The Holocene evolution of floodplain mire geosystems in the southeastern part of the Meshchera lowlands

Abstract

The results of paleoecological studies of peat deposits in the area of the southeastern part of the Meshchera lowlands (Mostovoye mire) based on the analyses of peat properties, plant macrofossils, charcoal, pollen and radiocarbon dating are presented. The mire was formed in the oxbow depression on the floodplain of the Goose River around 9480 cal. yr. BP and was eutrophic throughout most of the Holocene. Drastic changes in the dynamics of the mire, namely its transition to the mesotrophic stage, characterized by a decrease in the degree of peat decomposition, occurred about 70 years ago. The results of the pollen analysis show the existence of birch-pine forests in combination with shrub thickets formed by Betula nana in the period 9480-8750 cal. yr. BP. In the subsequent stages, the vegetation cover turned to a combination of broad-leaved, birch-pine forests and riverine forests with alder. Frequent fires, both natural and anthropogenic, have favored the development of birch and pine forests over the last millennium.