A multi-proxy reconstruction of peatland development and regional vegetation changes in subarctic NE Fennoscandia (the Republic of Karelia, Russia) during the Holocene

Kirill V. Babeshko; Anna  Shkurko; Andrey N. Tsyganov; Elena Severova; Mariusz Gałka; Richard J. Payne; Dimitri Mauquoy; Natalia G  Mazei; Yulia A Fatynina; Elena D  Krasnova; Damir A  Saldaev; Dmitry A Voronov; Elya  Zazovskaya; Yuri A. Mazei

doi:10.1177/0959683620972795

A multi-proxy reconstruction of peatland development and regional vegetation changes in subarctic NE Fennoscandia (the Republic of Karelia, Russia) during the Holocene

Kirill V. Babeshko, Anna Shkurko, Andrey N. Tsyganov, Elena Severova, Mariusz Gałka, Richard J. Payne, Dimitri Mauquoy, Natalia G Mazei, Yulia A Fatynina, Elena D Krasnova, Damir A Saldaev, Dmitry A Voronov, Elya Zazovskaya, Yuri A. Mazei^* (Corresponding Author)

^*Corresponding author for this work

Geography & Environment

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

A better understanding of past long-term environmental changes in the subarctic region is crucial for mitigation of the possible negative effects of climate warming in this vulnerable region. This study provides a new multi-proxy reconstruction of regional vegetation changes and peatland development for north-eastern Fennoscandia (Russia) during most of the Holocene. To that purpose, we performed plant macrofossil, pollen, testate amoebae, peat humification, loss on ignition and radiocarbon analyses of the peat deposits from a mire around Vodoprovodnoe Lake (the Kindo Peninsula, the Republic of Karelia). Our data indicate that the peat deposits started accumulating before 9147 ± 182 cal. yr. BP. The vegetation cover in the area was mainly typical for the northern taiga zone, except for the period ~7800–5600 cal. yr. BP, when it generally resembled the middle taiga zone. The vegetation cover and peatland were greatly affected by reoccurring fires, which can be partly related to human activity. These events were associated with an increased proportion of birch in the vegetation cover (as a pioneer species) and/or water level decreases. By 600 cal. yr. BP, the peatland and the surrounding vegetation reached its current state and only minor changes had been recorded since that time. Overall, our results suggest a considerable and unexpected role of fires in the postglacial dynamics of subarctic peatlands.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	421-432
Number of pages	12
Journal	The Holocene
Volume	31
Issue number	3
Early online date	28 Jan 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683620972795
Publication status	Published - 1 Mar 2021

Bibliographical note

Acknowledgements
We are grateful to A. Tzetlin for the organisation of fieldwork at the White Sea Biological Station. ASh is grateful to V.E. Fedosov for support and encouragement.
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was funded by the Russian Science Foundation (19-14-00102) and Russian Foundation for Basic Research (19-05-00377). The work of ASh and EES was supported by Moscow State University Grant for Leading Scientific Schools ‘Depository of the Living Systems’ in frame of the MSU Development Program.

Keywords

fire
North-Eastern Fennoscandia
plant macrofossils
Pollen
testate amoebae
white sea biological station

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Cite this

Babeshko, K. V., Shkurko, A., Tsyganov, A. N., Severova, E., Gałka, M., Payne, R. J., Mauquoy, D., Mazei, N. G., Fatynina, Y. A., Krasnova, E. D., Saldaev, D. A., Voronov, D. A., Zazovskaya, E., & Mazei, Y. A. (2021). A multi-proxy reconstruction of peatland development and regional vegetation changes in subarctic NE Fennoscandia (the Republic of Karelia, Russia) during the Holocene. The Holocene, 31(3), 421-432. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683620972795

Babeshko, KV, Shkurko, A, Tsyganov, AN, Severova, E, Gałka, M, Payne, RJ, Mauquoy, D, Mazei, NG, Fatynina, YA, Krasnova, ED, Saldaev, DA, Voronov, DA, Zazovskaya, E & Mazei, YA 2021, 'A multi-proxy reconstruction of peatland development and regional vegetation changes in subarctic NE Fennoscandia (the Republic of Karelia, Russia) during the Holocene', The Holocene, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 421-432. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683620972795

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title = "A multi-proxy reconstruction of peatland development and regional vegetation changes in subarctic NE Fennoscandia (the Republic of Karelia, Russia) during the Holocene",

abstract = "A better understanding of past long-term environmental changes in the subarctic region is crucial for mitigation of the possible negative effects of climate warming in this vulnerable region. This study provides a new multi-proxy reconstruction of regional vegetation changes and peatland development for north-eastern Fennoscandia (Russia) during most of the Holocene. To that purpose, we performed plant macrofossil, pollen, testate amoebae, peat humification, loss on ignition and radiocarbon analyses of the peat deposits from a mire around Vodoprovodnoe Lake (the Kindo Peninsula, the Republic of Karelia). Our data indicate that the peat deposits started accumulating before 9147 ± 182 cal. yr. BP. The vegetation cover in the area was mainly typical for the northern taiga zone, except for the period ~7800–5600 cal. yr. BP, when it generally resembled the middle taiga zone. The vegetation cover and peatland were greatly affected by reoccurring fires, which can be partly related to human activity. These events were associated with an increased proportion of birch in the vegetation cover (as a pioneer species) and/or water level decreases. By 600 cal. yr. BP, the peatland and the surrounding vegetation reached its current state and only minor changes had been recorded since that time. Overall, our results suggest a considerable and unexpected role of fires in the postglacial dynamics of subarctic peatlands.",

