TY - JOUR
T1 - Development of vegetation in the Central Mojave Desert of California during the late Quaternary
AU - Koehler, Peter A.
AU - Anderson, R. Scott
AU - Spaulding, W. Geoffrey
N1 - Funding Information:
We wish to thank Walt Cassidy (National Training Center, Fort Irwin), Brian Byrd (ASM Affiliates), and the University of California Desert Studies Center at Zzyzx and its staff for logistical support; Matt “Spike” Hall, Mark “Hammer” Basgall, Mike Kelly and Kathleen Bergin for their help with the midden field collection; Scott Szechenyi for help with midden sorting; John Cannella and Kirsten Larsen for the maps; and Susie Smith, whose help is always appreciated. The analysis of the Granite Mountain middens was carried out at the Las Vegas Laboratory of Dames and Moore, and we thank Jamie Cleland for his encouragement of that effort. We also thank Pamela Maxwell (Army Corps of Engineers) for help and permission to publish data from our initial report ( Koehler and Anderson, 1995 ). This project was supported by Far Western Anthropological Research Group and ASM Affiliates, (contract # DACA09-94-D-0019), Dames and Moore, with financial support from David Miller (US Geological Survey). Laboratory of Paleoecology contribution # 61.
PY - 2005/1/6
Y1 - 2005/1/6
N2 - Vegetation analysis of 47 Neotoma (packrat) middens from the core of the central Mojave Desert of California reveal changes in desert plant community composition over the last ca. 24,000 years BP, one of the lowest and most arid locations in North America. Habitat currently dominated by Mojave Desert Larrea tridentata (creosote bush) was occupied prior to ca. 11,500 years BP by Pinus monophylla (piñon), Juniperus osteosperma (Utah juniper), Purshia mexicana (bitterbush), Cercocarpus ledifolius (mountain mahogany), and Prunus fasciculata (desert almond) woodland above 1000 m. P. monophylla-Juniperus woodland was widespread over the southern and central Mojave Desert. However, less than 150 km north of the central Mojave, J. osteosperma steppe dominated the landscape. Paleoecologic records spanning latitude 35°N ca. 37°N document a biogeographic boundary between milder, moister environments to the south and the colder, drier environments to the north. At elevations <1000 m desert scrub species of Lycium cooperi (wolfberry), Salvia mojavensis (Mojave sage) and the mesophytic Prosopis juliflora (mesquite) occurred near the shore of pluvial Lake Mojave from ca. 8810 to 8430 years BP. Larrea is not recorded on the xeric carbonate substrates (605 m) until ca. 6990 years BP, then took over 2000 years to dominate the regional landscape. Modern vegetation associates such as Thamnosma montana (desert rue) and Atriplex confertifolia (shadscale) were established by ca. 4500 years BP. Late Holocene vegetation changes document Neoglacial cooling and wetter conditions than today between ca. 3490 and 2640 years BP, paralleling the regional pluvial lake highstands and marsh deposit records. Decreases of mesophytic Mojave Desert associates in the Granite Mountains suggest climates similar to today's aridity between ca. 1970 and 1440 years BP. Mesophytic species increase in middens dating between ca. 1390 and 700 years BP at higher elevation sites; during the same time Prosopis occurs at lower elevation sites.
AB - Vegetation analysis of 47 Neotoma (packrat) middens from the core of the central Mojave Desert of California reveal changes in desert plant community composition over the last ca. 24,000 years BP, one of the lowest and most arid locations in North America. Habitat currently dominated by Mojave Desert Larrea tridentata (creosote bush) was occupied prior to ca. 11,500 years BP by Pinus monophylla (piñon), Juniperus osteosperma (Utah juniper), Purshia mexicana (bitterbush), Cercocarpus ledifolius (mountain mahogany), and Prunus fasciculata (desert almond) woodland above 1000 m. P. monophylla-Juniperus woodland was widespread over the southern and central Mojave Desert. However, less than 150 km north of the central Mojave, J. osteosperma steppe dominated the landscape. Paleoecologic records spanning latitude 35°N ca. 37°N document a biogeographic boundary between milder, moister environments to the south and the colder, drier environments to the north. At elevations <1000 m desert scrub species of Lycium cooperi (wolfberry), Salvia mojavensis (Mojave sage) and the mesophytic Prosopis juliflora (mesquite) occurred near the shore of pluvial Lake Mojave from ca. 8810 to 8430 years BP. Larrea is not recorded on the xeric carbonate substrates (605 m) until ca. 6990 years BP, then took over 2000 years to dominate the regional landscape. Modern vegetation associates such as Thamnosma montana (desert rue) and Atriplex confertifolia (shadscale) were established by ca. 4500 years BP. Late Holocene vegetation changes document Neoglacial cooling and wetter conditions than today between ca. 3490 and 2640 years BP, paralleling the regional pluvial lake highstands and marsh deposit records. Decreases of mesophytic Mojave Desert associates in the Granite Mountains suggest climates similar to today's aridity between ca. 1970 and 1440 years BP. Mesophytic species increase in middens dating between ca. 1390 and 700 years BP at higher elevation sites; during the same time Prosopis occurs at lower elevation sites.
KW - Climate change
KW - Death Valley
KW - Holocene
KW - Larrea tridentata (creosote bush)
KW - Mojave desert
KW - Packrat middens
KW - Paleoecology
KW - Pinus monophylla (piñon)
KW - Quaternary
KW - Vegetation change
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=10344264496&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.palaeo.2004.09.010
DO - 10.1016/j.palaeo.2004.09.010
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:10344264496
SN - 0031-0182
VL - 215
SP - 297
EP - 311
JO - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
JF - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
IS - 3-4
ER -