Abstract
Volcanic processes might have played an important role in the vegetation history of Sumatra, one of the largest and most tectonically active region in Southeast Asia. Palynological and macro-charcoal analysis results from Lake Njalau in the Kerinci Seblat National Park (KSNP) in Sumatra (Indonesia) provide an understanding of interactions between the volcanic deposition and vegetation in the past 5000 years. The deposition of volcanic material in the depression of the Lake Njalau (5100–4400 cal. yr BP) led to the dominance of pioneer species of Casuarina and Myrica, which grow in deforested land and volcano slopes (volcanophile taxa). The formation of the modern forest composition took several centuries after the volcanic deposition in the soil ended (ca. 900 years at ca. 2400 cal. yr BP). This suggests that the vegetation changes were not driven by a successional pattern, and soil formation was the most important environmental factor explaining this slow change in composition. The palynological records show no evidence for prehistoric human–landscape interactions in the area despite the close proximity to known megalith sites. The local fire regime reconstructed using macro-charcoal analysis indicates that fire was rare for the last 5000 years, and the average fire return interval was ca. 500 years. Phases of increased fire frequency could not be linked to either any of the vegetation phases or regional climatic changes, suggesting that fire occurrences were stochastic events. Our results overall suggest that volcanism has acted as one important driver of changes in the rainforests of the KSNP.
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