Palynological research in the Mediterranean and Saharan areas
Plant biodiversity, environmental transformations and ecological contexts and human-plant interdependence, including climate oscillations, hydrological variability, vegetation dynamics and human impact are carried out by means of analyses of pollen, palynomorphs, microscopic charcoal particles and other plant remains from archaeological layers, sediment sequences, terrestrial and marine cores. Fieldwork for sampling, morphological and molecular analyses, statistical data elaboration and graphical representations are among the main general techniques. The temporal scale for palynology and botany is the Lateglacial-Holocene. Main sites are archaeological sites and lake cores, with special interest on Lake Ohrid (Macedonia). The research is interdisciplinary, especially with geologists and archaeologists. Studies on palaeoecology, palaeoenviroment and vegetation history are regarded as a basis to understand the present landscape, and integration with ecological studies on modern contexts may be the focus of conservation strategies and sustainable environment management. Studies on palaeoethnobotany and past land use strategies are integrated with research on ethnobotany and agrarian development in recent times aiming for the understanding of current traditions, uses and cultural landscape assessments.
Researchers: Anna Maria Mercuri, Assunta Florenzano
