Long-term changes in the extent of heather moorland in upland Britain and Ireland
Palaeoecological evidence for the importance of grazing
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12265568 |
|---|---|
| Authors | A C Stevenson (Newcastle University), Tony Stevenson (0000-0002-8870-1041, Newcastle University, corresponding author), D B A Thompson (0000-0003-0680-0853, Uplands and Peatlands Branch, Research and Advisory Services Directorate, Scottish Natural Heritage, 2/5 Anderson Place, Edinburgh EH6 5NP, Scotland) |
| Year | 1993 |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 70-76 |
| Publication date | 1993-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Holocene (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0959-6836 • E-ISSN: 1477-0911 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/095968369300300108 |
| OpenAlex | W2020493030 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 11 |
| References cited | 25 |
On the basis of pollen analysis of 210 Pb-dated lake and loch sediment cores from across upland Britain and Ireland we show that heather cover has declined in c. 90% of sites over the last 200 years. Our analysis covers the time from AD 1400 to the present with a resolution of decades. Major losses commenced during the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, and were greatest in regions with high grazing pressures from sheep. Subsequently, extensive afforestation from the 1920s has caused further significant losses of Calluna moorland. Adverse effects due to acidic deposition and eutrophication, described already in continental heathlands, remain to be demonstrated on upland heather moorland in Britain
Afforestation · Archaeology · Biology · Calluna · Deposition (geology · Eutrophication · Geography · Geomorphology · Grazing · Holocene · Macrofossil · Moorland · Physical geography · Sediment · Environmental Science · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Hydrology and Sediment Transport Processes · Soil erosion and sediment transport · Ecology · Forestry · Geology
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| Unique citing works | 11 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.39 |
| Citation span | 1998 - 2023 (26) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 11 |