Abstract
Solomons Jewel Lake occurs in an area of subalpine woodland with patches of cool temperate rain forest and the conifer Athrotaxis cupressoides, which is found mainly along stream channels. A pollen record shows that the main vegetation types have not varied throughout the last 4000 years but subtle changes are evident in some elements. Apart from a reduction in Eucalyptus for about 300 years, beginning around 3500 BP, the sclerophyll vegetation has remained relatively unchanged. A small decline in rainforest taxa began around 1700 BP, followed by an expansion of Sphagnum from 1200 BP, then Athrotaxis cupressoides and Cyperaceae from 800-900 BP. These trends probably represent a chain of events associated with a cooling which reduced rain forest and allowed wetland areas to expand. These then provided additional habitat for Athrotaxis cupressoides which expanded because the wetlands provided additional protection from fire.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