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note = "Acknowledgements We are grateful to A. Tzetlin for the organisation of fieldwork at the White Sea Biological Station. ASh is grateful to V.E. Fedosov for support and encouragement. Funding The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was funded by the Russian Science Foundation (19-14-00102) and Russian Foundation for Basic Research (19-05-00377). The work of ASh and EES was supported by Moscow State University Grant for Leading Scientific Schools {\textquoteleft}Depository of the Living Systems{\textquoteright} in frame of the MSU Development Program.",

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T1 - A multi-proxy reconstruction of peatland development and regional vegetation changes in subarctic NE Fennoscandia (the Republic of Karelia, Russia) during the Holocene

AU - Babeshko, Kirill V.

AU - Shkurko, Anna

AU - Tsyganov, Andrey N.

AU - Severova, Elena

AU - Gałka, Mariusz

AU - Payne, Richard J.

AU - Mauquoy, Dimitri

AU - Mazei, Natalia G

AU - Fatynina, Yulia A

AU - Krasnova, Elena D

AU - Saldaev, Damir A

AU - Voronov, Dmitry A

AU - Zazovskaya, Elya

AU - Mazei, Yuri A.

N1 - Acknowledgements We are grateful to A. Tzetlin for the organisation of fieldwork at the White Sea Biological Station. ASh is grateful to V.E. Fedosov for support and encouragement. Funding The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was funded by the Russian Science Foundation (19-14-00102) and Russian Foundation for Basic Research (19-05-00377). The work of ASh and EES was supported by Moscow State University Grant for Leading Scientific Schools ‘Depository of the Living Systems’ in frame of the MSU Development Program.

PY - 2021/3/1

Y1 - 2021/3/1

N2 - A better understanding of past long-term environmental changes in the subarctic region is crucial for mitigation of the possible negative effects of climate warming in this vulnerable region. This study provides a new multi-proxy reconstruction of regional vegetation changes and peatland development for north-eastern Fennoscandia (Russia) during most of the Holocene. To that purpose, we performed plant macrofossil, pollen, testate amoebae, peat humification, loss on ignition and radiocarbon analyses of the peat deposits from a mire around Vodoprovodnoe Lake (the Kindo Peninsula, the Republic of Karelia). Our data indicate that the peat deposits started accumulating before 9147 ± 182 cal. yr. BP. The vegetation cover in the area was mainly typical for the northern taiga zone, except for the period ~7800–5600 cal. yr. BP, when it generally resembled the middle taiga zone. The vegetation cover and peatland were greatly affected by reoccurring fires, which can be partly related to human activity. These events were associated with an increased proportion of birch in the vegetation cover (as a pioneer species) and/or water level decreases. By 600 cal. yr. BP, the peatland and the surrounding vegetation reached its current state and only minor changes had been recorded since that time. Overall, our results suggest a considerable and unexpected role of fires in the postglacial dynamics of subarctic peatlands.

AB - A better understanding of past long-term environmental changes in the subarctic region is crucial for mitigation of the possible negative effects of climate warming in this vulnerable region. This study provides a new multi-proxy reconstruction of regional vegetation changes and peatland development for north-eastern Fennoscandia (Russia) during most of the Holocene. To that purpose, we performed plant macrofossil, pollen, testate amoebae, peat humification, loss on ignition and radiocarbon analyses of the peat deposits from a mire around Vodoprovodnoe Lake (the Kindo Peninsula, the Republic of Karelia). Our data indicate that the peat deposits started accumulating before 9147 ± 182 cal. yr. BP. The vegetation cover in the area was mainly typical for the northern taiga zone, except for the period ~7800–5600 cal. yr. BP, when it generally resembled the middle taiga zone. The vegetation cover and peatland were greatly affected by reoccurring fires, which can be partly related to human activity. These events were associated with an increased proportion of birch in the vegetation cover (as a pioneer species) and/or water level decreases. By 600 cal. yr. BP, the peatland and the surrounding vegetation reached its current state and only minor changes had been recorded since that time. Overall, our results suggest a considerable and unexpected role of fires in the postglacial dynamics of subarctic peatlands.

KW - fire

KW - North-Eastern Fennoscandia

KW - plant macrofossils

KW - Pollen

KW - testate amoebae

KW - white sea biological station

U2 - 10.1177/0959683620972795

DO - 10.1177/0959683620972795

M3 - Article

SN - 0959-6836

VL - 31

SP - 421

EP - 432

JO - The Holocene

JF - The Holocene

IS - 3

ER -

A multi-proxy reconstruction of peatland development and regional vegetation changes in subarctic NE Fennoscandia (the Republic of Karelia, Russia) during the Holocene

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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