The Holocene Evolution of Vegetation in the Southeast of the Volga Upland

Abstract

The Holocene evolution of vegetation in the high-plain territory of the northwestern Volga Upland has been shown to have certain specific features. Based on analysis of spore–pollen assemblages from peat deposits, the onset of bog formation has been dated to the late Boreal period (about 8500 yr BP); the pine–birch phase in the development of forests, to the early Atlantic period (8000−6000 yr BP); the appearance and peak development of the zonal broadleaf species complex, to the late Atlantic period (6000−4500 yr BP); and early anthropogenic changes in the vegetation, to about 3000 yr BP.