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Paleoecology of Beringian “packrat” middens from central Yukon Territory, Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Grant D. Zazula ,
Duane G. Froese ,
John A. Westgate ,
Catherine La Farge  and
Rolf W. Mathewes
Grant D. Zazula*
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6
Duane G. Froese
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2E1
John A. Westgate
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ONT, Canada M5S 1A1
Catherine La Farge
Affiliation:
Cryptogamic Herbarium, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2E1
Rolf W. Mathewes
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6
*
*Corresponding author. Fax: +1 604 291 3496.E-mail addresses:gdzazula@sfu.ca (G.D. Zazula), duane.froese@ualberta.ca (D.G. Froese), westgate@geology.utoronto.ca (J.A. Westgate), clafarge@ualberta.ca (C. La Farge).
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Abstract

Rodent middens from ice-rich loess deposits are important new paleoenvironmental archives for Eastern Beringia. Plant macrofossils recovered from three middens associated with Dawson tephra (ca. 24,000 14C yr B.P.) at two sites in Yukon Territory include diverse graminoids, forbs, and mosses. These data suggest substantial local scale floristic and habitat diversity in valley settings, including steppe-tundra on well-drained soils, moist streamside meadows, and hydric habitats. Fossil arctic ground squirrel burrows and nesting sites indicate that permafrost active layers were thicker during Pleistocene glacial periods than at present on north-facing slopes.

Keywords

BeringiaPleistocenePlant macrofossilsSpermophilus parryiiMicrotine rodentsHerbivoryPermafrostLoessPaleoecology
Type
Short Papers
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 63 , Issue 2 , March 2005 , pp. 189 - 198
Copyright
University of Washington

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