New insights into Central European environmental changes during the last 2500 years by multi-proxy analysis of the undisturbed Beerberg peatland, Thuringia, Germany.

Peatlands are an important ecosystem for many reasons, including their function as carbon sinks essential for mitigating climate change. Additionally, due to the anaerobic conditions in which peatlands form, decomposition of their constituent plant material is inhibited, making peatlands valuable archives for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. In this study, we examined a new 3.4 m core from the ombrotrophic Beerberg peatland located in the Vessertal-Thuringian Forest Biosphere Reserve in Germany. While paleo-archives at this peatland have been studied in the past (e.g., Jahn, 1930; Lange, 1967), we aim to apply newer techniques at a higher resolution to obtain more detailed results. Radiocarbon dating indicates that the core spans approximately the last 2500 years. Samples from the core were analyzed for pollen, macrofossils, and biomarkers, in particular, free extractable lipids including n-alkanes, n-alcohols, and n-fatty acids. These proxy data were used both to perform a vegetation reconstruction as well as to compare the results of the different proxies to each other to determine accuracy as well as create a more complete picture of the environment over time at the Beerberg peatland. The current dominant vegetation at the moor are Sphagnum mosses as well as Calluna vulgaris. Additionally, Eriophorum vaginatum, Empetrum nigrum, Oxycoccus palustris, and various Vaccinium species were abundant. Preliminary results from the macrofossil and pollen analyses indicate thatthrough time, the peatland has been primarily dominated by Sphagnum mosses, particularly Sphagnum fuscum. However, there are also conflicting results of when transitions to other dominant vegetation, such as Eriophorum vaginatum, occurred, as well as the contributions of species, such as Calluna vulgaris, over time. We aim to clarify these results through the addition of the biomarker analysis to develop a robust picture of evolution of vegetation during the Holocene at Beerberg peatland. Data from this study will also be used to improve a future iteration of the VERHIB (VEgetation Reconstruction with the Help of Inverse modeling and Biomarkers) model (Jansen et al., 2010).

References:

Jahn, R. (1930). Pollenanalytische Untersuchungen an Hochmooren des Thüringer Waldes. Forstwissenschaftliches Centralblatt, 52, 761-774.

Jansen, B., van Loon, E. E., Hooghiemstra, H., & Verstraten, J. M. (2010). Improved reconstruction of palaeo-environments through unravelling of preserved vegetation biomarker patterns. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 285(1-2), 119-130.

Lange, E. (1967). Zur Vegetationsgeschichte des Beerberggebietes im Thüringer Wald. Feddes Repertorium, 76(3), 205-219.