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A new find of macrofossils of Picea crassifolia Kom. in early–middle Holocene sediments of the Qinghai Lake basin and its paleoenvironmental significance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2018

Ruijie Lu ,
Xiaokang Liu ,
Zhiqiang Lü ,
Lu Chen  and
Jing Du
Ruijie Lu*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People’s Republic of China Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Natural Disaster of Ministry of Education, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People’s Republic of China
Xiaokang Liu
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People’s Republic of China Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Natural Disaster of Ministry of Education, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People’s Republic of China
Zhiqiang Lü
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People’s Republic of China Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Natural Disaster of Ministry of Education, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People’s Republic of China
Lu Chen
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People’s Republic of China Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Natural Disaster of Ministry of Education, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People’s Republic of China
Jing Du
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People’s Republic of China Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Natural Disaster of Ministry of Education, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People’s Republic of China
*
*Corresponding author at: State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, No.19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, People’s Republic of China. E-mail address: ruijielu@bnu.edu.cn (R. Lu).
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Abstract

Here we report a new find of abundant woody debris and cones in stratum of two sections located to the east of the Qinghai Lake basin in China. Analysis of the anatomical structure of the wood and cones confirmed that they are Picea crassifolia Kom. The results of accelerator mass spectrometry 14C dating indicate that the buried Qinghai spruce grew during 9.7–4.2 ka, and the ages of the large trunks or branches are mainly concentrated within the interval 7.5–6.5 ka. This finding gives direct evidence at the species level about the presence of coniferous forest in the early–middle Holocene in Qinghai lake basin. In addition, the buried cones suggest that the early-middle Holocene environment was suitable for the propagation of Picea crassifolia Kom. The variations in the occurrence of Qinghai spruce forest in the Holocene probably reflect changes in humidity/moisture. The humid early-middle Holocene was suitable for the growth and reproduction of Qinghai spruce forest, while a shift toward an increasingly arid climate during the late Holocene resulted in the disappearance of Picea crassifolia Kom. from the Qinghai Lake basin, although human activities may also have contributed to the environmental change.

Keywords

HoloceneQinghai Lake basinPlant macrofossilsDirect evidenceMoisture
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 90 , Issue 2 , September 2018 , pp. 310 - 320
Copyright
Copyright © University of Washington. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2018 

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