Eucalyptus spp. pollen transport across Liawenee Moor, on the Central Plateau of Tasmania

Abstract

Investigation of Eucalyptus spp. pollen transport modes on Liawenee Moor in Tasmania revealed that it is possible to separate woodland areas from areas of moor and heath vegetation. While most Eucalyptus spp. pollen is deposited locally, a relatively small component is distributed across treeless areas, where it behaves in a manner similar to the long-distance transported (LOT) pollen ofrainforest and alpine conifer taxa. When deposited into lakes, the Eucalyptus spp. component of the terrestrial pollen is increased compared with local pollen. Knowledge of the percentage Eucalyptus spp. pollen values from extant vegetation communities and the LOT components ofEucalyptus spp. and rainforest-alpine conifer taxa is useful for palaeoecological interpretation of vegetation history from lake sediment cores. Applied to the 8000-year-Iong Camerons Lagoon record, the study confirms the treeless character of Liawenee Moor during the Holocene. The evidence indicates that the moorland has altered from grassy to heath, due to the impacts ofgrazing and burning associated with European pastoral practices, but that the boundaries between the moor and adjacent woodlands have remained stable.