Flora and Fauna early and middle devensian flora and vegetation

• Published in: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Royal Society 1977
• Subjects: North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.1977.0108; https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rstb.1977.0108

The record of palaeobotanical data from the Early and Middle Devensian (to 18000 B.P.) is reviewed, with additional pollen data from the Devensian type site at Four Ashes presented. Pollen and macrofossil assemblages derive principally from herb vegetation, but woodland episodes are known from the Early Devensian. Correlations of herb and woodland biozones are made with events in the Weichselian sequences of the Netherlands and north central Europe, and comparisons are made with the north American Wisconsin interstadial sequence and events in the North Atlantic cores. The environment of the herb and woodland biozones is discussed. The effect of a cool Atlantic as a modifying factor affecting the longitudinal zonation of Middle Weichselian vegetation across north central Europe is considered. The relation between environmental evidence based on flora/vegetation and that on fauna is discussed. Apparent discrepancies result from inadequate solutions of the problems associated with interpreting palaeoclimates from fossil assemblages. An interpretation of the data in the context of variation of assemblages of the same age across north Europe may offer better solutions for these problems.