_version_ 1867171826111610880
author Bouimetarhan, Ilham
Dupont, Lydie M
Kuhlmann, Holger
Pätzold, Jürgen
Prange, Matthias
Schefuß, Enno
Zonneveld, Karin A F
author_facet Bouimetarhan, Ilham
Dupont, Lydie M
Kuhlmann, Holger
Pätzold, Jürgen
Prange, Matthias
Schefuß, Enno
Zonneveld, Karin A F
collection Datos científicos de ciencias marinas y ambientales
contents In tropical eastern Africa, vegetation distribution is largely controlled by regional hydrology, which has varied over the past 20 000 years. Therefore, accurate reconstructions of past vegetation and hydrological changes are crucial for a better understanding of climate variability in the tropical southeastern African region. We present high-resolution pollen records from a marine sediment core recovered offshore of the Rufiji River delta. Our data document significant shifts in pollen assemblages during the last deglaciation, identifying, through changes in both upland and lowland vegetation, specific responses of plant communities to atmospheric (precipitation) and coastal (coastal dynamics and sea-level changes) alterations. Specifically, arid conditions reflected by a maximum pollen representation of dry and open vegetation occurred during the Northern Hemisphere cold Heinrich event 1 (H1), suggesting that the expansion of drier upland vegetation was synchronous with cold Northern Hemisphere conditions. This arid period is followed by an interval in which forest and humid woodlands expanded, indicating a hydrologic shift towards more humid conditions. Droughts during H1 and the shift to humid conditions around 14.8 kyr BP in the uplands are consistent with latitudinal shifts of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) driven by high-latitude Northern Hemisphere climatic fluctuations. Additionally, our results show that the lowland vegetation, consisting of well-developed salt marshes and mangroves in a successional pattern typical for vegetation occurring in intertidal habitats, has responded mainly to local coastal dynamics related to marine inundation frequencies and soil salinity in the Rufiji Delta as well as to the local moisture availability. Lowland vegetation shows a substantial expansion of mangrove trees after ~ 14.8 kyr BP, suggesting an increased moisture availability and river runoff in the coastal area. The results of this study highlight the decoupled climatic and environmental processes to which the vegetation in the uplands and the Rufiji Delta has responded during the last deglaciation.
format Dataset Open Access
id pangaea_https___doi_org_10_1594_PANGAEA_835316
institution PANGAEA
language en
publishDate 2015
publisher PANGAEA
record_format pangaea
spellingShingle Pollen and spore counts of sediment core GeoB12624
Bouimetarhan, Ilham
Dupont, Lydie M
Kuhlmann, Holger
Pätzold, Jürgen
Prange, Matthias
Schefuß, Enno
Zonneveld, Karin A F
Acacia; AGE; Alchornea; Algae; Amaranthaceae/Chenopodiaceae; Area South of Mafia Island; Artemisia; Asteroideae; Borreria; Boscia-type; Butyrospermum; Caryophyllaceae; Cassia-type; Celtis; Center for Marine Environmental Sciences; Cleome; Combretaceae; Counting, palynology; Cyperaceae; DEPTH, sediment/rock; Euphorbia-type; Galium; GeoB12624-1; Gramineae; Gravity corer (Kiel type); Hymenocardia; Indigofera; Isoberlinia; Lycopodium spores added; Lycopodium spores counted; M75/2; M75/2_115-1; MARUM; Meteor (1986); Mimosa-type; Olea; Phyllanthus; Piliostigma; Plantago; Podocarpus; Pollen, total; Psydrax-type subcordata; Pterocarpus-type; Rhizophora; Rhus-type; SL; Spores; Stereospermum-type; Tamarindus-type indica; Typha; Uapaca; Vernonia-type; Ziziphus
In tropical eastern Africa, vegetation distribution is largely controlled by regional hydrology, which has varied over the past 20 000 years. Therefore, accurate reconstructions of past vegetation and hydrological changes are crucial for a better understanding of climate variability in the tropical southeastern African region. We present high-resolution pollen records from a marine sediment core recovered offshore of the Rufiji River delta. Our data document significant shifts in pollen assemblages during the last deglaciation, identifying, through changes in both upland and lowland vegetation, specific responses of plant communities to atmospheric (precipitation) and coastal (coastal dynamics and sea-level changes) alterations. Specifically, arid conditions reflected by a maximum pollen representation of dry and open vegetation occurred during the Northern Hemisphere cold Heinrich event 1 (H1), suggesting that the expansion of drier upland vegetation was synchronous with cold Northern Hemisphere conditions. This arid period is followed by an interval in which forest and humid woodlands expanded, indicating a hydrologic shift towards more humid conditions. Droughts during H1 and the shift to humid conditions around 14.8 kyr BP in the uplands are consistent with latitudinal shifts of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) driven by high-latitude Northern Hemisphere climatic fluctuations. Additionally, our results show that the lowland vegetation, consisting of well-developed salt marshes and mangroves in a successional pattern typical for vegetation occurring in intertidal habitats, has responded mainly to local coastal dynamics related to marine inundation frequencies and soil salinity in the Rufiji Delta as well as to the local moisture availability. Lowland vegetation shows a substantial expansion of mangrove trees after ~ 14.8 kyr BP, suggesting an increased moisture availability and river runoff in the coastal area. The results of this study highlight the decoupled climatic and environmental processes to which the vegetation in the uplands and the Rufiji Delta has responded during the last deglaciation.
title Pollen and spore counts of sediment core GeoB12624
topic Acacia; AGE; Alchornea; Algae; Amaranthaceae/Chenopodiaceae; Area South of Mafia Island; Artemisia; Asteroideae; Borreria; Boscia-type; Butyrospermum; Caryophyllaceae; Cassia-type; Celtis; Center for Marine Environmental Sciences; Cleome; Combretaceae; Counting, palynology; Cyperaceae; DEPTH, sediment/rock; Euphorbia-type; Galium; GeoB12624-1; Gramineae; Gravity corer (Kiel type); Hymenocardia; Indigofera; Isoberlinia; Lycopodium spores added; Lycopodium spores counted; M75/2; M75/2_115-1; MARUM; Meteor (1986); Mimosa-type; Olea; Phyllanthus; Piliostigma; Plantago; Podocarpus; Pollen, total; Psydrax-type subcordata; Pterocarpus-type; Rhizophora; Rhus-type; SL; Spores; Stereospermum-type; Tamarindus-type indica; Typha; Uapaca; Vernonia-type; Ziziphus
url https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.835316