Towards the reconstruction of the Holocene vegetation history of Lower Provence: two new pollen profiles from Marais des Baux |
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Authors: | Valérie Andrieu-Ponel Philippe Ponel Anthony J. T. Jull Jacques-Louis de Beaulieu Hélène Bruneton Philippe Leveau |
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Affiliation: | (1) Laboratoire de Botanique Historique et Palynologie (Case 451), IMEP-CNRS (UPRES A 6116), F-13397 Marseille Cedex 20, France;(2) Physics and Atmospheric Sciences, 1118E 4th Street, Box 210081, 85721-0081 Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A.;(3) Institut de Géographie, 29 avenue Robert Schuman, F-13621 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 1, France;(4) Maison Méditerranéenne des Sciences de l'Homme, 5 rue du Château de l'Horloge, BP 647, F-13094 Aix-en-Provence Cedex, France |
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Abstract: | Two new14C-dated Holocene pollen profiles from Marais des Baux, Bouches-du-Rhône, France, are presented. The record begins in the Younger Dryas, when the vegetation consisted mainly of grasses and mugwort (Artemisia). The Preboreal was marked by a transitory expansion of pine forests and was followed by the establishment of a rich deciduous oak-forest that included hazel (Corylus) and elm (Ulmus). During the Boreal, hazel played a dominant role within the oak-forest. The oak forests, which includedQuercus ilex, achieved a major expansion during the Atlantic period. The Subboreal was characterised by the regional establishment of, firstly, fir (Abies) and then beech (Fagus). The spread and expansion of beech coincides with the first clear evidence for farming. Agricultural activities brought about the decline of deciduous oak-forest. During the Subatlantic, forests in the vicinity of Marais des Baux were cleared for farming. Cereal growing, which included rye cultivation, was of considerable importance. Three noteworthy characteristics that serve to differentiate the Holocene vegetation history of the low-lying Provence region from other French regions are as follows: 1) the early establishment (from the onset of Preboreal) of low altitude mixed forest; 2) the expansion during the Subboreal of fir and beech in low altitude areas with a Mediterranean climate and, 3) the exceptional taxonomic richness of the pollen assemblages (120 identified taxa) and the presence of borealalpine and Euro-Siberian taxa that no longer exist in Lower Provence. |
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Keywords: | Pollen analysis Woodland history Human impact Holocene Provence France |
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