Detecting human impacts: non-pollen palynomorphs as proxies for human impact on the environment

Abstract

Abstract Non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) are widely used to detect human activities, in addition to the anthropogenic indicators used in palynology. This paper first tries to determine the best way to approach most probable number (MPN) counting for young scientists. It then looks at the anthropogenic indicators and the different types of human activity that can reveal the studied taxa. Among the different fungal spores, coprophilous fungi are very useful to evidence pastoral activities and grazing pressure. Numerous taxa related to dung are also indicators of decaying organic matter and deserve our attention. Erosion processes due to human activities increase the representation of fungal spores. Development of carbonicolous fungal spores in association with fire and algal assemblages due to eutrophication are also considered. Indeed, studies focusing on modern analogues have greatly improved our understanding of spore taphonomy, and the relationship between spore abundance and local livestock biomass and composition.