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The vicinity of the Rozprza archaeological site (central Poland) has been the area of a series of palaeoecological studies tracking the environmental history of the Luciąża River valley up to ca. 13,200 cal. BP. Numerous subfossil palaeomeanders of different sizes have been discovered in the valley floor. Here, we present the first results of multiproxy research on the paleo-oxbow lake fill, one of the oldest in the region. The wide range of palaeoecological analyses resulted in reconstructions of vegetation history, climatic, hydrological and habitat changes. The studied oxbow was an aquatic ecosystem with diverse invertebrate fauna until the end of Younger Dryas when it transformed into a limno-telmatic habitat. The sediment composition indicates active denudation processes and several episodes of turbulent hydrological conditions. Such an increased river activity could have caused flooding, resulting in an allochthonous matter supply to the oxbow lake in Late Vistulian. Environmental changes were strictly related to the regional features of the catchment, the transformation of soils, and the hydrogeological conditions. The chironomid- and pollen-inferred climatic reconstructions indicate periods of high and low continentality. The chironomid record indicates relatively cool summer conditions in the Allerød, especially ca. 13,000 cal. BP, possibly related to the Gerzensee Oscillation. On the other hand, a distinct increase of summer temperatures in Younger Dryas (up to 16 °C) was recorded. Such a situation was also confirmed in some other studies from the region, suggesting that it might be the effect of some specific, local palaeoclimatic conditions. Fundator badań: Fundator badań: Optional.empty

We present the results of geochemical investigations, including stable isotope, of the Eemian (MIS 5e) and Vistulian (Weichselian, MIS 5a–d, MIS 3–4) sediments of the palaeolake horizons from Gorzow Wielkopolski site (NW Poland). Our analyzes comprised two profiles from different parts of lake basin, each approximately 11-m long. The deposits represent two cycles of lake accumulation (two limnic layers), each ended by peat deposition, separated by mineral fluvial deposits. The lower and upper limnic layers, despite several similar geochemical features, are records of two separate phases of the lake's functioning. The palynological data suggest that the mineral deposits separating them are not continuous succession, but contain a stratigraphic hiatus. We characterized six geochemical zones (GZ), which correspond well with lithological features of deposits and climatic changes, and reflect the changing environmental conditions (redox conditions, variability and intensity of denudation, biological productivity, and fertility of the environment). In the first phase of lake's development, some influence of the surface material supply is visible, indicated by the increased content of lithophilous elements, (e.g. potassium), as well as closely correlated with them copper and zinc. Slow accumulation of carbonates dominated the limnic layers due to their abundant supply from the catchment area. The greatest variations of isotopic values of carbonates occur in the bottom and at the top of the stratigraphic profile and are related to the changing environmental conditions in the lake's basin (water level and temperature variations). The differences in carbon and nitrogen isotope values suggest different sources of organic matter accumulated in the studied basin and varying trophy of the environment. The higher mercury content is related to the course of climate change and is the highest in cold periods. We identified five main phases of evolution of the palaeolake at Gorzow Wielkopolski site. The lake accumulation began during the final phase of the Wartanian (Late Saalian) Glaciation (MIS 6). Initially the palaeolake harmonically developed and reached its maximum depth (Early and Middle Eemian, MIS 5e). Next the palaeolake became shallower and transformed into the peatbog (Late Eemian, MIS 5e). In the Early Vistulian period (or Early Weichselian, MIS 5a–d), the lake re-existed, initially as a flow-through lake. Finally in middle Vistulian (or Middle Weichselian – Pleniglacial, MIS 3–4), the palaeolake declined and mire developed.

We present a description of an almost complete skeleton of the forest rhino (Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis) found near Gorzów Wielkopolski (Northwest Poland) in its geological and palaeoenvironmental context. While finds of bones and teeth are common, the importance of this find resides in, that it is the most complete specimen of this species, almost perfectly preserved in a well-studied and dated stratigraphic and sedimentological context, along with other fossil fauna and flora. The OSL dates of glaciofluvial sediments sandwiching skeleton-bearing horizons indicate a Middle Eemian age of the Pleistocene paleolake land. This warm climate is also indicated by the results of sedimentological, geochemical, paleobotanical, and isotopic analyses. The rhino skeleton was deposited in a shallow area near the lake’s littoral zone. Bite marks of a large predator (cave hyena) were recognized on the rhino’s pelvis, which, due to their location, were probably created post-mortem. With an estimated height of 1.82 m at the withers, this was a large adult Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis. The results of osteometric analyses indicate that we are dealing with one of the largest known individuals of this species. Although it suffered from a pathologically deformed spine, the individual died at a relatively old age.

Results of dendrochronological analysis of subfossil pine (Pinus sylvestris) buried in the Imszar raised bog deposits (NE Poland, Podlasie Region), were compared with multiproxy analysis of peat deposits (pollen and Non Pollen Palynomorphs, plant macrofossils, Cladocera, and geochemical analyses). The peat (3.3 m thick) accumulation started in the Allerod interstadial. The oldest pine tree population grew in this peatland in ca 6790–6530 cal yrs. BP: floating chronology (determined with the wiggle–matching method) covers this period is 255 years long. The growth of trees on the fen was related to the drying out of the fen at that time, which caused the break in peat accumulation (hiatus). Apart from numerous fallen trees excavated during the peat extraction, a horizon of vertical in situ tree trunks ingrown to the ground, were exposed during peat exploitation. On the basis of a dozen or so trees, a second, “dead forest” floating chronology 197 years long, was compiled with a time range of ca 4255-4060 cal yrs. BP. The youngest, third pine floating chronology (310 years long), elaborated on the basis of ex situ tree trunks, covers the time frame of ca 3130-2820 cal yrs. BP. Multiproxy analyzes of fen deposits indicate that the three stage colonization of the peatland by bog pine was associated with the periods of warming and overdrying in the climate of the Holocene, during which the groundwater table in the Imszar peatland significantly lowered. In turn, the dying off stages of the pine trees occurred in the phases of climate humidity growth, during which the groundwater level in the fen raised. They are well correlated with analogous bog pine germination and dying-off phases in the other European peatlands.

Climate instability in the Eemian Interglacial is gaining more and more evidence. One of such oscillations in the Beckentin record is indicated by the disappearance of the Cladocera and changes in macroremains at the beginning of E4a (Corylus phase). They confirm the shallowing of the reservoir, probably caused by climate changes, but not reflected in the palynological record. However, a significant oscillation observed in the first half of the E5 (Carpinus phase), ~5860 years after the boreal forests subsided and ~6290 years after the onset of interglacial forestation, suggests that, although not being an analogue of the OHO (Older Holsteinian Oscillations) in MIS 11c and the 8.2 ka cold event in the Holocene, it is very similar to these oscillations. The Eemian oscillation was noted also in the Bispingen profile in northern Germany, ~6500 years after the interglacial forestation. However, the course of vegetation changes there differs from that in Beckentin. The analysis of macroremains and Cladocera confirms the disappearance of rush and water vegetation in the water reservoir at that time in Beckentin. These results confirm that numerous climatic oscillations could have occurred in the Eemian Interglacial.

