Mirosława Kupryjanowicz

Postglacial Development of Vegetation in the Vicinity of the Wigry lake

Postglacial Development of Vegetation in the Vicinity of the Wigry lake The Late Glacial and Holocene development of vegetation in the vicinity of the Wigry Lake is reconstructed using pollen analysis. The Late Glacial sediments include the Allerød and Younger Dryas chronozones. The Holocene section is complete. Pollen data combined with archaeological evidence and radiocarbon dating permit the recognition and characterisation of human influence on the local plant cover caused by settlers of Mesolithic and Neolithic cultures, by west Balts, by Grand Dukes of Lithuania and by Cameldolites order. On the basis of pollen analysis the development of aquatic and mire vegetation in the Wigry Lake is described.

The Late Glacial and Holocene development of vegetation in the area of a fossil lake in the Skaliska Basin (north-eastern Poland) inferred from pollen analysis and radiocarbon dating

ABSTRACT The development of vegetation in the Skaliska Basin has been reconstructed on the basis of palynological analysis and radiocarbon dating (AMS technique) of 6 sites from the late phase of the Bolling- Allerod interstadial complex to modern times. Although the area covers 90 km2, the mosaic character of habitats led to the development of different patterns of vegetation changes during the Late Glacial and Holocene. Only one site located in the eastern part of the Skaliska Basin reflected the ‘pine phase’ of Allerod, and this is the oldest data on vegetation in the Skaliska Basin. Interesting discrepancies were recorded during the Younger Dryas when patches of shrublands with Juniperus were distinct around some of the sites, while steppe with Artemisia was common in others. The beginning of the Holocene brought an expansion of birch-pine forest, but around 9600 cal. BC a cold oscillation took place which was reflected in an increase in birch in the woodlands in the western and eastern part of the Skaliska Basin. In the Preboreal chronozone elm (Ulmus) also expanded in the area but its appearance was non-synchronous. The vegetation of the Boreal chronozone was similar in the whole area and the most characteristic feature was the rapid expansion of hazel (Corylus avellana) which displaced Betula from the most of its sites. At that time a distinct redeposition of pollen material in the Parchatka river valley was detected which was probably the effect of an increase in fluvial activity of the river (humid oscillation). The following stage of vegetation development was climax woodlands with Tilia cordata, Ulmus, Quercus, Corylus avellana, and Alnus in damp places. At the beginning of the Subboreal chronozone the expansion of Quercus took place, which was subsequently replaced by Picea abies and partly Carpinus betulus. The pattern of Picea abies expansion distinctly presents two maxima which is characteristic of many sites in the north-eastern Poland. The Subatlantic chronozone is represented only by the profile from the Skaliski Forest, where, because of sandy ground, Pinus sylvestris was the dominant element. Human impact was poorly reflected through the rare occurrence of pollen grains of Cerealia type in the pollen profiles spanning the time from the Subboreal chronozone to modern times. In most profiles AMS dating produced age discrepancies, which limited the possibility of establishment of a detailed chronology. However, dates obtained from the material contaminated by mixture of glycerine, thymol and ethyl alcohol, pretreated by alcohol, showed reliable results in most cases.

The environmental and cultural contexts of the late Iron Age and medieval settlement in the Mazurian Lake District, NE Poland: combined palaeobotanical and archaeological data

