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The late Quaternary vegetational history of northwest Greece
Author(s) -
WILLIS K.J.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.1992.tb01098.x
Subject(s) - woodland , macrofossil , quaternary , geology , holocene , radiocarbon dating , dominance (genetics) , ecology , structural basin , pleistocene , geography , paleontology , biology , biochemistry , gene
summary Rezina marsh, a small basin at a height of 1800 m, in the Pindus mountain range, is both the smallest and highest site yet to be studied in Greece. Techniques of pollen and plant macrofossil analysis, sediment chemistry, mineral magnetics and radiocarbon dating have been employed to reconstruct both vegetational and sedimentary history of the basin. The sequence extending back to c. 10000 bp , provides the first evidence for the possible location of full glacial refugia for temperate tree taxa in Greece. In the early postglacial a dense mixed woodland containing at least sixteen different tree taxa was present around the Rezina basin. This woodland persisted throughout the early postglacial although dominance of tree types in the woodlands changed several times. These changes are thought to be closely related to climatic changes during the early postglacial. At c. 6000 bp both the density and diversity of the woodland became greatly reduced. Although there was some recovery of the woodland at c. 5000 BP, anthropogenic intervention at c. 4000 BP led to total destruction of this montane forest and the development of open grassland similar to the present day situation.