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.

Summary Environmental change alters ecosystem processes, minding biogeochemical cycles. These changes are accompanied by shifts in species composition. We predicted that long‐term averages of environmental variables would explain more of the variability in species composition than short‐term assessments, but that this difference would be weaker for short‐lived organisms. We further predicted that short‐lived organisms with rapid dispersal would reflect recent environmental change. In 51 plots of ombrotrophic summit bogs in two mountain ranges of Central Europe, we sampled the contemporary species composition of vascular plants, bryophytes, diatoms and testate amoebae. In the same plots, water chemistry (pH, conductivity, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Al, Fe, Pb, Hg, Zn, humic acids, ammonium, nitrates, nitrites, phosphates, sulphates and chlorides) and water level were monitored three times per year for 15 years. We tested species–environmental relationships using Mantel tests and canonical correspondence analyses with Monte Carlo permutation tests for overall, within‐bog and between‐bog effects. The species composition of all four taxa changed along a natural gradient of water level. Diatoms and testate amoebae also changed along a pH/calcium gradient, which has appeared recently in one of the study regions because of aerial liming of forests. Only diatoms reflected variations in humic acid concentration. Spot measurements of environmental factors were sufficient to describe the general pattern while significant effects of phosphates for diatoms and bryophytes, nitrites for vascular plants, potassium for vascular plants and testate amoebae, sodium for all groups except diatoms and sulphates for bryophytes and testate amoebae were evident only by using medium‐ or long‐term averages. Although only long‐term averages of some environmental variables were sufficient to explain species compositions, major patterns were revealed by single (spot) samples. The explanatory power of long‐ and short‐term environmental conditions did not differ substantially between micro‐ and macroorganisms, although short‐lived and well‐dispersed microorganisms reflected the new pH/calcium gradient.

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.

Questions: Is vegetation composition of ombrotrophic bogs with an undisturbed water regime resistant or sensitive to ongoing high atmospheric deposition and climatic changes?Location: The Sudeten Mountains (Czech Republic).Methods: Species composition of bryophytes and vascular plants was sampled in 25 permanent plots in suboceanic bogs of the Jizerske hory Mountains and in 26 permanent plots in subcontinental bogs of the Hruby Jesenik Mountains. The permanent plots were established and first sampled in 1991. These plots were re-sampled after 14 and 17 years, respectively. We also used historical vegetation plots (1947-1949; 1980) from the same localities in order to reveal possible changes that might start earlier. Water chemistry was analysed annually, usually three times a year. Compositional changes were analysed by PERMANOVA, beta-diversity changes by PERMDISP and other changes by t-test and Fisher's exact test.Results: At the community level, no statistically significant changes were detected in permanent plots (PERMANOVA, PERMDISP), either in hollows or in hummocks, but the vegetation composition changed between the oldest (historical) and the newest data sets. At the level of functional groups, cover of Cyperaceae significantly decreased and cover of other herbs (excluding graminoids) and Sphagna increased in the Hruby Jesenik Mountains, whereas no changes were detected in the Jizerske hory Mountains. Cover of ericoid dwarf shrubs has not changed in either area. At the level of particular species, the frequency of Sphagnum magellanicum, Carex limosa, Scheuchzeria palustris and Vaccinium myrtillus decreased, while the frequency of Straminergon stramineum, Sphagnum recurvum agg., Eriophorum angustifolium and Luzula sylvatica increased. These changes were more evident when recent and historical data were compared.Conclusions: When water regime is not affected, the bog vegetation seems to be rather resistant to high atmospheric deposition and climate fluctuation. A significant change of the species composition occurs only in the long-term perspective. Particular species could, however, decrease or increase their frequencies more rapidly. For some of these species a positive or negative response to nitrogen availability was also found in other studies, whereas for other species further research is needed in order to separate the effects of atmospheric deposition and internal ecosystem dynamics.

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.

Data on the stratigraphy and development of a former lake near the town of Vracov, SE Moravia, Czechoslovakia, are presented. The infilling process and vegetation succession are described. An attempt to reconstruct changes in habitat conditions during the last ca. 13 000 years has been made.

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

Rybníčková E. etRybníček K. (1980): Holocene palaeovegetation and palaeoenvironment of the Kameničská kotlina Basin (Czechoslovakia).—Folia Geobot. Phytotax., Praha, 23: 285–301.—The development of vegetation and environment in the Kameničská kotlina Basin, the Bohemian-Moravian Uplands, Czechoslovakia, during the last 12,000 years is described. The succession of local spring mire vegetation is studied. The results from Kameničky are compared with those from the not too-distant Zalíbené bog. A re-evaluation of the previous time zonation in the pollen diagram from Zalíbené is suggested.