Pterocarya fraxinifolia, native to the southern Caucasus and adjacent areas, has been widely introduced in Europe. In this study, we investigate the following: (1) How did its current distribution form? (2) What are the past, current, and future suitable habitats of P. fraxinifolia? (3) What is the best conservation approach? Ecological niche modeling was applied to determine its climatic demands and project the distribution of climatically suitable areas during three periods of past, current, and future (2070) time. Then, an integrated analysis of fossil data was performed. Massive expansion of Pterocarya species between the Miocene and Pliocene facilitated the arrival of P. fraxinifolia to the southern Caucasus. The Last Glacial Maximum played a vital role in its current fragmented spatial distribution in the Euxinian and Hyrcanian regions with lower elevations, and Caucasian and Irano-Turanian regions with higher elevations. Climatic limiting factors were very different across these four regions. Future climate change will create conditions for the expansion of this species in Europe. Human activities significantly decreased the suitable area for P. fraxinifolia, especially in the Euxinian, Hyrcanian, and Irano-Turanian regions. Considering genetic diversity, climate vulnerability, and land utilization, the Euxinian, Hyrcanian, and Irano-Turanian regions have been recognized as conservation priority areas for P. fraxinifolia.

Environmental changes during the Holocene impacted the development of all civilizations, and it is important to understand the power of this influence through, for instance, the reconstruction of these changes. However, when the climate and environmental conditions of the deep past are analyzed, researchers need to rely on various types of proxy data that are only approximations of the required information. In addition, this type of information is often absent or has several gaps (hiatuses). In the present study, we analyzed a 4.4-m deep core excavated from the fen formed within the landslide body on the northern side of Mt. Śnieżnica in the Wyspowy Beskidy Mountains, the Outer Western Carpathians, southern Poland. In total, we analyzed 405 samples in terms of 29 geochemical components (e.g., nitrogen (N), carbon (C), sulfur (S), and the total organic carbon (TOC)) and physical properties, namely particle-size distribution, loss on ignition (LOI), and microcharcoal content. Additionally, to establish geochronology, we dated 27 samples of different biological materials using the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry radiocarbon method. A detailed examination of plant macrodetritus and wood anatomy supported our interpretation based on the geochemical data. The Mt. Śnieżnica landslide probably formed ca. 14,000 cal BP in the first phase of the Allerød Interstadial. For almost 9000 years, there were no appropriate terrain conditions for the long-term accumulation of organo-mineral materials. At ca. 4400 cal BP, peat accumulation commenced. The beginning of peat accumulation correlates with the global 4.2 Bond event of cold climate conditions. After another ca. 2000 years, the core sediments were dominated by limnetic mud, suggesting aquatic conditions in the landslide depression. This sudden shift in the characteristics of sedimentation is loosely linked to the boundary between the Subboreal and Subatlantic phases (ca. 2500 cal BP). The apparent dichotomy of the depositional record agrees with the reconstructed climatic conditions during the second part of the Holocene. Up to 3000 cal BP, the regional climate was warm and humid, which allowed fast biomass production and hillslope stabilization by trees. Forest fires occurred only at the beginning and end of this period (4400-3000 cal BP). After 3000 cal BP, the regional climate became cool and dry. In this period, we found evidence of intensified erosion, but it was unrelated to forest fire activity.

In the region of the Serteyka River, an extensive accumulative fan was studied. The main goal of the research is an attempt to reconstruct the palaeogeographic development of erosive cuts in Western Russia. The geological structure of the fan and its surroundings was recognized. The fan is built by deluvium sediments, which can be divided into: lower diluvium unit, middle diluvium unit and upper diluvium unit. The top of the fan is built by tillage diamicton. The fan was formed at the earliest from the 2nd half of the 17th century (during the Little Ice Age pessimum). Samples were taken for AMS, OSL, Pb210 dating to determine the phases of fans development. The AMS dating produced mixed results. This was due to the redeposition of the material. Using the OSL method, two samples were dated from the bottom of the clastic fan deposits. Dates from the Neolithic period were obtained, additionally in inversion. It was caused by inaccurate bleaching of the quartz grains. The top part of the fan was dated using the Pb210 method. Slope sediments can be extremely difficult to dating. This may be due to the redeposition of the material, the presence of hiatuses and inaccurate bleaching of samples. The individual units of deluvium sediments differ in colour, structural and textural features.

This paper presents a comprehensive palaeoenvironmental data set from a trough between glacial curvilineations (an intra-GCL trough) of the Dobrzyn Lake District, north-central Poland. A sediment core taken from the depression was investigated to reconstruct Late Glacial and Holocene environmental changes in north-central Poland using a combination of palynological, macrofossil, sedimentological and geochemical studies. Four main development phases of the studied intra-GCL trough were distinguished. Accumulation of the analysed sediments occurred from the Late Vistulian (Glacial Phase) through the Late Glacial to present times. Our data suggest the persistence of dead ice in the basin up to the Older Dryas (Lacustrine Phase). The sedimentary record of the depression reflects a considerable difference between the Late Glacial/early Holocene and the middle/late Holocene in terms of environmental conditions. The Late Glacial was characterised by rapid environmental changes, while climatic conditions throughout the Holocene were relatively stable, except for the Subboreal period. A small lake was strictly dependent on climatically controlled vegetation changes and erosion tendencies in the vicinity of the Zbojenko site. The lake finally disappeared at the turn of the Younger Dryas and the Preboreal Period. The Preboreal, Boreal and Atlantic Periods encompassed the Early Paludical Phase, during which the water level used to rise and hence the mire could be flooded. The area was covered with dense vegetation and the rate of denudation processes around the site was moderate. The Late Paludical Phase included the Subboreal and most of the Subatlantic. Deciduous forests (with Quercus, Carpinus, Corylus) dominated around the site. Major changes occurred between the late Subboreal and the early Subatlanic as a result of the growing human impact on the environment. The Subatlantic ends with the human impact phase (Middle Age), dominated by human impact, little accumulation of sediments and highly increased denudation.

In this article, we focus on transformations of a small peatland, located in the remote area of north-eastern Poland, which originated through partial terrestrialisation of Lake Czarne during the last 6000 years. We investigated the changes in vegetation patterns and linked them to climate changes and a concurrent succession of forest in the surroundings of the basin. We applied pollen, non-pollen palynomorph (NPP), and plant macrofossil analysis, supplemented with geochemistry and 14 C AMS dating. The transformation from poor fen to peat bog occurred within ca. 300 years (ca. 6000–5720 cal. BP). The hydrological changes on the peat bog, reconstructed qualitatively on the basis of selected NPPs (mostly HdV-10 and Archerella flavum ), occur simultaneously to the widely recognised climatic events. During the cool and wet ‘5.2’ and ‘4.2’ climatic events the potential increases in the water table on the peat bog were identified. The subsequent period of dynamic fluctuations of the water table (ca. 3400 and 2350 cal. BP) was related to the gradual expansion of Betula on the mire. This period also partially overlapped with the ‘2.8’ event that was responsible for water level fluctuations across Europe. The ‘1750–1350’ cal. BP global cooling event also might have led to a potential wet shift ca. 1700–1600 cal. BP. Since ca. 1600 cal. BP the water level has significantly dropped and poor fen conditions were reestablished. This article shows the potential of NPPs in the qualitative detection of palaeohydrological events on the peat land. However, there is still a need to combine NPP data with quantitative reconstructions of water table changes to understand the complexity of relationships between climate changes and water table–vegetation responses.

