Vegetation change inferred from the pollen record in recent sediments from around the Lagos-East coastal environment (SW Nigeria)
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Date
2019
Authors
Ajikah, L. B.
Adekanmbi, O. H.
Ogundipe, O.T.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Sciendo
Abstract
Recent sediments from the coastal environment of Lagos East, Nigeria, were used to make a palynological reconstruction of the vegetation of the study area and to draw inferences about its palaeoclimate. A total of 8456 palynomorphs were recovered, dominated by pollen grains of Poaceae (13.96%), Cyperaceae (6.23%), Alchornea cordifolia Müll-Arg (8.36%) and Elaeis guineensis Jacq (2.41%). Others were Cyclosorus afer Ching (2.18%), Rhizophora sp. (0.45%), Nephrolepis sp. (1.03%), Celtis sp. (0.25%) and Pteris sp. (0.13%). The composition of the recovered palynomorphs suggests that the past vegetation was predominantly a mosaic of freshwater swamp, with open to dry climate, as indicated by the records of Cyperaceae, Alchornea cordifolia, Elaeis guineensis, Arecaceae, Asteraceae, Acanthaceae and Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae. Radiocarbon dates obtained from two depths (surface and deepest) indicate that the sediments were deposited around the last 103.8 ± 0.4 pMC (percentage Modern Carbon) and 111.9 ± 0.4 pMC, hence in the late Holocene. The study identified fluctuations between wet and dry climatic conditions in the Holocene of this area.
Description
Keywords
pollen , Holocene , vegetation change , south-western Nigeria
Citation
Ajikah, L. B., Adekanmbi, O. H. and Ogundipe, O. T. (2019). Vegetation change inferred from the pollen record in recent sediments from around the Lagos-East coastal environment (SW Nigeria).Acta Palaeobotanica 59(1): 165–175