We explored interactions among human activities, landscape development and changes in biotic proxies in two small calcareous spring fens in the Slovak Eastern Carpathians. These date back to cal. a . d . 930. Results of pollen, plant macrofossil, and mollusc analyses were compared with the settlement history. The regional pollen record reflected historical events and changes in the settlement density very well at both study sites. The natural mixed fir-beech-spruce forests with fern undergrowth were suppressed and replaced by light-demanding trees in the periods of high human impact (e.g. Wallachian colonization). The study area was affected several times by wars and raids followed by a consequent decline in the settlement density. Some of these events are well reflected in the pollen records that document tree recovery and decline of cereals, weeds, and pasture indicators. In comparison, only some landscape changes were reflected in the local fen development. Both spring fens originated after deforestation, Roškovce around a . d . 1347 and Mirol'a around a . d . 929. The most pronounced change involving the water regime stabilization and undisturbed development of plant and mollusc communities took place after the decline in human impact. We conclude that humans were the main drivers of landscape transformation in the last millennium; they directly created spring-fen ecosystems through deforestation and influenced fen species composition through husbandry activities.

This paper presents results of pollen and macroscopic analyses of a geological core from the village of Bulhary, at the north-eastern foot of the limestone Pavlovské vrchy hills, South Moravia, Czech Republic. The core reached down to about 10 m of aeolic loess layers and some 40–50 cm of compressed organogenic sediments. They accumulated around ca 25,000 years bp. The moss peat and algal gyttja we have analysed were deposited in an ox-bow of the past flood-plain of the river Dyje. The time of the sedimentation may be synchronous with the time when the northern foot of the Pavlovské vrchy hills was inhabited by upper Palaeolithic people of the Gravettian (Pavlovian) culture, dated generally to an Upper Würmian interstadial. Archaeologists excavated their settlements in the villages of Dolní Věstonice and Pavlov, neighbouring our site of Bulhary. Our analyses permit the reconstruction of the vegetation of that time in the region but may also reveal the environment and living conditions of the Palaeolithic people. In our assemblages over 200 types of palynomorphs (pollen, spores, etc.) have been found, which indicates a very rich flora and vegetation growing in at least six different biotopes of the Pavlovské vrchy hills region: (1) Open, mostly coniferous stands with grass and herbaceous cover in their undergrowth. These were probably situated in the lowest parts of the territory and could also have dominated in the broader vicinity with loess cover. (2) Grass and herbaceous steppe-like vegetation probably occupied the belt above where the trees occurred but still within the loess zone. (3) The highest elevations of the hills and their limestone cliffs formed biotopes for a complex of subalpine (alpine) communities. (4) The flood plain was certainly occupied by very diversified tall-herb vegetation with scattered alder and willow trees or shrubs. (5) Aquatic communities of the infilled stages in the river ox-bows are well documented by microscopic and macroremain finds of water macrophytes, algae and mosses. (6) The presence of scattered spring outflows and their communities is indicated by pollen of typical spring plants, e.g. Chrysosplenium, Montia, Cardamine amara etc. The vegetation, especially that in the flood-plain, produced enough plant biomass to feed numerous herds of large herbivorous mammals, which were hunted by the Palaeolithic tribes. Also the climate was probably relatively suitable for the style of living at that time. It could have been similar to that of the present northern boreal zone of NE Scandinavia and N Russia or even milder.

In general, mires develop by autogenic succession from more groundwater-fed to more rainwater-fed. This study from a calcareous mire in the West Carpathians (Slovakia) describes a similar development in the Early Holocene, followed by a reverse development in the Middle and Late Holocene. Pollen, macrofossil and testate amoeba analyses show that the site started as a minerotrophic open fen woodland. After 10 700 cal a BP autogenic succession led to the accumulation of at least 1 m of Sphagnum fuscum peat. Around 9000 cal a BP, as climate could no longer sustain a stable water regime, the bog desiccated and a fire broke out. The fire removed part of the peat layer and as a consequence relative water levels rose, leading to the establishment of a wet minerotrophic swamp carr with Thelypteris palustris, Equisetum sp. and Alnus sp. with extremely slow peat accumulation. After 600 cal a BP, rapid peat accumulation with calcareous tufa formation resumed as a result of anthropogenic deforestation and hydrological changes in the catchment and resulting increased groundwater discharge. At present the mire still hosts a wealth of relict and endangered plant and animal species typical of calcareous fens and fen meadows. Copyright (C) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The paper concerns the history of vegetation in the Upper Orava region, NW Slovakia (the Oravská Kotlina intramountain basin and the surrounding Oravské Beskydy uplands) during the past ca. 11000 years. Both landscape types have been very changed due to intensive human impacts since the 13 or 16 centuries respectively. Therefore, the attempt to reconstruct the composition and spatial distribution of major pre-settlement climax vegetation types has been done using combined pollenanalytical and phytosociological approaches. The evaluation of the uppermost cultural pollen spectra and their comparison with known historical data help to understand the present state of the environment in the region.

