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This thesis considers some of the main issues surrounding the quantitative models that have been developed to reconstruct vegetation from pollen assemblages. Conducted within a pine dominated woodland, a palynologically difficult landscape, to determine vegetation changes over the late Holocene the results highlight the complexities of undertaking such studies in these contexts. Pollen productivity estimates were calculated from moss samples over the woodland using complete sets and derived subsets to detect influences of sampling design on resultant model output. Differences in the PPE sets were compared using reconstructions from simulation models in comparison to observed vegetation patterns. The results indicate that both parameter calculation and model reconstructions were influenced by the landscape form and composition. Sensitivity of the models to such small variations in parameter values heightens the need for robust data generation and increased investigation to controlling factors on pollen productivity. Performance of the reconstruction models experienced variation with respect to deposition basin size and site specific characteristics. Overall, the regional reconstructions proved to generate more confident estimates of vegetation cover whilst local scale reconstructions were subject to greater variability. Comparison of the quantitative modelling to standard interpretation and the modern analogue approach shows contrasts between the results obtained with respect to limitations associated with each method and the time frames, recent (ca. 100 years) and longer (ca. 3000 years), over which they were applied. Consequently, no one quantitative approach could be identified as being superior as site specific variations were recognised in relation to the most suitable approach. In response, a hierarchical technique is proposed to utilise the benefits of each technique and to obtain detailed information to strengthen interpretations. However, it is stressed study specific constrains that determine the available resources will influence the ability to fully apply this composite approach.

This research project used many disciplines to examine the impacts of industrialisation on the wooded landscape of the South Pennines. The woodlands of this upland region are characterised by their small size and steep topography. Nevertheless, they exhibit a rich archaeology of management from the medieval period onwards. Field survey of case study sites was combined with charcoal analysis from excavated burning platforms, palynology of soil cores, tree ring analysis and ecological survey. This was set within a historical context, particularly focusing on the regional industries of iron, leather and textiles, in order to understand the economic motivations for changes in woodland management. The woodlands examined showed a diverse range of histories. Some had a strong correlation with models of changing woodland management culture of neighbouring regions, particularly the evolution of systematic oak-dominated coppice in response to industrial demands. Woodland management in the South Pennines was more sensitive to industries which created dispersed demand from many actors than to bulk demand from centralised industries and responded to the changing economics of the fossil fuel era. The dominance of freehold tenure also contributed to many woodlands being managed in an unsystematic manner and the survival of private wood pasture alongside timber harvesting. / Arts and Humanities Research Council through the Heritage Consortium

This thesis is focused on faunistic survey of Macrolepidoptera in Loučany (foothills of the Šumava Mts, Czech Republic). The research, involving different capture methods, proceeded from April to November 2015 on given transect and several other habitats. Based on the results (including partial data from 2013 and the last two decades of the 20th century), an inventory of identified species of Macrolepidoptera was made. Altogether 205 species from 16 families were found in Loučany. The most important species are for example the Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi), High Brown Fritillary (Argynnis adippe), Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne), Purple Emperor (Apatura iris), Spruce Carpet (Thera britannica) and Sandy Carpet (Perizoma affinitata). The environmental parameters of experimental sites were noticed during research and the habitat preferences of species were analysed using specialized literature. Altogether 186 species (90,7 % of all identified species) are linked to some kind of woodland habitat. To support present biodiversity of the community of Macrolepidoptera, it is necessary to practice a suitable woodland management, conserving mosaicity and open canopy. Key words: Lepidoptera, species diversity, Czech Republic, Klatovy area, conservation, woodland management