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Vegetation history and human impacts from Thong Pha Phum, western Thailand during the past 700 years

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Abstract

Palaeoecological analyses including pollen and charcoal analyses on a sediment core (NP3) collected from Nong Pling freshwater spring area in Thong Pha Phum, western Thailand are used to reconstruct past environmental change. The results demonstrate that there were changes in plant composition over the past 700 years resulting from interactions between hydrological conditions in relation to rainfall variability, and anthropogenic activity. Open vegetation such as grasses and lowland forest were established in Nong Pling freshwater spring forest from at least around ad 1300 suggesting drier conditions than present until around ad 1460. After that, decreased lowland forest and increased freshwater spring taxa together with the low charcoal contents indicate wetter conditions than during the former period, which allowed freshwater spring taxa to establish until around ad 1800. There were some fluctuations between freshwater spring taxa and lowland forest with open vegetation, probably due to rainfall fluctuations particularly after ad 1800 until the present. Moreover, recent increases in total charcoal accumulation, especially in large particles and the appearance of domesticated grass pollen may be related to recent human interaction within the ecosystems in Thong Pha Phum.

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Acknowledgements

Appreciation is expressed to Yotesawate Sirichamorn, Thanikarn Udomchalothorn, undergraduate students from the Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, staff from the Forest Industry Organization, Thong Pha Phum, Mr Sampan Tongnunui and the local people for their support and assistance throughout the fieldwork. I also would like to thank Sakonvan Chawchai for valuable comments and suggestions for improving this manuscript and all the staff at the Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, for support in the laboratory and faculty in general and also those at the Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Science. This research project is supported by Mahidol University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University, Phutthamonthon Sai 4 Road, Nakhon Pathom, 73170, Thailand

    Paramita Punwong

  2. Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, King Rama VI Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand

    Apichaya Englong & Paweena Traiperm

  3. Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Pratumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Akkaneewut Chabangborn

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  1. Paramita Punwong
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Correspondence to Paramita Punwong.

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Communicated by J. Kitagawa.

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Punwong, P., Englong, A., Traiperm, P. et al. Vegetation history and human impacts from Thong Pha Phum, western Thailand during the past 700 years. Veget Hist Archaeobot 30, 383–394 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-020-00786-y

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