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Protracted drought during the late Holocene in the Lacandon rain forest, Mexico

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Abstract

A 3.4 m core was obtained for paleoecological analysis from Naja Lake in the Lacandon region of southeastern Mexico. This is the first study of the Lacandon area aimed at reconstructing late Holocene environmental history. The basal section of the core yielded an AMS date of 2020 14C years b.p. The Naja pollen record shows that the lower montane rain forest characterized by Moraceae, Mimosoideae, Leguminosae and Combretaceae/Melastomataceae, coexisted with a pine-oak forest throughout the late Holocene. No Zea mays pollen was found during routine pollen counts, but the presence of both secondary pollen taxa and abundant charcoal particles suggest some degree of regional human impact. A marked increase in Pinus pollen, together with a reduction in lower montane rain forest taxa, is interpreted as evidence for a strong, protracted drought from 1260 to 730 14C years b.p.

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Acknowledgments

CONACYT is thanked for providing a doctoral grant to the first author (163194) and for financial support (41682Q). Scott Monks, Esteban Pineda, Laura Rubio, Patricia Ramos, Robert Dull, Susana Muñoz, Holger Weissenberger and reviewers are acknowledged for support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Francisco J. Mújica S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Edificio R. Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico

    Gabriela Domínguez-Vázquez

  2. El Colegio De La Frontera Sur, Herbario, Avenida Centenario km., C.P. 77000, 5.5 Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico

    Gerald Alexander Islebe

Authors
  1. Gabriela Domínguez-Vázquez
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  2. Gerald Alexander Islebe
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Correspondence to Gerald Alexander Islebe.

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Communicated by E. Grimm.

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Domínguez-Vázquez, G., Islebe, G.A. Protracted drought during the late Holocene in the Lacandon rain forest, Mexico. Veget Hist Archaeobot 17, 327–333 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-007-0131-9

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