Quaternary molluscs of Blanský les

Rich mollusc assemblages preserved in two profiles of fossiliferous sediment in the Blanský les area, provided the evidence about the Late Glacial and Holocene in this region, which is one of the most faunistically known areas of Central Europe. Findings of Quaternary faunas are very rare in Southern Bohemia, so these two soil profiles near Český Krumlov are so important for understanding the postglacial succession of Central Europe. The fossil mollusc assemblages showed an early appearance of forest species, which dominated both sites from the Boreal till Subboreal. Forest development in the Holocene Climatic Optimum reached a maximum, due to the absence of Neolithic man. Steppe species almost completely disappeared during this period. The development of the Young Holocene was linked to a decrease of the forest on the first site and the deforestation of the second site, due to a combination of a humidity decrease and human impact. In addition, some southern elements involved in the postglacial colonization of Central Europe, were found there. A few of them were found in a much older deposit than expected