Assessing paleo-biodiversity using low proxy influx

PLoS One. 2013 Jun 11;8(6):e65852. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065852. Print 2013.

Abstract

We developed an algorithm to improve richness assessment based on paleoecological series, considering sample features such as their temporal resolutions or their volumes. Our new method can be applied to both high- and low-count size proxies, i.e. pollen and plant macroremain records, respectively. While pollen generally abounds in sediments, plant macroremains are generally rare, thus leading to difficulties to compute paleo-biodiversity indices. Our approach uses resampled macroremain influxes that enable the computation of the rarefaction index for the low influx records. The raw counts are resampled to a constant resolution and sample volume by interpolating initial sample ages at a constant time interval using the age∼depth model. Then, the contribution of initial counts and volume to each interpolated sample is determined by calculating a proportion matrix that is in turn used to obtain regularly spaced time series of pollen and macroremain influx. We applied this algorithm to sedimentary data from a subalpine lake situated in the European Alps. The reconstructed total floristic richness at the study site increased gradually when both pollen and macroremain records indicated a decrease in relative abundances of shrubs and an increase in trees from 11,000 to 7,000 cal BP. This points to an ecosystem change that favored trees against shrubs, whereas herb abundance remained stable. Since 6,000 cal BP, local richness decreased based on plant macroremains, while pollen-based richness was stable. The reconstructed richness and evenness are interrelated confirming the difficulty to distinguish these two aspects for the studies in paleo-biodiversity. The present study shows that low-influx bio-proxy records (here macroremains) can be used to reconstruct stand diversity and address ecological issues. These developments on macroremain and pollen records may contribute to bridge the gap between paleoecology and biodiversity studies.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms*
  • Biodiversity*
  • Trees

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the FP7 European Research Area Programme (ANR/ERA-net BiodivERsA). This work was developed following a FIREMAN Project's Workshop held in Montpellier. Financial support was provided by the FIREMAN program (ANR/ERA-net BiodivERsA) to CC and by grants from the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE-Paris) to OB. The research was carried out in the framework of the International Associated Laboratory (LIA France-Canada) CNRS-UM2-EPHE-UQAT-UQAM-UQAC “MONTABOR: Forêts montagnardes et boréales : chrono-écologie et aménagement écosystémique durable”. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.