Pollen analysis of sediments from three lakes and analysis of plant macroremains including charcoal from archaeological sites in the Mazurian Lake District provide new data for the reconstruction of vegetation changes related to human activity between the 1st and 13th century ad. At that time settlements of the Bogaczewo culture (from the turn of the 1st century ad to the first part of the 5th century ad), the Olsztyn Group (second part of the 5th century ad to the 7th or beginning of the 8th century ad), and the Prussian Galinditae tribes (8th/9th–13th century ad) developed. The most intensive woodland clearing occurred between the 1st and 6th/7th century ad. Presence of Cerealia-type, Secale cereale and Cannabis-type pollen, as well as macroremains of Hordeum vulgare, S. cereale, Triticum spelta, T. cf. monococcum, T. cf. dicoccum, Avena sp. and Panicum miliaceum documented local agriculture. High Betula representation synchronous with microcharcoal occurrence suggests shifting agriculture. After forest regeneration between c. ad 650 and 1100, the area was strongly deforested due to the early medieval occupation by Prussian tribes. The archaeobotanical examination of samples taken in a cemetery and a large settlement of the Roman Iron Age revealed strong differences in the taxonomic composition of the fossil plant remains. An absolute dominance of birch charcoal in the samples from the cemetery indicates its selective use for funeral pyre construction. There is a difference between cereals found in both contexts: numerous grains of Triticum have been found in the cemetery, while in the settlement crops were represented mostly by Secale and Hordeum. Grass tubers, belonging probably to Phleum pratense, are among the particularly interesting plant remains found in the cemetery.

Reconstruction of landscape paleohydrology using the sediment archives of three dystrophic lakes in northeastern Poland

Sediment layers of uniform age within lakes (isochrones) and their patterns reflect accumulation processes which can be correlated with hydrologic conditions in lake basins. The sedimentary archives in three small dystrophic lakes in northeastern Poland are described based on the correlation of local pollen assemblage zones in cores that were collected from the centers and margins of each lake. Past regional groundwater levels could be discerned from the shape of the isochrones, whether plane parallel or concave in configuration in relation to the lake basin shape. The concave configuration of the isochrones in the studied lakes shows that regional groundwater levels remained mostly high and stable throughout their history. The water levels in each lake during the Late Glacial and throughout the Holocene were different and no single, common water-level fluctuation pattern was identified in the three water bodies. The lack of such a finding suggests that the lakes are influenced dominantly by local hydrological factors.

Non-pollen palynomorphs characteristic for the dystrophic stage of humic lakes in the Wigry National Park, NE Poland

Abstract The numerous dystrophic (humic) lakes are a very important feature of Wigry National Park, NE Poland. As the most recent palaeoecological data indicate, at the beginning of its development (in the Late Glacial and Early and Middle Holocene) these water bodies functioned as harmonious lakes, and their transformation into dystrophic lakes and the stabilization of the trophic state took place at the beginning of the Subboreal. Palynological analysis of sediments from two such lakes (Lake Ślepe and Lake Suchar II), with special emphasis on non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs), was aimed at a detailed biological characterization of dystrophic lakes during their long-lasting existence. The obtained results allowed for the designation of organisms characteristic for dystrophic lakes, of which representatives appeared with the decreasing pH of the water and the formation of Sphagnum peat around lakes. These organisms were divided into four groups: algae, fungi, testate amoebas, and animals. Their representatives appear invarious developmental stages of dystrophic lakes.

Postglacial shifts in lake trophic status based on a multiproxy study of a humic lake

The long-term development of a humic lake ecosystem in Poland was investigated via palaeoecological analyses of age-dated sediment cores. Peat and lacustrine deposit records spanning approximately 12,000 years of lake history were analysed with regard to palynomorphs, plant macrofossils, degree of peat decomposition, Cladocera and geochemistry. Our study demonstrated the difficulty of classifying sediments deposited in humic lakes. We considered it inadequate to classify dy sediment exclusively using macroscopic criteria in the absence of geochemical parameters. Our study of the palaeoecology of the humic lake suggested three primary shifts in its trophic status: from oligotrophy to mesotrophy (Allerød-Boreal), to eutrophy (Atlantic), and to humotrophy (from the Sub-Boreal to the present). The results indicated that shifts in the trophic status occurred in response to climatic changes and factors linked to the catchment. The transformation from a clearwater lake of high trophic status to a humic lake was possible, such that the latter may originate not only from an oligotrophic lake. As a result of our pioneering study, we determined that a humic water body may even develop because of transformation of a eutrophic lake.

