Holocene paleoecology of the Gran Sabana, SE Venezuela: preliminary pollen and microcharcoal analysis at Laguna Encantada ; Paleoecología del Holoceno en la Gran Sabana, SE Venezuela: Análisis preliminar de polen y microcarbones en la Laguna Encantada

The Gran Sabana region (SE Venezuela) is characterized by extensive neotropical savannas, in a warm and wet climate, apparently more suitable for the existence of rain forests. Two main types of hypotheses have been proposed to explain this situation: natural factors, such as climate changes or soil poverty, and burning by humans. This study analyzes the pollen and charcoal content of a 7,500 years old peat bog, at the shore of Laguna Encantada. The savanna landscape has dominated the area during the whole interval, but local fi res did not appear until around 1,200 years ago, when the present... Mehr ...