A Palynological Record of Sarracenia and Fire from a Pine Savanna Bog: Buttercup Flats, Mississippi

Abstract

Pine savanna bogs are some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the Gulf Coastal Plain of the southeastern US. This fire-dependent landscape, sometimes dominated by the genus Sarracenia (pitcher plants), has become threatened over the last century due to fire suppression and other land management practices. Some studies have estimated a reduction of these pitcher plant bogs in the region by as much as 97%. Though the exact nature of the relationship between fire and pitcher plants has long been debated, there is a well-established, positive correlation between the two. Despite numerous studies on the modern ecology of pitcher plant bogs, no known studies exist that examine their paleoenvironmental history. Here we present palynological evidence from a core recovered in Buttercup Flats, a U.S Forest Service pitcher plant restoration site in southern Mississippi. Results indicate a significant, positive relationship between the presence of Sarracenia pollen in the core and charcoal concentrations in the samples. These findings also help to establish a palynological baseline for future Sarracenia studies and provide paleoecological evidence of the widely recognized positive relationship between pitcher plants and fire on the landscape.

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