@article{fdi:010093461,
  title = {{S}ensitivity to climate and vegetation dynamics of a peatland record from central {C}ameroon during the {A}frican {H}umid {P}eriod},
  author = {{S}chaaff, {V}alentine and {G}rossi, {V}. and {M}akou, {M}. and {G}arcin, {Y}annick and {D}eschamps, {P}ierre and {H}amelin, {B}. and {K}iahtipes, {C}. {A}. and {S}ebag, {D}. and {N}gatcha, {B}. {N}. and {M}{\'e}not, {G}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{S}ignificant climatic and vegetation changes have occurred in tropical {A}frica over the {H}olocene, especially during the {A}frican {H}umid {P}eriod ({AHP}). {H}owever, the complexity of interpreting and comparing several proxies from diverse sites complicates the characterization and differentiation of climatic and environmental changes at local, regional and global scales. {T}his study investigates a 6-m peat core from the {N}gaoundaba maar volcanic crater ({N}ortheastern {C}ameroon, later simply called {N}gaoundaba), spanning the last 10 ka using pollen analysis and a large panel of lipid biomarkers. {W}e produce new high-resolution, continuous, multiproxy records of vegetation, temperature, and precipitation spanning most of the {H}olocene. {A}ll of these proxies indicate a substantial transition approximately 5.7-5.6 ka cal {BP}, which is supported by cluster analyses and marks the end of the {AHP}. {A} shift from an open-water to a vegetated peatland, the disappearance of some wooded species, and the expansion of grass and sedge pollen all indicate significant local and regional changes. {T}he gradual terrestrialization of peat surfaces also had an impact on lipid biomarker proxies. {A}n unusual extensive variation in hydrogen isotopic composition ({D}/{H}) of long-chain n-alkanes during the {H}olocene, in contrast to other records from {W}est and {C}entral {A}frica, may be attributed to the increased contribution from local wetland plants, including sedges and grasses, which thrive in peat water that is more {D}-enriched than rainwater, peat water being the water accumulating in the wetland. {L}ikewise, temperature variations reconstructed using bacterial branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (br{GDGT}s) are influenced by confounding factors, like changes in peat p{H} or moisture levels, which may be constrained using our multiproxy methodology. {T}he temperature record from {N}gaoundaba indicates a slight increase in temperature during the mid-{H}olocene relative to pre-industrial levels. {T}he {N}gaoundaba peat deposit documents a massive and abrupt shift in vegetation at the end of the {AHP}, linked with changes in precipitation amount and/or seasonality, which also significantly affected the peat microbial community. {T}he {N}gaoundaba peat record, because of its high sensitivity to climatic and environmental changes, is a crucial new source for understanding the end of the {A}frican {H}umid {P}eriod in {W}estern {C}entral {A}frica.},
  keywords = {{L}ipid biomarkers ; {P}ollen ; {C}entral {A}frica ({C}ameroon) ; {A}frican {H}umid ; {P}eriod ; {T}ropical peatland ; {I}sotopes ; {CAMEROUN}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{Q}uaternary {S}cience {R}eviews},
  volume = {358},
  numero = {},
  pages = {109307 [16 ]},
  ISSN = {0277-3791},
  year = {2025},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109307},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010093461},
}