How a Sphagnum fuscum-dominated bog changed into a calcareous fen: the unique Holocene history of a Slovak spring-fed mire
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2012 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jqs.1534 |
| Field | Ecology |
| Keywords | Holocene; succession; mire |
| Description | Mires develop by autogenic succession from more groundwater-fed to more rainwater-fed. This study 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. 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. |
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