Ioan TANŢĂU^1,2, Anca GEANTĂ^1,3*, Angelica FEURDEAN³ & Tudor TĂMAŞ^1,3
1Babeş-Bolyai University, Department of Geology, 1 Kogălniceanu Street, 400084 Cluj-Napoca, Romania, anca.geanta@ubbcluj.ro
²Institute of Biological Researches, 48 Republicii Street, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
^3“Emil Racoviţă” Institute of Speleology, Clinicilor 5, 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

POLLEN ANALYSIS FROM A HIGH ALTITUDE SITE IN RODNA MOUNTAINS (ROMANIA)

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Pollen and spore analysis from a 150 cm long peat sequence taken from a high altitude oligotrophic peat bog (1810 m) located in the Rodna Mountains and constrained by AMS radiocarbon dates provides new insights into the postglacial vegetation history, human activities and paleoclimate in the high elevation area of the Eastern Carpathians. Betula, Pinus and Alnus were the first taxa that have spread in the area, due to the temperature increase that characterized the early Holocene (ca. 11200 cal yr BP). Pinus diploxylon type (P. mugo and P. sylvestris) dominated the local and regional landscapes during the early Holocene until 10500 cal yr BP, but receded markedly afterwards. After 10500 cal yr BP Picea abies was the most important constituent in the local vegetation below the site. The dynamic of the thermophilous deciduous forest (Ulmus, Quercus, Tilia, and Fraxinus) is poorly recorded because of the high altitude of the studied site. Corylus avellana became regionally established around 10500 cal yr BP. Carpinus betulus and Fagus sylvatica were established at 6500 and 5300 cal yr BP respectively. Pollen evidences for human influence are represented by cereals and herbaceous taxa specific to grazed surfaces from about 1050 cal yr BP on. The grazing pressure increased between 600 and 160 cal yr BP.