Altitudinal variation in the biotic response to recurrent climate fluctuations and human impact during the past 15,000 years in the Carpathian region

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The aim of our proposal has been to assess rates of past biotic response to climate and human impact and the likely drivers of change using a multidisciplinary approach combining both an extensive range of palaeo-techniques and innovative numerical modeling approaches. The proposal has been focused on one of the most ecologically critical regions of Europe; the Carpathian region and includes two zones sensitive to future climate and land use; the lowlands and the high mountain areas. Techniques employed include fossil pollen, plant macrofossils, charred remains, micro and macro-charcoal, mineral magnetic measurements, elemental geochemistry, stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, ostracoda, Pb210, C14 dating in conjunction with climate and vegetation modeling, applied to a network of sedimentary sequences from an altitudinal gradient (250-2000 m) across Romania. By combining palaeoecological and geochemical analyses and vegetation modelling, we aim at enhancing our understanding of past climate and vegetation dynamics in this important yet under investigated study region, which is also crucial for projections of potential future climate and land cover changes.