Marco Giardini

PALYNOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE LAST GLACIAL PERIOD IN THE VOLCANIC REGION OF CENTRAL ITALY

Abstract The summarized pollen records from the crater lakes of Valle di Castiglione, Lagaccione, Lago di Vico and Stracciacappa, in the Lazio region, are presented and correlated with each other. They outline the history of the vegetation during the last glacial period. The local name ‘Lazio Complex’ is used to describe seven main fluctuations of trees during the Pleniglacial. The succession of the main forest and non-forest periods of the last climatic cycle is generally similar to what is known in central and northern Europe, but the floristic composition and the vegetational configurations seem much more complex and sensitive to climatic changes. The history of Zelkova , Abies , Picea , Corylus , Ulmus , Carpinus betulus , Tilia and Fagus in central Italy is outlined.

The European Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) project

Modern pollen samples provide an invaluable research tool for helping to interpret the quaternary fossil pollen record, allowing investigation of the relationship between pollen as the proxy and the environmental parameters such as vegetation, land-use, and climate that the pollen proxy represents. The European Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) is a new initiative within the European Pollen Database (EPD) to establish a publicly accessible repository of modern (surface sample) pollen data. This new database will complement the EPD, which at present holds only fossil sedimentary pollen data. The EMPD is freely available online to the scientific community and currently has information on almost 5,000 pollen samples from throughout the Euro-Siberian and Mediterranean regions, contributed by over 40 individuals and research groups. Here we describe how the EMPD was constructed, the various tables and their fields, problems and errors, quality controls, and continuing efforts to improve the available data.

Vegetation, climate and environmental history of the last 4500 years at lake Shkodra (Albania/Montenegro):

Three parallel overlapping cores have been taken in the Albanian side of Lake Shkodra (Albania/Montenegro). The chronological frame of the record, spanning approximately the last 4500 years, has been assessed using four radiocarbon dates and four well-known tephra layers of Italian volcanoes. Multidisciplinary analyses turned out to be decisive to understand environmental, climatic changes and human impact. Here, we focus on palynology. The humidity at Shkodra was always enough to allow the developing of a luxuriant arboreal vegetation. The pollen percentage diagram does not record important changes in terrestrial plants percentages. Arboreal pollen (AP) shows only a rather slight decrease, with ‘natural forests’ replaced by intensive cultivation of chestnut and walnut in the last seven/eight centuries. The rather minimal changes in composition and dominance are because of the fact that the pollen rain comes from different vegetation belts, from the Mediterranean to the alpine one. Two major periods of humidity are found, one at the base of the pollen concentration and influx diagram, before 4100 yr BP, the other at 1300 yr BP. Minima in pollen influx and concentration occurred soon before 4000, at ca. 2900 and at ca. 1450 yr BP These minima, interpreted as aridity crises, show a temporal coincidence with the so-called Bond events 1-3 already found in other central and eastern Mediterranean records. The minimum in AP occurring after 500 yr BP could represent the record of the ‘Little Ice Age’, even if it could be the effect of a strong land use.

Under the shadow of a big plane tree: Why Platanus orientalis should be considered an archaeophyte in Italy

In Italy, Platanus orientalis L. is judged as an endangered species by some authors and non-native by others: these contrasting assessments can mislead the prioritization of management actions to preserve the species and the riparian vegetation that is its host. Based on a multidisciplinary approach, including palaeobotanical and ecological information, we assessed its status in Italy including the ecological and conservation value of the riparian plant communities hosting it in the Cilento National Park (S-Italy). Palaeobotanical data showed that P. orientalis in Italy should be considered an archaeophyte. According to the ecological assessment of the riparian plant communities hosting P. orientalis, the presence of the species can be interpreted as an indicator of an unfavourable state for the conservation of riparian vegetation. Knowing the status of a species remains one of the first steps to take to correctly propose scientifically based solutions for the conservation of plant diversity. However, there are no absolute criteria for conservation because all conservation objectives can be considered as cultural values. In this context, P. orientalis should be protected as a symbolic tree, an archaeophyte testifying an ancient common Mediterranean cultural heritage, worthy of preservation but outside of natural habitats.

The plant landscape as inferred from a basket of the Roman town of Privernum (Latium, central Italy).

Abstract Privernum was a rich Roman colony located 70 km southwest of Rome (southern Latium, central Italy). The archaeobotanical investigations focused on the garden and related structures of the luxury domus della Soglia nilotica. They are archaeologically and radiocarbon dated to the second half of the 1st century AD. The remains of a charred basket were found in the filling of the euripus, an ornamental water basin of the garden. The weaving was made with twisted strands of the leaves of Ampelodesmos mauritanicus (Poir.) T. Durand and Schinz; for the bottom and the handle/s of the basket, wood of evergreen oaks and ash and/or elm, respectively were probably used. The basket contained Pinus pinea seeds and cone scales, and Prunus persica endocarps, which were probably burnt in summer. The sediment in the drainage system and in the kitchen was processed for macro- and microremains. The results indicate the presence of spontaneous ruderal and weed flora elements, typical of human settlement areas, and crops.

Fluttuazioni vegetazionali nel Lazio durante l'ultimo glaciale

Abstract The long pollen sequences from four volcanic lakes of the Lazio region are presented in order to outline the history of flora and vegetation on the Tyrrhenian side of Central Italy during the last hundred thousand years. The four long pollen records correlate satisfactorily with each other and reflect climatic changes at least at regional scale. Particular attention is paid to the development of arboreal vegetation during the last glacial. The local name “Lazio Complex” is given to the seven main fluctuations of trees of the Pleniglacial (from about 60,000 to about 30,000 years B.P.). The history of Zelkova, Abies, Picea, Fagus, Corylus, Ulmus, Carpinus betulus, Tilia in central Italy is outlined.

Climate changes at Lake Shkodra (Albania): the last 4500 years

Lake Shkodra is a wide basin located at the Albania/Montenegro border. Few kms of steep mountain slopes separate the lake from the Adriatic Sea, Three parallel overlapping cores down to the depth of 7.26 m have been used for palaeomagnetic, tephra, isotope, diatom, pollen, and microcharcoal analyses. The chronological framing of the record, spanning approximately the last 4500 years, has been assessed using 3 210Pb, 4 14C AMS dates al and 4 well-known tephra layers. The presence of such characteristic Italian volcanic ashes provides a relatively good chronology for the second half of the Holocene.The δ18Oc record indicates the presence of two prominent wet phases: one centered at ca. 4300 cal yr BP, and one at ca. 2400-2000 yr cal BP. The physiognomy of the vegetation did not suffer very much from the hydrological changes suggested by oxygen isotopes, recording small percentage changes of AP from 4500 to ca 900 cal yr BP. However, since ca. 900 cal yr BP human impact became apparent with significant decrease in AP% and in total pollen concentration. Despite being quite homogeneous, the well preserved ostracod assemblage records both the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age.

Erratum to: The European Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) project

Unfortunately, the list of authors contains a number of duplications, omissions and other errors in the original publication of the article. The correct list appears in this erratum.