Abstract
Remains of scaled chrysophytes, magnetic minerals and pollen were used to analyze the recent paleolimnological history of a small lake, Lake Waynewood, in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Important shifts in all three variables were observed over the 133 years represented by the core. The most significant changes occurred near the turn of the century when the watershed was heavily logged. Before the logging event, species such asSynura sphagnicola, S. spinosa, Mallomonas galeiformis andM. duerrschmidtiae were co-dominant members of the flora. Subsequent to the deforestation of the watershed other taxa, includingM. crassisquama, M. caudata andS. petersenii, increased in relative importance. Concurrent with changes in the scaled chrysophytes was a six-fold increase in the concentrations of magnetic material, presumably the result of increased erosion caused by the logging. Changes in pollen grains also correlate well with the onset of the deforestation event. The scaled chrysophyte inferred specific conductivity of the lake has more than tripled, with the primary increase occurring concurrent with the commencement of logging and the increase in magnetic mineral material. The effects of other human-related disturbances are also discussed.
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Lott, AM., Siver, P.A., Marsicano, L.J. et al. The paleolimnology of a small waterbody in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, USA: reconstructing 19th–20th century specific conductivity trends in relation to changing land use. J Paleolimnol 12, 75–86 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00678088
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00678088