Late Glacial and Holocene vegetation changes in the Wigry National Park, NE Poland - new pollen data from three small dystrophic lakes

Abstract The main phases of the Late Glacial and Holocene development of vegetation in the Wigry National Park were reconstructed based on the pollen analysis of sediments from three small dystrophic lakes (Lake Suchar Wielki, Lake Suchar II and Lake Ślepe). At the current stage of research, the age of the studied deposits was determined by AMS radiocarbon dating of few samples only. This meant that the chronology of the investigated sections had to be estimated also indirectly using their palynological correlation with the radiometrically well-dated section from Lake Wigry. The obtained pollen data confirmed the picture of the postglacial vegetation changes of the Wigry National Park, which was based on earlier studies of Lake Wigry. Furthermore, it documented the existence, mainly in the Preboreal and Atlantic chronozones, of temporary changes in vegetation, which might be a reaction to a short-lived cold fluctuations of climate.

Was it ‘terra desolata’? Conquering and colonizing the medieval Prussian wilderness in the context of climate change.:

Pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, charcoal and geochemical analyses of sediments from Lakes Salęt and Ruskowiejskie (NE Poland) were used to reconstruct vegetation changes in the former Galindia territory (Old Prussia) related to human activity and the climatic instability of the medieval period. Among archaeologists and historians, there is a widespread opinion that the permanent transformations of the environment in Prussia (south-eastern Baltic region) began not earlier than after its conquest by the Teutonic Order and resulted from its economic activity and intensive colonization. The impact of previous inhabitants of this land on the environment has been considered as definitely weak. Our results provide entirely contrasting evidence and demonstrate that strong and permanent deforestation started as early as in the early 11th century AD, in the pre-Teutonic Order time, and were associated with the economic activity of the Prussian Galinditae tribes. In this paper, we also discuss a possible interpretation of the medieval distribution patterns of Quercus. We assume that human activity catalysed and amplified both its spreading process and decline, primarily driven by the ‘Little Ice Age’ climatic deterioration. Our palynological results indicate the significant spread of Picea from ca. AD 1000, which we interpret as reflecting hydrological and climatic changes. Moreover, we hypothesize that the spread of Carpinus in the early medieval period (11th–13th centuries), which occurred in connection with more intense human activity, was largely because of woodland pasturing.

Anthropogenic Transformation of the Vegetation in the Immediate Vicinity of the Settlement Complex at Poganowo (Mrągowo Lakeland, Ne Poland)

Abstract The results of pollen, non-pollen palynomorph and microcharcoal particle analyses of deposits from a small pond in north eastern Poland are presented. The study focused on human-induced vegetation changes that occurred in a close vicinity of the settlement complex at Poganowo during the Middle Ages (ca 10th-16th centuries). We distinguished three phases of human impact. First and third phases correspond to intensified settlement activity. The second phase was a period when human activity decreased and woodland regeneration took place. The high incidence of the parasitic fungus Kretzschmaria deusta in a local forest stand during the third phase was simultaneous with numerous spores of coprophilous fungi (Sordaria-type and Cercophora-type). We consider that Kretzschmaria deusta inhabited the roots and bases of tree trunks damaged by digging and grazing animals.

Late Holocene Changes in Vegetation of the Mrągowo Lakeland (NE Poland) as Registered in the Pollen Record from Lake Salęt

Abstract Pollen analysis of sediments from the upper part of bottom deposits from Lake Salęt allowed reconstruction of main stages of the Late Holocene vegetation transformation in the Mrągowo Lake District (from ca. 3600 cal. years BC) and to correlate some of these changes with immigration and economic activity of local human groups. Significant spreading of secondary semi-natural birch forest, development of horn beam forest and increasing importance of anthropogenic open communities were the most characteristic features of vegetation evolution. A definite break down of elm took place between 2900 and 2500 cal. years BC, slightly after increased contribution of birch in wood lands. Disappearance of hazel around 1200 cal. years BC, accompanied by expansion of horn beam has been observed and should be linked with activity of the Ząbie-Szestno type culture and the Lusatian culture tribes during the Bronze Age, but not with a climate change. Considerable intensification of settlement processes recorded in the younger part of the Subatlantic chronozone was one of the important reasons that were responsible for quick changes in forest structure. Strong and continued deforestation started as early as the end of the 10th century AD and was substantially intensified in the first half of the 13th century.