The Outer Western Carpathians is a region in Poland with an exceptionally high number of landslides. Besides geohazard issues, these landslides are frequently an archive of the past environmental changes thanks to organic and mineral material accumulated in numerous landlocked pits where small peat bogs formed. We investigated a large landslide body developed on the northside part of Mt Śnieżnica. No historical information exists related to the instability of this region. After finding and examining 20 pits, we selected three for detailed analyses. We extracted three cores with the use of a peat sampler. The cores were 10 cm in diameter and up to 4,2 m deep. Compared to other landslides in this region, the depth of peat bogs is substantial and suggests that the landslide is a minimum of several thousand years old. Laboratory analyses included: bulk density measurement, geochemical analyses (organic matter, SiO2ter, SiO2biog, CaCO3, TOC, TIC, C, N, S, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, and Pb contents) of biogenic deposits (405 samples), AMC radiocarbon dating of plant tissue (20 pieces), macroscopic charcoal (420 samples each representing 1 cm slice of the core). The aim of the present study is 1) to reconstruct environmental conditions in the area, 2) dating of the landslide formation in relation to climate change during the Holocene, and the main events after its triggering: changes in vegetation cover, hillslope instability, e.g., soil erosion, hydroclimate fluctuations, and human impact. Our results fill the gap in environmental reconstruction encountered by other authors investigating this part of the Outer Western Carpathians and push forward the ongoing discussion on the environmental conditions during the Holocene in this region.

Chironomid (Diptera: Chironomidae) larvae play an important role in a wide range of aquatic ecosystems. The study focuses on Chironomidae trophic guilds and morphological types as indicator traits in reconstructions of habitat changes in shallow water bodies. Mentum and ventromental plates are important mouthparts whose shape depends on food type and feeding behavior. Chironomidae larvae strongly vary in the mode of life and feeding habits, representing almost every feeding group. Here we classified the mentum types into 16 groups and tested if they indicated similar past habitat changes as the Chironomidae functional feeding groups (FFGs), and tribes/subfamilies. Paleoecological data of biotic and abiotic proxies were derived from short sequences from a Late Glacial oxbow and a nearby medieval moat located in Central Poland. The study revealed that the habitat substratum structure, vegetation and physicochemical conditions are associated both with the feeding types and morphological traits. This provides a valuable tool for future reconstructions of habitat changes.

The wooly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) and forest rhinoceros (Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis) were prominent representatives of the Middle and Late Pleistocene glacial and interglacial faunas of Eurasia. Their diet has traditionally been inferred on functional morphology of the dentition and skull. In rare cases, food remains are preserved in the fossas of the teeth or as gut content. New approaches to infer diet include the study of isotopes and mesowear. Here we apply all four methods to infer the diet of these emblematic rhinoceros' species and compare the food actually taken with the food available, as indicated by independent botanical data from the localities where the rhinoceros' fossils were found: Gorzów Wielkopolski (Eemian) and Starunia (Middle Vistulian) as well as analysis of literature data. We also made inferences on the season of death of these individuals. Our results indicate that the woolly rhino in both Europe and Asia (Siberia) was mainly a grazer, although at different times of the year and depending on the region its diet was also supplemented by leaves of shrubs and trees. According to the results of isotope studies, there were important individual variations. The data show a clear seasonal variation in the isotope composition of this rhino's diet. In contrast, Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis was a browser, though its diet included low-growing vegetation. Its habitat consisted of various types of forests, from riparian to deciduous and mixed forests, and open areas. The diet of this species consisted of selected items of vegetation, also including plants growing near both flowing and standing waters. The food remains from the fossae of the teeth indicated flexible browsing, confirming the previous interpretations based on functional morphology and stable isotopes. Long-term data from mesowear and microwear across a wider range of S. kirchbergensis fossils indicate a more mixed diet with a browsing component. The different diets of both of rhinoceros reflect not only the different habitats, but also climate changes that occurred during the Late Pleistocene., This research was supported by the grant No. 0201/2048/18 “Life and death of extinct rhino (Stephanorhinus sp.) from Western Poland: a multiproxy paleoenvironmental approach” finaced by the National Science Centre, Poland. Research by Elena M. Burkanova and Sergey V. Leshchisnkiy was funded by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (RNF), Project No. 20-17-00033.

The sedimentary succession exposed in the Gorzów Wielkopolski area includes Eemian Interglacial (MIS 5e) or Early Weichselian (MIS 5d–e) deposits. The sedimentary sequence has been the object of intense interdisciplinary study, which has resulted in the identification of at least two palaeolake horizons. Both yielded fossil remains of large mammals, alongside pollen and plant macrofossils. All these proxies have been used to reconstruct the environmental conditions prevailing at the time of deposition, as well as to define the geological context and the biochronological position of the fauna. Optically stimulated luminescence dating of the glaciofluvial layers of the GS3 succession to 123.6 ± 10.1 (below the lower palaeolake) and 72.0 ± 5.2 ka (above the upper palaeolake) indicate that the site formed during the Middle–Late Pleistocene (MIS 6 – MIS 5). Radiocarbon-dating of the lacustrine organic matter revealed a tight cluster of Middle Pleniglacial Period (MIS 3) ages in the range of ~41–32 ka cal bp (Hengelo – Denekamp Interstadials). Holocene organic layers have also been found, with C ages within a range of 4330–4280 cal bp (Neolithic). Pollen and plant macrofossil records, together with sedimentological and geochemical data, confirm the dating to the Eemian Interglacial., This research was supported by grant 0201/2048/18 ‘Life and death of extinctrhino (Stephanorhinus sp.) from Western Poland: a multiproxy palaeoenvironmental approach’ financed by the National Science Centre, Poland. LiDAR DTM data presented in this study were used under academic licences DIO.DFT.DSI.7211.1619.2015_PL_N and DIO.DFT.7211.9874. 2015_PL_N awarded to the Faculty of Earth Sciences and the Environmental Management University of Wrocław, in accordance with the Polish legal regulations of the administration of the Head Office of Land Surveying and Cartography.

