Palynological evidence for late Westphalian–early Stephanian vegetation change in the Dobrudzha Coalfield, NE Bulgaria

What is it about?

Pollen and spores obtained form coals in the Dobrudzha Coalfield (NE Bulgaria) provide evidence of the wetland vegetation growing in eastern Europe during late Westphalian times. It indicates that marattialean ferns replaced lycopsids significantly earlier here than in the more westerly basins of Variscan Euramerica. This suggests the change in vegetation cannot be entirely be explained in terms of climate change, and that other factors such as landscape change must also have been a significant contributing factor. Changes in the pollen and spore floras within each coal also revealed evidence of vegetation succession as each successive swamp developed.

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Why is it important?

The data reported here provide important evidence as to what triggered the late Westphalian (late Moscovian) vegetation change in the tropical wetlands of Euramerica - tectonically-driven landscape change may have been more important than climate in causing this change. Is it possible that, if climate change did not cause the vegetation change, maybe the vegetation change and consequential reduction in forest productivity alter atmospheric composition and this climate?

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