Sediment record from the Kamyshovoe Lake: history of vegetation during late Pleistocene – early Holocene (Kaliningrad District, Russia)

Newly obtained pollen and diatom data from the Kamyshovoe Lake (germ. Dobauen, Vishtynets Highland, Baltic Uplands) controlled by radiocarbon dating allowed to reconstruct the history of local vegetation during late Pleistocene – early Holocene. Pollen records show the formation of birch-predominating forest at ca. 13.4 ka cal. BP and the flourishing of pine towards the second half of the chronozone since about 13.2 ka cal. BP. The transition to the Younger Dryas around 12.7 ka cal. BP led to the development of sparse shrub tundra with Juniperus and communities of steppe herbs. Amelioration of the environmental regime enabled birch and pine woods to spread during the second part of GS-1 event and the Preboreal. The late Preboreal time is marked by the appearance of Populus and an increase in the role of grasses in the vegetation cover, which can be correlated to similar open vegetation phases deduced from other pollen records in Europe (11.3–11.1 ka cal. BP). During the Boreal (since ca. 10.0 ka cal. BP) Corylus had its maximum value, Alnus, Tilia and Quercus appeared and spread while the birch-pine forests retreated.