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Late Quaternary Vegetational Changes in a Marsh Forest in Southeastern Brazil with Comments on Prehistoric Human Occupation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 February 2016

Walter Mareschi Bissa  and
Mauro B de Toledo
Walter Mareschi Bissa*
Affiliation:
University of SÃo Paulo (USP) Museu de Arqueologia/Etnologia, Av. Prof. Almeida Prado, 1466, SÃo Paulo, CEP 05508-070, SP, Brazil
Mauro B de Toledo
Affiliation:
Geology Department, Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Instituto de Geociencias, 4° andar, Av. Gal. Milton Tavares de Souza s/n, Gragotá, Niterói, RJ 24.210-346, Brazil
*
Corresponding author. Email: walbissa@gmail.com.
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Abstract

This article presents a palynological study carried out on a sediment core from a peat deposit in Serra de Botucatu, in SÃo Paulo State, southeastern Brazilian Plateau. This region has been covered by grassland vegetation and forest patches throughout the recorded period. AMS radiocarbon dating plus palynological analysis of 27 samples from the sediment core allowed the recognition of several environmental changes that took place during the last 33,000 yr recorded in the core. The relationship between sedimentation rates and changes in the abundance of plants recognized through their pollen record, particularly a few important indicator species, provided the paleoenvironmental history for the Serra de Botucatu region, allowing the identification of changes in climate conditions and comparison with other regions in Brazil. One of the most remarkable features of this record is the cold and humid conditions during the Last Glacial Maximum, which diverges from previous interpretations for southeastern and southern Brazil but is in good agreement with paleoclimatic data from trace elements from cave stalagmites in SE Brazil. No indications of human impacts on the vegetation were found in this record.

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Articles
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Radiocarbon , Volume 57 , Issue 5 , 2015 , pp. 737 - 753
Copyright
Copyright © 2015 The Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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