Subfossil Chironomidae and other palaeoecological proxies in the reconstruction of the Late Vistulian environmental history in central Poland: case study of oxbow fill in Luci a River valley

Abstract

The fast sedimentation rate of Rozprza palaeo-oxbow deposits gives a chance for tracking environmental changes in the end of the Late Vistulian very thoroughly. The range of palaeoecological analyses were done, resulting in reconstructions of vegetation history, climate and habitat changes. The chironomid-inferred summer temperatures indicate the short cooling in the late Allerød, confirmed by the plant macrofossils. It may correspond to 'Gerzensee oscillation', recorded mainly from western Europe. The studied oxbow was a truly aquatic ecosystem until the end of Younger Dryas, with diverse invertebrate fauna. The second phase of the oxbow-lake was characterised by its systematic overgrowing and, finally, mire development with overbank deposition in the Holocene. The wide range of used proxies provided a reliable picture of the Late Glacial oxbow evolution in Central Poland.