During the late glacial Pinus forest developed around the lake, indicating cold and dry conditions.
In response, fire activity increased facilitating a transition from Picea parkland to closed Pinus forest.
At 10,200 9910 cal BP, a cut-off channel began to infill with peat, while the surrounding floodplain remained relatively dry with Pinus forest growing nearby.
The Pinus forest was at the two southwestern sites mixed with Betula and Alnus was closer to the sites between 8500 and 7500 cal years BP.
The distribution pattern of soil phytoliths from topsoil to subsoil could be classified into three types: significantly decreasing pattern (Betula forest and Quercus forest), non-significantly decreasing pattern (Larix forest), and initially increasing and then decreasing pattern (Pinus forest).
The local and regional impact of humans increased substantially after ca 2700 years ago, with the loss of Pinus forest within the mountain range, increases in evidence of pasturing herbivores around the lake, and Olea cultivation at lower elevations.
To unravel the role of forest composition on phytolith production, soil phytolith distribution, and phytolith C sequestration in soils, we investigated community composition and examined phytoliths and PhytOC of mature leaves or needles of dominant trees and understory herbs, as well as soil profiles (50 cm depth) within Quercus, Betula, Larix and Pinus forest ecosystems of northern China.
They have been widely demonstrated as potential markers for establishing molecular evolutionary histories, demographic diversity and resolving phylogeny in a wide variety of species from Pinus (forest species) to Oryza sativa (Monocots).
Six plots were in areas where no control efforts had taken place, resulting in closed-canopy Pinus stands of ca. 10 m height and 147.6 % cover (summed across height tiers; 'No-Removal'), and five plots fell into areas where a similar closed-canopy Pinus forest had been removed ca. 3 years prior to our measurement ('Tree-Removal'), with 2.3%% P. contorta cover.
