Sprecher
Beschreibung
We present a Holocene palaeoenvironmental reconstruction from Mashishing Fen, northeastern South Africa, focusing on disentangling climatic variability from human-induced change. A 5.5 m-long sediment core with 18 AMS radiocarbon dates provides a continuous archive spanning the last ~11,700 years. Pollen, charcoal, and sedimentological data are used to reconstruct vegetation dynamics, moisture, and fire regimes across the Grassland–Savanna ecotone. The early Holocene period indicates cool, moist conditions with wetland indicators and increasing temperatures. The Mid-Holocene Altithermal signals savanna expansion, increased fire activity and reduced forest cover, reflecting warmer, seasonally variable conditions. From ~5000 BP onwards environmental instability occurs with shifts in vegetation composition. The last 2000 years reflect anthropogenic impacts associated with Iron Age agro-pastoral communities. High values of Poaceae pollen (potentially linked to cereal cultivation), Cucurbitaceae, Amaranthaceae, and changes in fungal assemblages suggest land use, cultivation, and disturbance, especially since c. 800 BP. Micro-charcoal spectra do not consistently correlate with human activity, underlining complexity of fire as both a natural and anthropogenic driver. A suggested drought event at ~500 BP coincides with ecological shifts, potentially linked to socio-economic responses such as terrace construction by Bokoni communities. Amaranthaceae reaches ~80%; we propose that Amaranthus spp. (African spinach) cultivation is possible. The top of the core reflects European influence, including introduction of exotic taxa and possible fire management practices. This study provides the first continuous regional Holocene palaeoecological record and contributes to debates on climate–human interactions in southern Africa, demonstrating how integrated archaeobotanical proxies can reconstruct complex environmental histories.