Publication details
Delayed and abrupt establishment of forest mollusc diversity in the mid-Holocene: Multiproxy high-resolution evidence from the Western Carpathians
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.113732 |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.113732 |
| Keywords | Holocene; Western Carpathians; Forest communities; Multiproxy reconstruction; Habitat disturbance; Landscape connectivity |
| Attached files | |
| Description | The postglacial recolonisation of temperate forest biota is a key process shaping modern European biodiversity, but its tempo is difficult to reconstruct because most palaeoecological records lack sufficient temporal resolution. This limitation applies to most Western Carpathian palaeomalacological sequences, despite the region being a key refugial source for recolonisation. Here, we document the mid-Holocene assembly of forest mollusc communities at the Valca tufa-wetland site in the Mala Fatra Mts. (Slovakia) using a high-resolution multiproxy record combining molluscs with plant macrofossils, stable isotopes, and geochemistry. Although mixed forest vegetation was already established at the site prior to the studied interval (ca 7800 cal yr BP), forest mollusc communities remained species-poor for several centuries, indicating a pronounced lag between forest development and the build-up of forest specialist fauna. The most abrupt rise in forest mollusc diversity occurred around 7150 cal yr BP, when most strictly forest species appeared within approximately 150 years. This rapid community expansion immediately followed an episodic local habitat disturbance recorded consistently across proxies, whereas independent downscaled climate simulations indicate no significant climatic shift during the same interval. Compared with other Western Carpathian records, Valca thus shows a markedly delayed yet unusually abrupt establishment of forest mollusc communities. We interpret this pattern as evidence that local habitat dynamics, topographic setting, and landscape connectivity can dominate the timing and rate of postglacial community assembly under a broadly stable regional climate. These results highlight the value of finely resolved multiproxy sequences for disentangling local versus regional drivers of postglacial recolonisation. |
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