Paleoecologia olocenica del Monte Gottero (Parma) nel quadro della storia del popolamento vegetale dell'Appennino ligure

Abstract

A pollen diagram has been obtained from the sediments (clay) of a small lake at 1530 m a.s.l. in NW-Apennines. It shows the recent Holocene history of vegetation possibly during the last 4,500 years; the diagram can be subdivided into three pollen arboreal zones (PAZ); in the oldest period is dominated, by Abies, and Pinus, Picea, Fagus, Tilia, Ulmus, Quercus, etc. were present; a remarkable amount of Poaceae (up to 30%) and low percentages of Abies could indicate a clear wood. The second PAZ shows a large amount of fern spores, the presence of Plantago and Urtica, a decline of Abies: these facts together could be interpreted as anthropogenic effects. The most recent PAZ is characterized by the dominance of Fagus (Abieti-Fagetum); significant taxa are Juglans, Castanea, Quercus ilex t., Juniperus, Olea, while Tilia and Ulmus become rare. The local vegetation history is set in a vegetational background based on several pollen diagrams; this makes it possible to provide a chronological placing of the site during the recent Holocene.