Late Holocene beetle assemblages and environmental change in Gammelhemmet, northern Sweden

• Published in: Boreas
• Main Authors: Khorasani, Sara, Panagiotakopulu, Eva, Engelmark, Roger, Ralston, Ian
• Other Authors: Leverhulme Trust
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2014
• Subjects: Northern Sweden
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bor.12106; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fbor.12106; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/bor.12106

Analysis of insect fossil remains retrieved from a bog close to the abandoned farm at G ammelhemmet, near L ycksele in S wedish L apland, enabled the reconstruction of environmental changes at the site over the last 2500 years. These results represent the first late H olocene palaeoentomological succession studied for insect remains in the V ästerbotten interior, and they provide new evidence for landscape change in the area. Around 2000 years ago, at the end of the early I ron A ge, disappearance of the tree and leaf litter fauna and an increase in aquatic species indicate the expansion of wetlands in the area. Patches of a multi‐aged mixed woodland with a diverse assemblage of forest‐dwelling beetles succeeded the wetland ∼1500 years ago, at the beginning of the late I ron A ge. A marked change to open and drier conditions, and the presence of species often found in grassland and cultivated ground took place during the post‐ M edieval period. Our evidence indicates drainage of the area prior to the 18th century, placing the initiation of agricultural activities in G ammelhemmet earlier than the documentary record. Our research shows the potential of the use of fossil insects for understanding environmental change and also human impact on the landscape, even of limited scale, from natural contexts.