruction of past hydrological changes in lakes and peat bogs. Plant macrofossil analysis has been used most frequently in the oceanic regions of Europe, where the moisture gradient is reflected clearly in different Sphagnum taxa. The method of bog surface wetness predictions has not been adapted to date for the characterization of continental peatbogs. Hungary is located along the southern limit of Sphagnum-dominated peat bogs, with peat bogs restricted to the moister regions of the country. Holocene climatic events, such as severe droughts, caused significant changes in mire development and as such are traceable in the paleoenvironmental record of these bogs.Read More
Publication Year: 2011
Publication Date: 2011-01-06
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 5
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