Pollen profile from sediment core Höllerer See

(expanded by Eberhard Grüger, Göttingen) The site "Höllerer See" is a lake in the northern foreland of the Alps, about 30 km north of the city of Salzburg/Austria, situated in the south-western part of Oberösterreich/Austria. A 2 m long piston core from this locality, consisting entirely of calcareous gyttja, was studied by pollen analysis. The three lowermost samples (1.98, 1.95 and 1.92 m) were deposited during the Preboreal when Pinus and Betula were still the dominating forest trees. High pollen values of thermophilous woody species (mainly Corylus and Quercus, but also Ulmus, Tilia, Fraxinus) prove the Boreal age of the next younger sample (1.91 m). The following two pollen spectra attest that Alnus (1.89 m) and - later (1.88 m) - Fagus had become important members of the local (Alnus) and the regional (Fagus) vegetation. From this level up to the top of the profile these two tree taxa contribute - together with Betula - always 50 to 80 % to the arboreal pollen sum. The upper 1.89 m of sediment of the Höllerer See core evidently date from the Subboreal and the Subatlantic. As Preboreal sediment was stated at the base of the profile it must be concluded that most of the Boreal and the Atlantic is - for whatever reason - not represented by sediment in this core. As no radiocarbon dates are available age estimates of the distinguished pollen zones can be achieved only by correlating major changes of the former vegetation with historical events which probably influenced the then contemporary vegetation. The pollen grains of the Triticum and Hordeum type found in samples of zone 2.1 might indicate the growing of cereals in the region during the Late Bronze Age. The first pollen grains of Secale date from the boundary Hallstatt/Latène Age (zone 2.2). The cereal curves become continuous in Bavarian times (Bajuwarenzeit, Middle Ages, zone 3.3). The Plantago laceolata curve, continuous since 1.7 m depth (zone 2.1), points to animal breeding since the Early Subatlantic (Hallstattzeit). This curve reaches its absolute maximum in Roman time (zone 3.1). Roman time forest clearance caused a drastic decrease of tree pollen curves (start of zone 3.1). Values of anthropogenic indicators as high as in zone 3.1 are found again - after a distinct decrease in zone 3.2 - not till the Bavarians settled in the region (6th century). Maximal Fagus values and the simultaneous total lack of anthropogenic indicators mark the Migration Period (zone 3.2). The Younger Subatlantic (zone 4) is characterized by a decrease of deciduous forests due to medieval forest clearance. At the same time the conifers Pinus and Picea gained in importance. The lake was probably used for retting hemp in Medieval times. The distinction of the pollen grains of Cannabis and Humulus might not be certain in all cases. It is known that hemp as well as hop was cultivated in the study area. Markers were added to the samples at the beginning of pollen preparation (13500 Lycopodium spores, sample volume 0.5 cm**3) and counted together with the pollen grains. Therefore pollen concentrations can be calculated: Concentration = C * F / V (with C = number of grains of a particular pollen type, V = volume of the untreated pollen sample, F = marker added/marker counted). F ranges from 39 to 1688. Factors that large are not suited to produce reliably interpretable pollen concentrations. Consequently no use was made of the pollen concentrations in this thesis, although a concentration diagram is added.

Pollen record during the Eemian from the Fuentillejo maar-lake sequence (Ciudad Real, Spain)

The Fuentillejo maar is located in the Central Spanish Volcanic Field of Campo de Calatrava (Ciudad Real). Fuentillejo maar-Iake is a c10sed system covering over 142 m depth oflacustrine sediments; it is one ofthe best examples oflong and continuous cores at terrestrial site from the Iberian Peninsula. PalynoIogical, mineralogical and sedimentary facies analysis were performed to characterize the sedimentary record during the Last Interglacial. In core FUENT-l this period (dated in 133 ka-120 ka) is detected between 45,90-56,90 m depth. Sedimentology point of view is characterized by develop of lacustrine facies, fineIy laminated black-brown doIomicrite mud and sapropeIIayers (Sedimentary Units 16,6-17-18). The vegetation is characterised by high polIen taxa diversity (around 50 polIen taxa of terrestriaI types, 5 polIen taxa of aquatic types, spores and 9 types of non palynological microfossils-NPM) together with a high content in the Mediterranean and mesic forest components (Quercus evergreen, Oleaceae, Quercus decidous and CoryIus), tipical ofwarm and humid conditions, and a few content on Artemisia, Pinus and Juniperus taxa (typicaI of coId or warm arid phases). The scarce forest development can be interpreted from the polIen record of mesophilus and thermophilous vegetation of the FUENT-1 sequence, in which only 40-50% of total polIen come from arboreaI associations. These vaIues for arboreal pollen content are low compared with other European polIen sequences.

The late Miocene macroflora of the La Cerdaña Basin, Eastern Pirenees, Spain. Towards a Synthesis

The fossil plant-bearing beds of the Tortonian (late Miocene) intramontane basin of La Cerdanya (Eastern Pyrenees, Catalonia, Spain) have been investigated for more than a century, and 165 species from 12 outcrops have been described in previous publications. The sediments with rich plant fossil assemblages, which correspond to lacustrine diatomitic deposits, contain large numbers of plant remains, mainly leaf compressions and impressions. These assemblages are well preserved, a consequence of the rapid accumulation of plant remains in the sediments of the basin's ancient lake, and the often close proximity of its shores to wetland and upland vegetation. This paper provides a comprehensive taxonomic and nomenclatural review of the historic and new collections of late Miocene macroflora for the La Cerdanya Basin. Examination of the newer materials allowed emendments to be made to the diagnoses ofAbies saportana, Acer pyrenakum,Alnus occidentalis, Quercus hispanka and Tilia vidali provided by REROLLE for the basin at the end of the 19th century. In addition, 24 species of vascular plants are identified for the basin for the first time, including one horsetail, three conifers, 19 arboreal or bushy dicotyledonous angiosperms, and one monocotyledonous angiosperm. Indeed, this is the first time that Cedrela helkonia (UNGER) KNOBLOCH, Decodon sp„ Hedera cf multinervis KOLAKOVSKII, Mahonia cf pseudosimplex KVACEK & WALTHER, Smilax cf. aspera L. vm.fossilis and Ulmus cf. plurinervia UNGER have been recorded anywhere in the Iberian Peninsula. The La Cerdanya Basin plant assemblages of the late Miocene mainly consisted of conifers and deciduous broadleaved taxa of Arctotertiary origin; evergreen Palaeotropical elements were less well represented. This flora is similar to those recorded at coeval sites in northern Greece, northern Italy and central and eastern France. Within the Iberian Peninsula, the late Miocene macroflora reported for the nearby Seu d'Urgell Basin is the most similar.