RVN Webinar Series - Vegetation reconstruction during the Holocene period in east Turkana Basin
Channel: Rift Valley Network
Date: 17/09/2023

-Note: This talk has not gone through a process of peer review, and 
findings should therefore be treated as preliminary and subject to change.
-How to cite: Mashaka, Husna. 2023. Vegetation reconstruction during the Holocene period in east Turkana Basin, using phytolith analysis. Talk Given at Rift Valley Webinar Series 06/09/2023.
-DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8353650
-Abstract: This study demonstrates the application of phytolith analyses as a proxy to reconstruct vegetation history. Phytoliths are plant silica cells that preserve for a long period even when plants are dead. The study was conducted in two localities in the east Turkana basin, Ileret and Karari. The main goal of this study is to understand how vegetation cover changes over time. Relating these changes with archaeological and geological data published from the region, inferences of the key drivers contributing to these changes are presented. There are two specific objectives of this study; the first is the correlation between modern phytolith assemblages and the above-ground vegetation cover to explain the impact of modern pastoralists and climate on modern vegetation cover. Second, analyses of phytolith assemblages collected from archaeological sediments/sites to determine vegetation cover changes during the Holocene. To achieve the first objective, plant species inside and outside abandoned boma were identified, tallied, and recorded. Transects were established outside bomas to understand the plant diversity and abundance between inside and outside abandoned bomas. Soil samples were collected from recently abandoned bomas from inside and outside. Also, dung (donkeys, sheep/goats, and cattle) was collected from inside to determine their biased phytolith input against outside boma. To achieve the second objective, sediment samples were collected from Early and mid-Holocene sites to compare and reconstruct the vegetation history. In conclusion, our results indicate that phytoliths from modern soil samples correlate with the above-ground vegetation composition and reflect the human impact on the landscape. Reconstructing the palaeoenvironment through phytolith analysis revealed that herbs and grasses dominate vegetation cover. The modern and fossil phytoliths can accurately predict past vegetation cover, especially in classifying different habitats such as grasslands, wooded grasslands, and wooded vegetation.
-For more, visit Husna's page at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Husna-Mashaka