# Disentangling human-fire-climate linkages at mid-elevations in the Šumava Mountains of central Europe

Vachel Kraklow, Alice Moravcová, Petr Kuneš, Dagmar Dreslerová, Walter Finsinger, Andrei-Cosmin Diaconu, Daniel Nývlt, Martin Kadlec, Willy Tinner, Marco Heurich, et al.

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## To cite this version:

Vachel Kraklow, Alice Moravcová, Petr Kuneš, Dagmar Dreslerová, Walter Finsinger, et al. Disentangling human-fire-climate linkages at mid-elevations in the Šumava Mountains of central Europe. EGU General Assembly 2021, Apr 2021, Vienna, Austria. pp.EGU21-12821, 10.5194/egusphere-egu21-12821. hal-03158719

HAL Id: hal-03158719

https://hal.science/hal-03158719

Submitted on 9 Nov 2021

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# Disentangling human-fire-climate linkages at mid-elevations in the Šumava Mountains of central Europe

Vachel Kraklow<fnref n="1" />, Alice Moravcová<fnref n="1" />, Petr Kuneš<fnref n="1" />, Dagmar Dreslerová<fnref n="2" />, Walter Finsinger<fnref n="3" />, Andrei-Cosmin Diaconu<fnref n="4" />, Daniel Nývlt<fnref n="5" />, Martin Kadlec<fnref n="5" />, Willy Tinner<fnref n="6" />, Marco Heurich<fnref n="7" />, and Gabriela Florescu

To distinguish human-caused from naturally-caused fire regimes, palaeoecological records must
demonstrate that observed changes in vegetation and fire are in response to changes in human
activity rather than driven by natural climate-fire relationships. Here, we use a high-resolution
multi-proxy approach (testate amoebae derived depth to water table (DWT), macro- and micro-
charcoal, charcoal morphologies, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, plant macrofossils, and XRF)
from Pékna, a mid-elevation peat bog situated near Lipno Reservoir - an area rich in human land
use - to investigate human-driven vs. naturally-driven fire regimes in the Šumava Mountains. Our
results span the entire Holocene and illustrate that humans have been consistently modifying the
landscape since 5,500 cal yr BP. Specifically, during the mid-Holocene (7,000 – 4,000 cal yr BP)
when water table was at its highest at Pékna, relatively frequent, low-severity fires occurred and
was accompanied by the prolonged presence of coprophilous fungi, secondary human indicators
and an opening of the forest, suggesting human activities. Human land use intensified ~1,500 cal
yr BP as indicated by increases in primary human indicator species, an increase in early
successional tree species (Pinus and Betula) indicating an opening of the forest canopy, and the
development of regional mining is suggested by a marked increase in the concentration of lead
(Pb). While water table depths decreased indicating drier conditions ~1,500 cal yr BP, local fires
persisted, burning at low severities as indicated by the continued presence of charred herb
macrofossils. The most intensive land use occurred in the last 500 years with the highest
abundance of primary and secondary human indicator species, and coprophilious fungi. Locally,
marked increases in the concentration of both redox-sensitive elements such as iron (Fe), calcium
(Ca), sulphur (S), and chlorine (Cl), and detrital elements such as potassium (K), aluminum (Al) and

<footnote n="1">¹Charles University, Botany, Prague, Czechia (vachel.carter@gmail.com, alice.moravcova@natur.cuni.cz, petr.kunes@natur.cuni.cz, gabriella.florescu@yahoo.com)</footnote>

<footnote n="2">²Institute of Archaeology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia (dreslerova@arup.cas.cz)</footnote>

<footnote n="3">³ISEM, University Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France (walter.finsinger@umontpellier.fr)</footnote>

<footnote n="4">⁴Department of Geology, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (andreicosmind@yahoo.com)</footnote>

<footnote n="5">⁵Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia (daniel.nyvlt@sci.muni.cz, kadlec.7@seznam.cz)</footnote>

<footnote n="6">⁶Institute of Plant Science and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Switzerland (willy.tinner@ips.unibe.ch)</footnote>

<footnote n="7">⁷Department of Visitor Management and National Park Monitoring, Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany (marco.heurich@npv-bw.bayern.de)</footnote>
Titanium (Ti) indicate major changes in the depositional environment over the last 500 years, possibly due to peat draining. However, this time period witnessed decreased biomass burning as a result of a more open landscape and less fuels to burn. These results contribute to a growing body of literature illustrating the importance of prehistoric impact in the mid-mountains of Central Europe.