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Late Holocene vegetation, climate, human and fire history of the forest-steppe-ecosystem inferred from core G2-A in the ‘Altai Tavan Bogd’ conservation area in Mongolia

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Abstract

The ‘Altai Tavan Bogd’ conservation area, located between 2,000 and 4,000 m a.s.l. in the north-western part of the Mongolian Altai, is a montane forest-steppe-ecosystem which has developed under extreme continental and alpine climatic conditions and is very sensitive to natural variations. Nomadic peoples have influenced the area due to grazing, logging of trees and fire for a long time. To reconstruct the dynamics of this unique forest-steppe ecosystem for the last 4,000 years under the influence of climatic changes and/or nomads, palynological and macro-charcoal analyses of the radiocarbon dated core G2-A have been performed. Between 3,880 and 2,610 cal bp the vegetation was represented by a mixture of rather open forests and non-forested high mountain steppe areas suggesting a moist and warm climate similar to the present conditions. Macro-charcoal analysis reveals three main fire events, which are probably of anthropogenic origin. In the period from 2,610 to 550 cal bp a decrease in precipitation and temperature is suggested by a higher representation of herbaceous species, retreating open forests and an increase in macro-charcoal concentration. Since 550 cal bp the forest spread out again, whereas the composition of trees differs from the period between 3,880 and 2,610 cal bp. It is characterized by the shrubs Betula rotundifolia and Juniperus indicating a more open forest, which is probably related to human activities. The advancing upper forest line and a higher plant diversity reveals that the conditions changed to a more humid climate again, lasting until present.

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Acknowledgements

This research project (AZ: BE 2116/28-1) was funded by the German Science Foundation (DFG) and carried out at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany. We are grateful to the team of G. Punsalpaamuu from the Mongolian State University of Education, Ulaanbaatar, and U. Beket from Bayan-Ulgii for their kind help in the field work. U. Nüsse-Hahne is thanked for her help in the laboratory work. Lyudmila Shumilovskikh is thanked for reading the manuscript. Additionally, we want to thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and kind advice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Palynology and Climate Dynamics, Albrecht-von-Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Goettingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany

    Julia Unkelbach & Hermann Behling

  2. Department of Plant Ecology, Albrecht-von-Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Goettingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany

    Choimaa Dulamsuren

  3. Department of Biology, Mongolian State University of Education, Baga Toiruu-14, 210648, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

    Gaadan Punsalpaamuu & Davaadorj Saindovdon

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  1. Julia Unkelbach
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  2. Choimaa Dulamsuren
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  3. Gaadan Punsalpaamuu
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  4. Davaadorj Saindovdon
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  5. Hermann Behling
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Correspondence to Julia Unkelbach.

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Communicated by Y. Zhao.

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Unkelbach, J., Dulamsuren, C., Punsalpaamuu, G. et al. Late Holocene vegetation, climate, human and fire history of the forest-steppe-ecosystem inferred from core G2-A in the ‘Altai Tavan Bogd’ conservation area in Mongolia. Veget Hist Archaeobot 27, 665–677 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-017-0664-5

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