Late Quaternary vegetation changes around Lake Rutundu, Mount Kenya, East Africa: evidence from grass cuticles, pollen and stable carbon isotopes

Wooller, Matthew J.; Swain, D. L.; Ficken, Katherine J.; Agnew, A. D. Q.; Street-Perrott, F. Alayne; Eglinton, G.

doi:10.1002/jqs.725

Cited by 68 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Morphologically it is possible to distinguish between the microscopic remains of epidermal cells (including stomata and guard cells) of different plant types, even when charred or burnt and, where modern reference material has been systematically compiled, even within plant families where distinction below family level on the basis of pollen morphology is problematic (e.g. Poaceae, see Palmer 1976;Wooller et al 2003). In this study, increases in charred Poaceae epidermis generally followed increases in charcoal in all records (except during MIS 5.1-3 in the LTC1 record where there is only one representation) (zone 7, Figure 2).…”

Section: Foraminifera (Forams) (Plate 2 Figure 8)mentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the use of non-pollen palynomorphs in palaeoecology with examples from Australia

et al. 2011

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Records of the past climate and vegetation of Australia are frequently constructed using data generated from the analysis of pollen and pteridophyte spores alone, or in association with sedimentology. We demonstrate that the organic residue prepared for pollen analysis yields other organic-walled microfossils that can be used to provide additional and independent palaeoenvironmental information. These non-pollen palynomorphs (NPP) include microscopic remains of algae, cyanobacteria, fungi, insects, other invertebrates and cormophytes. Our study of the NPP from two Late Quaternary lake records from western Victoria, Australia, provided additional information on water quality, salinity, depth, temperature and nutrient levels to the general environmental interpretation derived from pollen data. From a review of the ecological preferences of taxa, and comparison of the NPP results with pollen and spore curves from the lake records, ecological indicator values were derived. The study confirms the utility of NPP in enhancing environmental reconstructions in Australia, and encourages their routine examination in palynological studies.

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Section: Foraminifera (Forams) (Plate 2 Figure 8)mentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the use of non-pollen palynomorphs in palaeoecology with examples from Australia

et al. 2011

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“…When they are preserved (highly subject to oxidation), sub-fossil grass cuticles retain micro-morphological features that permit identification to subfamily, supertribe, tribe and, in some instances, genus or species level (Wooller, 2002). However, up to now, only a few paleo-ecological studies have investigated this proxy (Mworia-Maitima, 1997;Wooller et al, 2000Wooller et al, , 2003.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Phytolith indices as proxies of grass subfamilies on East African tropical mountains

Brémond

Alexandre

Wooller

et al. 2008

Global and Planetary Change

180

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International audienceThe main objective of this paper is to provide researchers that investigate fossil phytolith assemblages and model/data comparisons a new tool for estimating C(3)/C(4) grass composition over time. We tested the reliability of modem soil phytolith assemblages and phytolith indices for tracing the dominance of different grass subfamilies and tree cover density. We analyzed modem soil phytolith assemblages from sites over elevation gradients on Mount Kenya (Kenya), Mount Rungwe and around Lake Masoko (southern Tanzania). These data were compared with available botanical data. A phytolith index named Ic, proved to be an effective proxy of the proportions of Pooideae, Arundinoideae and Bambusoideae grasses (mainly C(3) grasses) versus Panicoideae grasses (mainly C(4) grasses), increasing with elevation in East-Africa. When tropical mountains are covered by open habitats (e.g. grasses and shrublands), Ic should be a reliable proxy of the C(3)/C(4) grass composition. These results highlight the value of the phytolith index Ic, when interpreting paleo-environmental records from tropical mountains, to: 1) better understand past local and regional C(3)/C(4) grass distributions and associated climatic changes and 2) increase the Set Of C(3)/C(4) data available for model/data comparisons. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

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“…Charcoal fragments > >120 µm sieved from lake sediment samples representing 5-10 years of deposition can be used to infer both the regional importance of fire under different climate conditions and vegetation, and the frequency of fire occurrence at a site (Long et al, 1998;Millspaugh et al, 2000;Carcaillet et al, 2001;Umbanhowar, 2004;Lynch et al, 2004). taxonomic resolution not possible with pollen analysis (Palmer, 1976;Wooller et al, 2000Wooller et al, , 2003Wooller and Agnew, 2001;Beuning et al, 2003). Whitlock et al (2006) tracked the relative proportion of grass charcoal in samples sieved from sediments of lakes in mid-latitude Argentina and used this to infer changes in fire regimes related to Holocene changes in climate and vegetation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Interpretation of charcoal morphotypes in sediments from Ferry Lake, Wisconsin, USA: do different plant fuel sources produce distinctive charcoal morphotypes?

et al. 2007

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We describe five common charcoal morphotypes observed in late-Holocene lake sediments from northern Wisconsin and compare them with charcoal produced by burning modern plant material. Our experiments show that grass cuticle, conifer wood and leaves of some broadleaved taxa all produce recognizable charcoal types that are preserved in sediments. We use the identification of charcoal morphotypes to enhance our interpretation of a previously published charcoal record from Ferry Lake, Wisconsin. The occurrence of the different charcoal morphotypes changed as the vegetation and fire regimes changed over the past 2300 yr. Charred grass cuticle was more common before 1300 cal. yr BP when small charcoal peaks were frequent and the pollen assemblage suggests that an open oak savanna surrounded the lake. Charcoal with bordered pits produced from burned conifer wood was more common after 1300 cal. yr BP, when red/jack pine pollen increased and the frequency of charcoal peaks decreased, suggesting a switch from a surface fire regime to one with less frequent crown fires. Our results suggest that stratigraphic changes in the occurrence of charcoal morphotypes can improve our understanding of past vegetation and fire regimes.

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Late Quaternary vegetation changes around Lake Rutundu, Mount Kenya, East Africa: evidence from grass cuticles, pollen and stable carbon isotopes

Cited by 68 publications

References 48 publications

A review of the use of non-pollen palynomorphs in palaeoecology with examples from Australia

A review of the use of non-pollen palynomorphs in palaeoecology with examples from Australia

Phytolith indices as proxies of grass subfamilies on East African tropical mountains

Interpretation of charcoal morphotypes in sediments from Ferry Lake, Wisconsin, USA: do different plant fuel sources produce distinctive charcoal morphotypes?

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