The accumulative fan was formed at the mouth of a well-developed system of erosive cuts in the lower Serteyka River valley in western Russia. The length of the fan reaches 70 m, and its thickness is up to 2 m. The erosive cuts (gullies) were formed on the steep and short slopes of the tunnel valley (transformed later into the river valley) and dissect the surface of the glaciofluvial plain for a length of ca. 110 meters. The absolute chronology of the development of that relief form was determined based on 14C and 210Pb data set. It was started at the earliest in the second half of the 17th century, and finished before the mid-19th c. AD. These processes can be correlated therefore with palaeoenvironmental changes during the pessary of the Little Ice Age (LIA), as well as with human impact during the agrarian and industrial revolution in Eastern Europe. Studied accumulative fan is formed of deluvium with the insertion of the proluvium and an agricultural diamikton which is developed in ceiling part. The research based on the results of analysis of depth diversity of textural features (mean grain-size diameter, sorting index, skewness and kurtosis), geochemical features (chemostratigraphy determined on the basis of X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy – XRF) of the fan’s sediments and palaeoecological features (palynology analysis, subfossil Chironomidae and Cladocera analysis, plant macrofossil analysis) of biogenic deposits from under the fan.

The article presents the results of a study on sediment deposition processes in the palaeolake shore zone, at the multilayered Serteya II archaeological site in Western Russia. In recent years, geomorphological, palaeopedological and palaeoecological research was undertaken in strict cooperation with archaeological fieldwork. The Serteya II site occupies a substantial area of a kame terrace and biogenic plain within a palaeolake basin. From an archaeological point of view, the site is represented by few Mesolithic artefacts, but mostly by remnants of hunter–gatherer–fisher communities attributed in the Russian scientific tradition to the Neolithic period and dated from 6300 BC to 2000 BC. Later, the area was used by people in the Bronze Age, Early Iron Age and Early Middle Ages. The integration of archaeological and multidisciplinary palaeoenvironmental research allowed the natural and human induced deposition of mineral-organic and minerogenic sediments to be reconstructed, as well as the development of structures in the lake shore zone. The changes from lacustrine to fluvial system were documented and the human impact is recorded mostly in the acceleration of slope processes.

The Rozprza stronghold functioned as a seat of a noble family since at least the early14th century AD in the form of the motte-and-bailey residence. The remains of the residence are situated in the central part of mid-Luciąza River valley, on the river terrace remnant adjoining a strongly expanding floodplain. The situation and state of preservation give a unique opportunity to conduct research that explain the construction process, detailed history of the medieval moat and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the valley floor. Radiocarbon and dendrochronological dating and analysis of artefacts confirmed 14th century age of the moat. Organic deposits (gyttja, peat and organic mud) of moat fill allowed for a set of multiproxy analyses based on sediment cores. The research results indicate shallow water with brief episodes of in-wash in the first stage (13th-14th c. AD), followed by a transformation into telmatic habitat in the second phase of the moat development from 16th-17th c. AD. The deposition of overbank alluvium took place within the moat ditch system as late as the 18th and/or 19th c. AD. We studied the development of this moat environment in the context of valley floor changes.

A complex of inactive tufas, the thickness of which reaches 3.5 m, was studied in the lowermost segment of the Sąspowska Valley in the Krakow Upland (Ojcow National Park, Poland). Five fluvial tufa barrages were recognized. They are composed of moss tufa and stromatolitic tufa accompanied with oncoidal rudstone and detrital tufa. Interbarrage ponded areas were filled with detrital tufa, lutite, and subordinately oncoidal rudstone, limestone gravel and peat-like deposit. Radiocarbon dates suggest that the tufa formed during Subboreal, Boreal and Atlantic time. The main difference between the tufa in the Sąspowska Valley and contemporaneous tufas in other valleys of the Krakow Upland is the higher amount of non-carbonate fraction in the former. Other Lower and Middle Holocene tufas of the Krakow Upland are composed mainly or exclusively of carbonate fraction. The non-carbonate fraction in fluviatile tufas in the Sąspowska Valley resulted from erosion of loess cover in the upper part of the catchment. The erosion was related to local activity of Neolithic flint miners who cleared forest at a local scale, dug shafts in loess cover and exploited flints from underlying weathered residuum of Jurassic limestone. Consequently, they made copious amounts of loose material available for transport down the valley and subsequent trapping within the tufa depositional system.

The fast sedimentation rate of Rozprza palaeo-oxbow deposits gives a chance for tracking environmental changes in the end of the Late Vistulian very thoroughly. The range of palaeoecological analyses were done, resulting in reconstructions of vegetation history, climate and habitat changes. The chironomid-inferred summer temperatures indicate the short cooling in the late Allerd, confirmed by the plant macrofossils. It may correspond to Gerzensee oscillation, recorded mainly from western Europe. The studied oxbow was a truly aquatic ecosystem until the end of Younger Dryas, with diverse invertebrate fauna. The second phase of the oxbow-lake was characterised by its systematic overgrowing and, finally, mire development with overbank deposition in the Holocene. The wide range of used proxies provided a reliable picture of the Late Glacial oxbow evolution in Central Poland.

This paper presents and discusses the influence of climatic and edaphic factors on vegetation succession of the postglacial Lake Czarne (LC) located in NE Poland. On the basis of pollen, macroscopic plant remains, non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs), and geochemical analyses, we reconstructed the transition from a clear oligotrophic lake to an ombrotrophic mire from 13,300 to 5900 cal. BP. Climatic events/periods that may have affected the lake/mire succession were as follows: (i) relatively warm conditions in the younger part of the Younger Dryas (ca. 12,220 cal. BP) that led to water eutrophication recorded as blooms of Scenedesmus ellipticus , whose response preceded that of woodland vegetation by ca. 200 years, (ii) the warming of the Late Glacial–Holocene transition and early Holocene that caused the final melting of dead ice block(s) and led to the deepening of the water body and/or an increase in the water level, the retreat of submerged macrophytes, and the enrichment of waters with sulphur, (iii) the global cold period between 8600 and 8000 cal. BP that contributed to a rise in the water level during the phase of sedge swamp and enabled the reappearance of Nymphaeaceae and blooms of S. ellipticus (ca. 8570–8500 cal. BP), and (iv) the global climate cooling 6500–5900 cal. BP that still remains enigmatic in terms of palaeobotanical patterns; however, geochemical markers point to an increase in the water level and enhanced erosion in the LC catchment ca. 6200–6000 cal. BP. Lake terrestrialization resulted in the concurrent appearance of microhabitats suitable for mosses with contrasting ecological preferences, e.g., Warnstorfia exannulata (acidic) and Scorpidium revolvens (alkaline), or Straminergon stramineum (acidic), Meesia triquetra (alkaline) and S. revolvens (alkaline).

