Pollen‐based quantitative reconstructions of Holocene regional vegetation cover (plant‐functional types and land‐cover types) in Europe suitable for climate modelling

• DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12737
• Publication Date: 2014-09-10T07:29:35Z
• Authors: A.‐K. Trondman; M.‐J. Gaillard; F. Mazier; S. Sugita; R. Fyfe; A. B. Nielsen; C. Twiddle; P. Barratt; H. J. B. Birks; A. E. Bjune; L. Björkman; A. Broström; C. Caseldine; R. David; J. Dodson; W. Dörfler; E. Fischer; B. van Geel; T. Giesecke; T. Hultberg; L. Kalnina; M. Kangur; P. van der Knaap; T. Koff; P. Kuneš; P. Lagerås; M. Latałowa; J. Lechterbeck; C. Leroyer; M. Leydet; M. Lindbladh; L. Marquer; F. J. G. Mitchell; B. V. Odgaard; S. M. Peglar; T. Persson; A. Poska; M. Rösch; H. Seppä; S. Veski; L. Wick
• Keywords: DYNAMICS; 550; [SHS.GEO] Humanities and Social Sciences/Geography; Climate Change; SOURCE AREA; 580 Plants (Botany); Climates; 01 natural sciences; 333; VDP::Mathematics and natural scienses: 400; pollen data; FUTURE; :Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400 [VDP]; ALGORITHM; Deforestation; VDP::Matematikk og naturvitenskap: 400; Species diversity; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences; 580; Holocene; REVEALS model; OPENNESS; Plant Dispersal; QUATERNARY PALYNOLOGICAL DATABASE; SOUTHERN SWEDEN; Quaternary period; [SHS.GEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Geography; Biodiversity; Plants; Models, Theoretical; 15. Life on land; quantitative past land cover; TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS; Environmental sciences; Physical sciences; Europe; :Matematikk og naturvitenskap: 400 [VDP]; :Mathematics and natural scienses: 400 [VDP]; Ecology, evolutionary biology; 13. Climate action; plant-functional types; Pollen; REVEALS-MODEL; CARBON-CYCLE

AbstractWe present quantitative reconstructions of regional vegetation cover in north‐western Europe, western Europe north of the Alps, and eastern Europe for five time windows in the Holocene [around 6k, 3k, 0.5k, 0.2k, and 0.05k calendar years before present (bp)] at a 1° × 1° spatial scale with the objective of producing vegetation descriptions suitable for climate modelling. TheREVEALSmodel was applied on 636 pollen records from lakes and bogs to reconstruct the past cover of 25 plant taxa grouped into 10 plant‐functional types and three land‐cover types [evergreen trees, summer‐green (deciduous) trees, and open land]. The model corrects for some of the biases in pollen percentages by using pollen productivity estimates and fall speeds of pollen, and by applying simple but robust models of pollen dispersal and deposition. The emerging patterns of tree migration and deforestation between 6kbpand modern time in theREVEALSestimates agree with our general understanding of the vegetation history of Europe based on pollen percentages. However, the degree of anthropogenic deforestation (i.e. cover of cultivated and grazing land) at 3k, 0.5k, and 0.2kbpis significantly higher than deduced from pollen percentages. This is also the case at 6k in some parts of Europe, in particular Britain and Ireland. Furthermore, the relationship between summer‐green and evergreen trees, and between individual tree taxa, differs significantly when expressed as pollen percentages or asREVEALSestimates of tree cover. For instance, whenPinusis dominant overPiceaas pollen percentages,Piceais dominant overPinusasREVEALSestimates. These differences play a major role in the reconstruction of European landscapes and for the study of land cover–climate interactions, biodiversity and human resources.