Vegetation transitions in intentionally fired areas reconstructed from phytolith and macroscopic charcoal records in the Kinki District, central Japan

Abstract

The history of grassland and intentional fires has been reconstructed from the analysis of phytoliths and macroscopic charcoals in cumulative soils in many areas in Japan. This paper reviews the history of vegetation, primarily grasslands and intentional fires reconstructed from phytolith and macroscopic charcoal records in cumulative soils in the Soni, Tonomine, and Kannabe Plateaus in the Kinki District, central Japan. We also apply a principal component analysis to the percentages of phytolith morphotypes and macroscopic charcoal concentrations in three areas to assess the effects of fire occurrences on the respective vegetation types.