Early Middle Pleistocene palaeolacustrine sediments of the Ferdynandów site (E Poland), serving as a stratotype for the Ferdynandovian interglacial, were subjected to a new drilling in 2011. The obtained profile, covering the late Sanian 1 glaciation, two interglacial successions (Ferdynandovian 1 and 2), the cold Ferdynandovian 1/2 interval, and the early Sanian 2 glaciation, permitted a high-resolution plant macroremains analysis, correlated with the results of a palynological examination. In detailed studies of plant macroremains from the profile, new taxa were discovered for the Polish Pleistocene flora: specifically, species that are extinct or not found nowadays in Poland. On the basis of the taxonomic diversity and occurrence of bioindicators, the division into warm and cold units of the Ferdynandovian interglacial as well as units associated with the Sanian 1 and 2 glaciations, already applied in pollen studies, were confirmed, and the periods were described in terms of plant macroremains. The Ferdynandovian succession is correlated with the Cromerian Complex (Cromerian III and IV) in the Early Middle Pleistocene of Western Europe, as well as with Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 13-15. New geological and palaeobotanical data enabled a description of the palaeogeographic context and conditions of functioning, as well as the evolution of the interglacial lake at the stratotype site. The outcome of plant macroremains analysis is presented and interpreted in comparison with corresponding results previously obtained for the Ferdynandów B profile, studied by Janczyk-Kopikowa (1975). Particular consideration is given to similarities between the succession of Ferdynandów 2011 and the profiles of Ferdynandów B and the nearby drilled Łuków 3A. Study of the macrofossil flora of Ferdynandów 2011 revealed the presence of species absent in the archival Ferdynandów B. Taxa not formerly recorded in early Middle Pleistocene floras, such as Brasenia borysthenica, Aldrovanda borysthenica, Pilularia borysthenica, Caulinia goretskyi, and Potamogeton saryanensis, were identified. These species and other taxa of stratigraphic or climatic significance provided the basis for a more detailed description of the Ferdynandovian flora, afterwards compared with other stratigraphically corresponding Polish and European early Middle Pleistocene floras. The composition of characteristic taxa also was used for comparisons between two bimodal interglacial sequences, namely the Ferdynandovian (correlated with MIS 13-15) and Augustovian (correlated with MIS 19-21), and the Domuratovian succession (correlated with MIS 17).

Research in the Domuraty 2 section was focused on a series of lacustrine-river-swamp deposits in which the full spectrum of vegetation and climate changes was recognised in a detailed analysis of plant macroremains and a comparison with the results of pollen analysis. Based on plant macrofossil data, two (Dom II, Dom III) of three palynologically documented warm units were distinguished in the Domuraty succession. The palaeobotanical data from the Domuraty succession document several successive local vegetation changes in both interglacial and glacial periods, which can be related to global climate oscillations. The succession of local vegetation stands and changes in the vegetation, climate, water level, and trophy during the period of the Domuraty succession were analysed and compared with corresponding parameters of the Augustovian and Ferdynandovian interglacials. The taxonomically most diverse unit is Warm unit Dom II, with the highest share of taxa with high thermal requirements, which was compared to the older Augustovian (A II) and younger Ferdynandovian (F II) units. The comparison of the Domuratovian interglacial flora to that of the Korchevian interglacial in Belarus shows high similarity; most of the extinct taxa or taxa unknown in the present-day flora are common to the Korchevian and Domuratovian floras, suggesting similar age for these two communities. However, the Domuratovian flora lacks a few species important to the Korchevian flora, such as Stratiotes goretskyi, Carex rostrata-pliocenica, Brasenia sp., Caulinia antiqua, Aldrovanda borysthenica, and A. zusii.

A novel occurrence of an Eemian interglacial peat was identified in 2011 in a short-lived outcrop of the NEL-pipeline trench, near the village of Banzin, Germany. The profiles are situated in a shallow kettle hole within the undulated landscape of the Saalian glaciation. The distribution of dominantly till lithofacies in the Banzin area confirms the regional trend of Saalian tills with a locally higher abundance of Cretaceous clasts. In the Banzin kettle, at a depth of 2.2 m, lies a 0.5-m thick, strongly compressed Eemian peat layer. The buried Eemian peat layer is deformed by ice-wedge pseudo-morphological and mega crack structures, indicating a strong periglacial influence during Weichselian stadial phases. The post-Eemian sequence is subdivided into three units, beginning with a mixture of aeolian and gelifluction deposits, which are also modified by cryostructures. The top of the Banzin sequence is covered by a 0.5-m thick colluvisol layer of redeposited humic loam from the Late Weichselian/Holocene. The uppermost unit suggests that solifluction processes occurred in the last few hundred years, likely driven by intensive anthropogenic influence. Limnic sedimentation began during the Late Saalian period in a landscape characterized by herbaceous vegetation and heliophytes. During the latest interval of Saalian deglaciation, shallow waters of the basin most likely attained a depth below 3 m and were abundant in calcium carbonate. The beginning of Eemian interglacial peat accumulation (MIS 5e) is characterized by a dominance of light birch forests followed by pine. The ensuing optimum climate was dominated by the encroachment of oak forests and then hazel-oak forest, and sedimentation ceased in the basin during this phase. At the climatic optimum (PZ III/IV), the Eemian peat included remains of Ceratophyllum submersum and species of higher temperature requirements. The Banzin basin gradually became shallower and overgrown until the closing of its open water at the end of phase III/IVa. The lack of Cladocera species composition in the Eemian sequence proves isolated conditions of a shallow reservoir. We present the first results from NE-Germany for Eemian peat bog samples dated by the U–Th disequilibrium method ( 230 Th/U), using leachate alone (L/L) and total sample dissolution (TSD) analytical techniques. Isochron-corrected 230 Th/U ages of 118 ± 8/10 ka (L/L) and 121 ± 9/13 ka (TSD) were obtained. Both 230 Th/U dates ∼118–121 ka, obtained using two different techniques, confirm the biostratigraphical classification into the Eemian interglacial.

The article presents the results of a combination of isotopic (δ 15 N and δ 13 C), geochemical (TOC, TN, C/N) and palaeobotanical investigations. They were carried out on organic matter (OM) that had been deposited from the Younger Dryas to the Subboreal chronozone in palaolake sediments (north-eastern Poland). OM from the late Younger Dryas consists only a small amount of TOC and TN, which together with the lack of aquatic macrophyte macrofossils confirm low primary production in the then reservoir. The higher values of C/N ratio (18–27) and δ 13 C (ca. −26‰) suggest that OM was mainly terrestrial in origin. During the Preboreal chronozone (11,450–10,150 cal. BP), there was a probable deepening of the reservoir through the melting of dead ice. This might have been intensified by an increase in precipitation and a fall in evapotranspiration during the ‘Preboreal oscillation’. From the early Preboreal chronozone (ca. 11,345 cal. BP), a mixed source of OM is indicated by C/N ratio (from 8 to 13). At the same time significant increase in TOC and TN probably registered a rise in primary production in the palaeolake. From the older part of the Boreal chronozone (ca. 9865 cal. BP) algae productivity increased (the C/N ratio dropped to ca. 8 and was then constant). At the beginning of the Atlantic chronozone (ca. 8650 cal. BP) a probable increase in the water level caused the partial relocation of OM from the reed swamp belt and/or the adjacent alder carr into deeper sections of the palaeolake (an increase in TOC and TN). In the late Atlantic chronozone (ca. 6965–6650 cal. BP), TOC and TN decreased while δ 13 C had high values, which probably reflected a more distinct stratification of the water column with anoxic bottom waters. Next, in the late Atlantic and early Subboreal chronozone (ca. 6650–5205 cal. BP) the amount of OM in palaeolake sediments was still rising. The δ 13 C values dropped, suggesting an intensification of processes of water mixing. These processes were simultaneous with the constant shallowing of the palaeolake and the disappearance of habitats suitable for submerged macrophytes. The topmost part of the profile is characteristic of a strong decomposition of peat, causing a release of carbon dioxide and therefore the depletion of the carbon pool in the peat (a drop in the C/N ratio). The concurrent upward trend of the δ 15 N curve is probably the effect of a greater anthropogenic impact on the palaeolake/mire and its catchment and/or more recent human interference in the topmost peat layers.

