Abstract
The fossil chironomid fauna of a 3.26 m long sediment core from Lake Grasmere has been analysed. The fossil chironomid taxa belong mainly to the subgroups Tanytarsini, Orthocladiinae, Chironomini, and Tanyphodinae. Heptagyini and Podonominae were not common. Tanytarsini were the dominant component of the fauna with Corynocera sp. as the most abundant species during pre-Polynesian times (before 1000 yr BP). The abundance and the composition of the fossil chironomid taxa have fluctuated markedly over the last 6000 years. These fluctuations could be partly correlated with changes in the stratigraphy of the sediments in the core. Layers of highly minerogenic sediment contained the lowest numbers of remains whereas high abundances were found in the sections of the core with the greatest proportion of organic matter. It is suggested that major shifts in the structure of the chironomid community have been mainly caused by changes in the hydrology and inflows of the lake, and the rate and type of sedimentation, in addition to variations in lake productivity.
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Schakau, B. (1990). Stratigraphy of the fossil Chironomidae (Diptera) from Lake Grasmere, South Island, New Zealand, during the last 6000 years. In: Smith, J.P., et al. Environmental History and Palaeolimnology. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 67. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3592-4_28
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3592-4_28
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