Pollen and macroscopic analyses of two Upper Holocene spring fen sites in the vicinity of the Turcek village in the south-western foothills of the Kremnicke vrchy Mts (central Slovakia) revealed new and unique information on the precultural and natural climazonal forests, and the origin and development of local meadow fen vegetation. Pollen-analytical data indicate the prevalence of natural spruce (Picea abies) and fir (Abies alba) forests in this region. The mixed beech forests depicted on the geobotanical map of Slovakia must have, therefore occupied much smaller areas than previously thought. After human colonization of the region during the 13th and 14th centuries natural forests were transformed mainly into grasslands and pastures, and to a lesser extent into arable fields. These changes were connected with gold and silver mining in the vicinity of the nearby town of Kremnica, with Turcek one of the important areas producing timber for the mining industry. The development of these fen mires is also connected with deforestation and transformation of the landscape. They originated as forest springs but after human colonization of the area they were transformed into treeless fen meadows by the direct or indirect effect of man cutting of trees, grazing livestock and mowing.

Five pollen diagrams representing the upper Holocene vegetation and its anthropogenic changes are presented and evaluated. They come from small spring fens in the Czech (Moravian) and Slovak borderland. The northern part of the region (the Beskydy Mts) had natural, precultural forests with either coniferous trees (Picea abies and Abies alba) or mixed with Fagus sylvatica. In the southern part of the region (the Bílé Karpaty Mts) forests dominated by Fagus mixed with Acer, Fraxinus and Ulmus prevailed, whereas conifers were almost absent, although in a central, transitional region (northern Bílé Karpaty Mts) Abies was locally abundant in relatively humid places. Medieval colonisation deforested their lower areas and foothills in the course of the 11th–13th centuries and transformed the original mixed oak forests into fields and meadows, but the mountain forests were little affected. In the Beskydy Mts in the north, the Walachian colonisation of the 16th and 17th centuries transformed parts of the mountain forests into meadows, pasture and farmlands. Most remaining woodlands were transformed during the last two centuries into spruce plantations. In the Bílé Karpaty Mts in the south, the Walachian transformation of mountain forests had already started by the 15th century.

The paper presents the results of investigations concerning the accumulation processes, sediment composition, pollen and macroscopic analyses of sediments from the lakes Popradské pleso (1513 m) and Štrbské pleso (1345 m) in the High Tatra mountains, western Carpathians, Slovakia. While Popradské pleso is undoubtedly of glacial origin with silts in the Lateglacial layers and algal gyttja in the Holocene layers, Štrbské pleso or its greater part originated recently between the 16th and the beginning of the 18th centuries when the previous bog of Atlantic or early Subboreal age was flooded with water after the dispersed outflow from the bog depression was blocked. Our pollen and macrofossil analyses indicate mountain tundra in the Lateglacial and a continuous presence of coniferous forest with Picea abies with admixture of Pinus cembra, Larix decidua, Juniperus communis and Pinus cf. mugo in the uppermost elevations at the alpine forest limit since the very beginning of the Holocene. No noticeable oscillation of the forest line can be interpreted from our pollen analyses. It seems probable that its position was controlled by geomorphological and edaphic conditions rather than by the Holocene climatic changes. Spruce forests dominated at elevations between ca. 1000–1400 m during the whole Holocene.

During the last years, a well documented expansion ofragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., Ambrosia trifida L.) over the Mediterranean andtemperate Europe has been in progress. The currentdistribution of ragweed plants in the Czech Republicis summarized and the ragweed pollen concentration asmonitored by 12 pollen stations in the country isdiscussed. The present situation in the ragweed pollensensitization among children and adults with pollenallergy in Brno is described. So far no dangerousexpansion of ragweed plants in our country has beenobserved. Ragweed pollen concentration is occasionallysignificant in the Brno station only, other pollenstations are reporting insignificant amounts ofragweed pollen during August-September periods,although there has been a steady increase in ragweedpollen concentration in the Prague area over the lastfive years. Skin prick tests and/or specific IgEmeasurements with ragweed allergen were performed on94 children with pollen allergy in the Brno region in1995 and on 206, 210 and 229 adult allergic patientsin 1995, 1996 and 1997, respectively. Positive skinreaction or positive specific IgE to ragweed was foundin 22% children and in 25% (1995), 19% (1996) and 25% (1997) adults with pollen allergy. It isconcluded that ragweed does not seem to represent anyimminent major threat to the allergic population inthe Czech Republic until now, however, it remains apotentially very dangerous allergen.

The paper presents and evaluates the results of macroscopic and pollen analyses of a buried organic layer at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers on the southern margin of the Brno City, southern Moravia, Czech Republic. The layer was covered with about 4 m of flood-loams and dates to ca. A.D. 1100. Remains of nearly 100 vascular plants and about 40 mosses contribute to the knowledge of the medieval flora, vegetation and environment in the vicinity of Brno as continuous settlement began in the city area and as the upstream landscapes were colonised.

Previous articleNext article No AccessNew Biological BooksThe Living Fields: Our Agricultural Heritage. Jack R. Harlan Eliska Rybnickova and Kamil RybnicekEliska Rybnickova Search for more articles by this author and Kamil Rybnicek Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Quarterly Review of Biology Volume 71, Number 4Dec., 1996 Published in association with Stony Brook University Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/419621 Views: 1Total views on this site Citations: 1Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 1996 The University of ChicagoPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Serge Svizzero Persistent Controversies about the Neolithic Revolution, Journal of Historical Archaeology & Anthropological Sciences 1, no.22 (May 2017).https://doi.org/10.15406/jhaas.2017.01.00013