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Features and Trends of Meadow Landscape Evolution

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Psammic Peinobiomes

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 247))

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Abstract

Four biophysical features were selected to describe and interpret evolution trends in the meadow environment, including sedimentary stratifications and lithological discontinuities, vegetation and soil contacts in ecotone areas, erosion and suffusion microrelief, and buried Spodosols. The frequency of stratifications, some of which are contrasting enough to constitute lithological discontinuities, indicates that the regional sand cover under meadow is overall of sedimentary origin, formed by discontinuous sedimentation episodes during parts of the Holocene. Wooded vegetation (caatinga, bana) in contact areas with adjacent meadows is established on stratified sand sediments similar to those underlying the meadows. There is thus spatial continuity of the sand cover under both vegetation types. Caatinga terrain in ecotone areas is incised by erosion channels that seem not to be functional today, as there are no deposits at their outlets into the neighboring meadow areas. Channel incision is possibly related to climatic conditions drier than the current ones resulting in a lowering of the regional drainage base level in rivers and streams. Coalescing channel networks at the exit of the caatinga terrains cause truncation of the original sedimentary surface in the meadow. Microrelief is a relevant terrain feature in relatively stabilized alluvial flats and peneplain glacis. Erosion rills and channels caused by rainfall runoff and closed pans and channels resulting from suffusion evidence dynamic terrain surface morphology. Truncated Spodosols buried under subsequent sand sediments are possibly remnants of an earlier terrain surface under caatinga existing before the regional sand cover took place. There is no evidence of podzolization in the sand cover under the current meadow vegetation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands

    J. A. Zinck

  2. Caracas, Venezuela

    P. García Montero

Authors
  1. J. A. Zinck
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  2. P. García Montero
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente, Enschede, Overijssel, The Netherlands

    Joseph Alfred Zinck

  2. Museum of Nature South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy

    Otto Huber

  3. Private Activity, Soil Survey and Environmental Planning, Caracas, Venezuela

    Pedro García Montero

  4. Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Centro de Ecología, Caracas, Venezuela

    Ernesto Medina

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Zinck, J.A., Montero, P.G. (2023). Features and Trends of Meadow Landscape Evolution. In: Zinck, J.A., Huber, O., García Montero, P., Medina, E. (eds) Psammic Peinobiomes. Ecological Studies, vol 247. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20799-0_10

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