Late Quaternary Montane Forest Dynamics From Equatorial East Africa: A Biome Perspective

dc.contributor.authorGithumbi E.N.
dc.contributor.authorFinch J.
dc.contributor.authorKinyanjui R.N.
dc.contributor.authorCourtney-Mustaphi C.
dc.contributor.authorMusili P.
dc.contributor.authorRucina S.
dc.contributor.authorLejju J.
dc.contributor.authorLiljenberg P.
dc.contributor.authorMarchant R.
dc.contributor.correspondenceGithumbi E.N.
dc.contributor.otherMahidol University
dc.date.accessioned2025-06-19T18:16:37Z
dc.date.available2025-06-19T18:16:37Z
dc.date.issued2025-01-01
dc.description.abstractAim: Understanding environmental change over large spatial and temporal scales requires working at a broad ecological scale to enable cross-site comparisons. This allows data-based comparisons to dynamic vegetation model outputs, with utility for climate and land cover modelling. We synthesise multisite pollen data at the biome level to understand Equatorial Afromontane ecosystem response to climate change over the last 50,000 years and quantitatively document the timing, character and spatial patterns of ecosystem transitions. Location: Mountains of Equatorial East Africa. Time Period: Late Quaternary (50,000 cal year BP–present). Taxon: Angiosperms (trees, shrubs and grasses), gymnosperms (conifers), pteridophytes (ferns) and bryophytes (clubmosses). Methods: A literature review revealed 58 available published pollen sites from Equatorial East African Mountains. Original geochronological and palynological data were collated from 34 sites from the African Pollen Database (APD) and directly from authors. Pollen taxonomies were updated and harmonised using the African Plant Database. The geochronologies were reanalysed and radiocarbon data (n = 219) were IntCal20 calibrated to develop linearly interpolated age-depth models. The 636 pollen taxa were grouped into 21 plant functional types and combined into seven biomes that represent the range of montane ecosystems. A rate of change analysis at each site provided a scale of the change through time at each site. Results: Mesic montane forest biomes were present throughout the 50,000 cal year BP. Cold and dry montane biomes expanded during and after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Warm and wet forest biomes expanded from the early Holocene and more open biomes expanded in the Late Holocene. Regional differences were observed, such as the Eastern Arc Mountain sites recording relatively little change in comparison with isolated volcanic mountains. The rate of change analysis highlights periods with a high rate of change (45,000–35,000, 11,000–5000 and 5000–present) while 35,000–20,000 is relatively stable. Main Conclusions: Equatorial East African Montane forests are driven by local to regional vegetation responses to past climate changes. The research highlights that both the pace and nature of interactions in ecological systems vary widely across these montane forests.
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Biogeography (2025)
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/jbi.15173
dc.identifier.eissn13652699
dc.identifier.issn03050270
dc.identifier.scopus2-s2.0-105007828612
dc.identifier.urihttps://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/110787
dc.rights.holderSCOPUS
dc.subjectEnvironmental Science
dc.subjectAgricultural and Biological Sciences
dc.titleLate Quaternary Montane Forest Dynamics From Equatorial East Africa: A Biome Perspective
dc.typeArticle
mu.datasource.scopushttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=105007828612&origin=inward
oaire.citation.titleJournal of Biogeography
oairecerif.author.affiliationFaculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University
oairecerif.author.affiliationUniversität Basel
oairecerif.author.affiliationIndependent Researcher
oairecerif.author.affiliationUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal
oairecerif.author.affiliationMax-Planck-Institut für Geoanthropologie
oairecerif.author.affiliationSouth African Environmental Observation Network
oairecerif.author.affiliationNelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology
oairecerif.author.affiliationMbarara University of Science and Technology
oairecerif.author.affiliationNational Museums of Kenya
oairecerif.author.affiliationUniversity of York
oairecerif.author.affiliationTechnische Universität Dresden

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