A maximum Holocene afforestation occurred during the Atlantic phase in Central Europe and the first deforestation was human-induced by introducing Neolithic farming. However, the results of new multidisciplinary off-site and on-site investigations in southern Poland have revealed that in the loessic areas a persistence of plant and animal species of open landscape was possible throughout the mid-Holocene. The palynological and malacological data from Mozgawa (Nida Basin), from a phase preceding the human occupation and corresponding to the 5th millennium BC, show that the loessic plateau was forested with partly open pine-oak forests, but patches of open vegetation were also present. During the first half of the 4th millennium BC the first farmers related with the Funnel Beaker (= TRB) culture appeared in Mozgawa and built a long-lasted settlement extended over 35 ha site. The pollen zone related to this Neolithic settlement phase contained a record of disturbances of the forest communities and/or the reduction of forest cover at a small, local scale, accompanied by an increase of representation of herbaceous plants associated with wet and dry grasslands. The anthracological results confirm the presence of pine-oak forest near the human settlement, while malacological (Vallonia pulchella and Chondrula tridens), zooarchaeological (Equus ferus), and carpological data (Stipa sp.) indicate the continuous presence of open vegetation in the area. During the Neolithic occupation of the Mozgawa settlement, processes of slope erosion were initiated and created the thick layer of mineral diluvium at the bottom of the loessic hill. These data reveal the first intensive human impacts onthe local wooded steppe-like landscape and the beginning of the development of anthropogenic vegetation in the region.

During an archaeological investigation at Lutomiersk–Koziowki in central Poland, deposits indicative of an old rettery from the 16th–17th century AD were discovered. The artifacts found in the lacustrine deposits, together with historical sources and radiocarbon dates of organic matter, show that the pond at a local mill was present from ca. AD 1525 to at least AD 1620. The high content of Cannabis and Linum subfossil macro- and micro-remains in the sediment indicate that the pond was most probably used as a rettery for hemp and flax fibre production. Pollen analysis revealed strong deforestation of the local landscape at the beginning of the pond history. Despite high pollution caused by plant retting, species-rich chironomid, cladoceran and diatom communities occupied the pond. Our investigations reveal that the rettery was situated on the artificial channel of a local stream. High abundance of yellow flatsedge (Cyperus flavescens) fruit remains and coprophile beetle subfossils indicate that pond was also used as a watering place for cattle. Decline in the concentration of aquatic invertebrate subfossils, diatoms, aquatic and cultivated plant macrofossils, reveals rapid abandonment of the rettery in the mid-17th century AD. For some time after the basin was a telmatic ecosystem overgrown by sedges and bulrush. The basin was finally filled by a high-energy overbank deposition not later than in the beginning of 19th century AD.

This research is focused on a small kettle hole located within the Morąg moraines (Ilawa Lake District, NE Poland). The study objective was to determine the impact of palaeoenvironmental changes in sedimentation and properties of sediments filling the bottom of the kettle hole. Sedimentological, geochemical, and palaeobotanical studies enabled us to distinguish several development phases of the kettle hole, and cluster analysis performed on physicochemical data yielded seven local geochemical zones (Ju I/I to Ju I/VII ). The beginning of biogenic sedimentation in the conditions of a small water body, functioning in the Late Glacial period (4.20–4.10 m), was determined on the basis of palaeobotanical research. Sediments deposited in the lake during its further evolution were rich in microelements such as Ca, Na, Mg, and K, and to a smaller extent – Fe and Mn (Ju I/I–III local geochemical zones). The Late Glacial lacustrine period ended with the accumulation of very silty, pollen-free gyttja, with a stratigraphic hiatus (Ju I/IV , 3.40–3.20 m). The sediments were enriched with SiO2ter, which indicates an increased rate of slope erosion, and concretions of Fe-Mn occurring below this layer (Ju III ) provide evidence for lowering of the water level and even desiccation. In the Holocene, the lacustrine period ended with the accumulation of coarse detrital gyttja (3.20–2.60 m). Palaeobotanical data indicate that the next group of sediments were deposited in the Late Subboreal and Subatlantic periods (2.60–0.0 cm, Ju I/V–VII ; sedge peat). Their properties were varied and related to hydrologic conditions, limited denudation, and vegetation succession. There was also a significant change in the trophic conditions of the water and consequently in the sediments of the kettle hole, which changed during the lacustrine period from basic to acid, and strongly acid in the surface layer. This reaction may be related to a change in the water regime as well as to human impact in the environment, which led to the colonization of the peat bog by Sphagnum moss.

Drilling carried out in 2011 at Ferdynandow (E Poland), serving as a stratotype for the Ferdynandovian Interglacial, enabled its re-examination with high-resolution palynological, plant macroremains, and sedimentological analyses. Lacustrine sediments included a record of the Late Sanian 1 (= Elsterian 1) Glaciation, a complete Ferdynandovian succession, and the Early Sanian 2 (= Elsterian 2) Glaciation. Particular similarities in the succession observed between the Ferdynandow 2011 profile and the adjacent sites of the same age in Łukow-3A and Zdany provide a basis for detailed palaeoclimate interpretation. The Ferdynandovian succession of all the three pollen profiles can be clearly divided into two distinct interglacials separated by a sequence of pollen spectra typical of a glacial succession with pollen zones of stadial-interstadial fluctuations. Warm units in the Ferdynandow 2011 succession correspond to climatostratigraphic units of Ferdynandovian 1 and 2, while the cold unit – to Ferdynandovian 1/2. This division can be applied to all Ferdynandovian successions in Poland and allows their correlation with the early Middle Pleistocene Cromerian Complex of Western Europe (Cromerian II Westerhoven and Cromerian III Rosmalen) as well as with Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 13–15. For each biostratigraphic unit, mean temperatures of the warmest and coldest months, and mean annual temperature and precipitation were reconstructed. For the comparison with the Ferdynandow 2011 pollen diagram the data based on modern pollen analogues for the Łukow-3A pollen diagram were used.

