72. Loch Doon IV, Galloway Hills (Scotland)

The Galloway Hills are located in southwest Scotland at the western end of the Southern Uplands. The glaciated massif has a maximum height of 843 m (Merrick) above sea level (a.s.l.). The solid geology consists largely of Ordovician and Silurian greywackes and shales with Devonian age granitic and associated igneous intrusions (Stone et al. Citation2012). The landscape is characterised by glacial drift, lakes and extensive areas of blanket and basin mire (Boatman Citation1983). The climate is oceanic, with predominant southwesterly winds, rainfall averaging around 2300 mm per annum and a mean temperature range (February–August) of 2.0‒13.4 °C (cf. Bown Citation1973). Gleyed soils and humus-iron and peaty podzols are common. The original woodland of the Galloway Hills has been described as oak with either birch (McVean & Ratcliffe Citation1962) or hazel (Rackham Citation2006), but little remains other than some Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., Betula pubescens Ehrh., and Sorbus aucuparia L. with an understorey including Vaccinium myrtillus L., Deschampsia flexuosa (L.) Trin., Luzula sylvatica (Huds.) Gaudin and Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn. There has been extensive conifer plantation. The areas of blanket peat are dominated by Trichophorum-Eriophorum communities in patterned areas, and Molinia-Calluna communities otherwise. The remains of Pinus sylvestris L. stumps in peat are notable. Previous palynological studies span the Late Glacial to the present-day and include peat and lake sites (cf. Newell Citation1990).

Loch Doon IV (55° 12′ 27″ N, 4° 23′ 11″ W) is a deep (4.08 m) mire which is possibly intermediate between blanket and basin forms, at least partially cut-over, and is located 125 m west of the southern end of Loch Doon at an altitude of 220 m a.s.l. The bedrock at the sampling site is tonalite and the surface vegetation at the time of sampling was principally Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull, Myrica gale L. and Molinia caerulea (L.) Moench with small areas of Sphagnum spp. Full details of the site, sampling and laboratory methods are presented elsewhere (Newell Citation1990).