A record of Holocene environmental and ecological changes from Wildwood Lake, Long Island, New York
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AbstractAnalyses of pollen, charcoal and organic content in a lake sediment core from Wildwood
Lake, Long Island, New York, provide insights into the ecological and environmental history of
this region. The early Holocene interval of the record (ca. 9800–8800 cal. a BP) indicates the presence
of Pinus rigida–Quercus ilicifolia woodlands with high fire activity. A layer of sandy sediment dating to
9200 cal. a BP may reflect a brief period of reduced water depth, consistent with widespread evidence
for cold, dry conditions at that time. Two other sandy layers, bracketed by 14C dates, represent a
sedimentary hiatus from ca. 8800 to 4500 cal. a BP. This discontinuity may reflect the removal of some
sediment during brief periods of reduced water depth at 5300 and 4600 cal. a BP. In the upper portion
of the record (<4500 cal. a BP), subtle changes at ca. 3000 cal. a BP indicate declining prevalence of
Quercus–Fagus–Carya forests and increasing abundance of Pinus rigida, perhaps due to reduced
summer precipitation. Elevated percentages of herbaceous taxa in the uppermost sediments represent
European agricultural activities. However, unlike charcoal records from southern New England, fire
activity does not increase dramatically with European settlement. These findings indicate that presentday
Pinus rigida–Quercus ilicifolia woodlands on eastern Long Island are not a legacy of recent,
anthropogenic disturbances. Access |