An 880 cm-long core retrieved from a peat bog adjacent to Lake Czarne, a small dystrophic lake (1.5 ha) in northeastern Poland, was investigated in terms of woodland changes and human impact. Palaeobotanical proxies including pollen, macrofossils, and non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) were used for the reconstruction. The profile was additionally supplemented by an age-depth model based on AMS 14C dates of good resolution, which reveals that it spanned the period between the Allerod/Younger Dryas and present. The patterns of arboreal taxa succession in the Holocene were rather similar to those from northeastern Poland, but some distinct differences were recorded. Among them were the very early appearance of Taxus baccata (detected as pollen, ca. 10,930 cal. BP), the relatively late Holocene decline of Ulmus not connected with an increase in human impact (ca. 4550 cal. BP), and the Late Holocene optimum of Picea abies (ca. 3660–2800 cal. BP) revealing trends opposite to Betula and to a lesser degree to Carpinus betulus. The process of the late Holocene expansion of Betula (ca. 2420 cal. BP) and its continuous occurrence on the peat bog was probably not related to climate and human factors, but to natural processes of ecological succession. Birch, in spite of being listed as a potential host of Kretzschmaria deusta, clearly revealed poor susceptibility to infection of this fungus. Agricultural activity detected from the Neolithic period until the La Tene period was irregular and probably not significant for local woodland development. From the La Tene period, there was a slight increase in human pressure on the environment, and fire intensity and/or frequency rose. The acceleration of human activity manifested in the strongest deforestations was recorded from the Middle Ages up to the downfall of the local state farms in the 1990s.

A core of the new borehole at Cierpieta in northern Poland was examined with sedimentological, palynological, plant macrofossil, diatom, malacological, and foraminiferal analyses and completed with radiocarbon, OSL and amino acid dating. Based on a floating scale chronology, a rapid marine transgression was found to have started in the southern Baltic region before 300 years from the beginning of the Eemian (RPAZ E1 or E2). Two pulses of increased salinity were distinguished (reaching 28 and 18 psu), with their maxima at about 800–3500 and 6200–6600 years since the beginning of the Eemian, suggesting a possible two-step transgression of the Eemian sea. Diatom species, typical for a tidal plain, were more abundant during transgressive phases, presumably not only due to seashore flooding but possibly also in response to more intensive tides. A final regression occurred some 7500 years after the beginning of the Eemian (end of RPAZ E5 or early E6) and the bay has been transformed into a lake-marshy reservoir. Studies of the section at Cierpieta are crucial for paleogeography of the Eemian sea in the southern Baltic region.

At Koźmin Las, in the Warta River basin, Central Poland, a series of well-preserved tree trunks and in situ stumps, accompanied by organic deposits, all of Allerod/Younger Dryas age, have been the focus of a multiproxy palaeoecological study using pollen, plant macrofossil, Cladocera and Chironomidae based on absolute radiocarbon dating. This is the first study to use a dendrological approach to Late Weichselian palaeoenvironmental reconstructions in Central Poland. This study reveals a series of short terrestrial events interrupted by flood episodes in response to climate cooling and provides new opportunities for research into the economic adaptation of Late Palaeolithic hunters to changes in the local environment. Evidence from dendrological studies shows that the riparian forest consisted predominantly of pines of a maximum age of about 140 years and an average age of 68 years. A local pine chronology spanning 133 years has been constructed. The forest appears to have been destroyed ca. 12,600 cal BP by deteriorating hydrological conditions or a sudden catastrophic event (strong wind ?) related to climatic change.

The development of vegetation in the Skaliska Basin has been reconstructed on the basis of palynological analysis and radiocarbon dating (AMS technique) of 6 sites from the late phase of the Bolling- Allerod interstadial complex to modern times. Although the area covers 90 km2, the mosaic character of habitats led to the development of different patterns of vegetation changes during the Late Glacial and Holocene. Only one site located in the eastern part of the Skaliska Basin reflected the ‘pine phase’ of Allerod, and this is the oldest data on vegetation in the Skaliska Basin. Interesting discrepancies were recorded during the Younger Dryas when patches of shrublands with Juniperus were distinct around some of the sites, while steppe with Artemisia was common in others. The beginning of the Holocene brought an expansion of birch-pine forest, but around 9600 cal. BC a cold oscillation took place which was reflected in an increase in birch in the woodlands in the western and eastern part of the Skaliska Basin. In the Preboreal chronozone elm (Ulmus) also expanded in the area but its appearance was non-synchronous. The vegetation of the Boreal chronozone was similar in the whole area and the most characteristic feature was the rapid expansion of hazel (Corylus avellana) which displaced Betula from the most of its sites. At that time a distinct redeposition of pollen material in the Parchatka river valley was detected which was probably the effect of an increase in fluvial activity of the river (humid oscillation). The following stage of vegetation development was climax woodlands with Tilia cordata, Ulmus, Quercus, Corylus avellana, and Alnus in damp places. At the beginning of the Subboreal chronozone the expansion of Quercus took place, which was subsequently replaced by Picea abies and partly Carpinus betulus. The pattern of Picea abies expansion distinctly presents two maxima which is characteristic of many sites in the north-eastern Poland. The Subatlantic chronozone is represented only by the profile from the Skaliski Forest, where, because of sandy ground, Pinus sylvestris was the dominant element. Human impact was poorly reflected through the rare occurrence of pollen grains of Cerealia type in the pollen profiles spanning the time from the Subboreal chronozone to modern times. In most profiles AMS dating produced age discrepancies, which limited the possibility of establishment of a detailed chronology. However, dates obtained from the material contaminated by mixture of glycerine, thymol and ethyl alcohol, pretreated by alcohol, showed reliable results in most cases.

The northern part of the Mazury Lake District is marked by the presence of a depression described as the Skaliska Basin. At the end of the Pleistocene, the Skaliska Basin was the site of functioning of a thaw lake, within series of laminated clayey sediments were formed. The surface of the clayey sediments was overlain by a sandy fan. Blocks of dead ice underlying the fan and the overlying surface of the clayey sediments were the origin of small isolated water basins. Since the Allerod they were filled with limnic sediments, passing into peats towards the upper part. In order to reconstruct the vegetational history of the Skaliska Basin and the conditions of sedimentation of the lacustrine gyttjas and peats, several sections were obtained from such basins and subjected to examination of plant macroremains, palaeolimnological analysis and AMS dating. Sedimentation of lacustrine sediments began with sands with an admixture of silt and peat. The beginning of sedimentation of lacustrine sands of aeolian origin falls within the Allerod, whereas the end of that process in ca the middle of the Preboreal. Sands are frequently overlain by a strongly decomposed lacustrine dy sediment. Subsequently a sequence of detritus gyttja accumulated. The complex of gyttjas is interbedded with occasional Scirpo-Typheti peats. Sedimentation of lacustrine sediments is followed by accumulation of peats formed within communities with tall sedges. These communities, according to their compoition, correspond to the associations of Cicuto- Caricetum pseudocyperi Boer. et Siss. and Caricetum elatae Koch. The upper part comprises peats resembling the present-day community of Sphagnum centrale, displaying features of a transition bog. Also the occurrence of Eriophorum vaginatum confirms changes towards ombrotrophic conditions. The uppermost part of the sections often comprises heavily decomposed peat with components no longer identifiable by macroscopic analysis.

This paper presents the results of palynological, macrofossil and peat analyses that were conducted on deposits from a profile collected from the Wielkie Błoto mire near Bałupiany (north eastern Poland). The investigation revealed that the recorded changes of vegetation span the period from the decline of the Younger Dryas (ca 9600 cal. yr BC) to the late Subboreal or early Subatlantic chronozone, but due to a 40 cm long sediment gap a complete reconstruction was not possible. At the beginning, the area was occupied by steppe and tundra communities together with abundant Juniperus stands. A subsequent expansion of birch (Betula) woodlands with pine (Pinus sylvestris) took place in the Preboreal chronozone in which a rise in the water level and/or basin deepening was recorded at the site as well. The domination of such woodlands lasted to the end of the Boreal chronozone when Corylus avellana expanded rapidly. In the Atlantic chronozone multispecies deciduous forests developed with Tilia cordata and Quercus, while Ulmus together with Alnus spread in damp habitats. During this chronozone, traces of the occurrence of Carpinus betulus were detected in the macrofossil analysis, while the pollen analysis failed to record its presence. The expansion of Carpinus betulus and Picea abies was characteristic of the Subboreal chronozone when both taxa presented antagonistic optima. Alone in north-eastern Poland, there was a re-expansion of deciduous forest in the younger part of the Subboreal chronozone caused probably by low human impact, which is reflected in the whole profile. The first probable traces of human activity were noticed in the Atlantic chronozone and attributed to peoples of the Mesolithic or Early Neolithic cultures, while the first evidence of cultivation was correlated to the Bronze Age. However, the low resolution of the radiocarbon dates did not allow a more precise reconstruction of the chronology. The analysis of macrofossils and tissues indicated two episodes of oligotrophication of the mire. The first one took place during the Boreal chronozone, while the second fall in trophy was triggered by spruce expansion in the Subboreal chronozone. On the other hand, a rise in human impact during the first Carpinus betulus maximum caused eutrophication of the mire.

International audience; The Ner River valley (central Poland) underwent substantial transformation during the Weichselian–Holocene transition as a result of fluvial processes and climate changes, resulting in the establishment of its present shape in the Holocene. A multiproxy study based on organic deposits from a palaeochannel fill (Lutomiersk–Koziówki) shows that after the channel was cut off during the late glacial termination, it became a shallow oxbow, fed by local springs. In the Boreal period, the oxbow lake was also fed by precipitation and became a telmatic environment overgrown by rush and swamp vegetation. Finally, it was covered by overbank deposits. The first flooding phase (9900–9600 cal. BP) was followed by the accumulation of overbank sediments (after 9500 cal. BP) and flooding increased after ca. 9300–9000 cal. BP. Pollen data provide information on the regional vegetation context for local and regional changes. In the Atlantic period, an increase in both summer and winter temperatures is inferred from the pollen data, corresponding to an expansion of thermophilous deciduous forests. While in general, flooding phases of the Early Holocene are poorly recognised in Eastern Europe, the Lutomiersk–Koziówki site may be considered as one of the reference points for this phenomenon in the region.

A new borehole in Rozce (S Mazovian Lowland) drilled in 2012, combined with a wide variety of research methods (palaeomagnetism, palynological analysis, studies of plant macroremains and textural features of deposits) shed new light on the age and stratigraphic position of the Early Pleistocene deposits, formerly assigned as the Lower Pleistocene. The study focuses on the deposits from 50.7−104.0 m depth, between glacial till of the Nidanian Glaciation (ca. 0.9 Ma) and the Poznan Clays (ca. 5.322 Ma). The deposits situated directly underneath the till (50.7−60.2 m) are related to the Nidanian Glaciation and show a reversed polarity and correlate with the end of the Matuyama epoch. The deposits from 60.2−104.0 m depth were accumulated during the Early Pliocene, i.e. approximately 5.332–4.6 million years ago. They appear to correlate with the middle part of the Gilbert Palaeomagnetic Epoch and thus they are considerably older than previously thought. The cored section indicates a stratigraphic gap of about 3.5 Ma from the Lower Pliocene to the first advance of the Scandinavian ice sheets into Poland, which are thought to have occurred in the early Middle Pleistocene. The analysed deposits accumulated under variable climatic conditions showing two periods with significant aridity alternated with two periods of increased humidity. Deposits of the arid periods contain no pollen, but aeolian sand quartz grains are found. During periods of more humid climate the area was covered by various types of mixed forest.

Mericarps and pollen grains collected in the Pleistocene lacustrine deposits in Poland were analyzed. Well-developed mericarps, resembling recent fruits of water dropwort Oenanthe ( Phellandrium subgenus), are found since the Eemian. Mericarps found in the Pliocene and in the Augustovian Interglacial (= Bavelian Complex or Cromerian I), in the Mazovian Interglacial (= Holsteinian interglacial) and in one of the interstadials after this interglacial are a distinct morphological type. They differ from recent mericarps of Oenanthe aquatica in shape and size. As late as the Vistulian, pollen grains are decidedly smaller and in parts with different microsculpture than recent reference material of pollen of O. aquatica . Probably, changes of vegetation in the late Pleistocene and in the Holocene could have induced changes in the composition of the pollinator assemblages, and as a consequence increase in size of pollen. Compared to mericarp evolution, the evolution of pollen of O. aquatica is somewhat delayed.

The new drilling, made in 2011 in the Ferdynandovian interglacial stratotype site in Ferdynandow near Kock (E Poland) allows to carry out high resolution palaeobotanical analyses (including palynological and plant macrofossils ones). The results of the analyses are presented and interpreted against the background of the earlier partition of the ferdynandovian succession (acc. to Janczyk-Kopikowa 1975). A particular attention was paid to the similarity of succession derived from the profile Ferdynandow 2011 with those from neighboring sites in Łukow and Zdany. Very clearly it outlines the division of the three analyzed profiles of the ferdynandovian succession into two distinct interglacials separated by a sediment section bearing the record of the succession typically glacial with its stadial-interstadial oscillations. In the light of the new data from the Ferdynandow 2011 profile, it is clear that the division which was first used by Mamakowa (1996), applies to all ferdynandovian successions in Poland, if only two warm periods were registered in them (formerly known as two climate optima). The warm units in the Ferdynandow 2011 succession correspond to climatostratigraphic units Ferdynandovian 1 and 2, and the cold unit – to Ferdynandovian 1/2 (Lindner et al. 2004). The whole ferdynandovian succession s.l. correlates with the Cromerian complex in the early Middle Pleistocene of Western Europe stratigraphy (Cromerian II Westerhoven and Cromerian III Rosmalen) and marine oxygen isotope stages (MIS) 13–15. The new geological and palaeobotanical data allowed to reconstruct the functioning of interglacial lake and its palaeogeographic context on the stratotype site and its evolution.