The interpretation of Mollusca from Holocene overbank alluvium: progress and future directions

Mollusca tend to be readily preserved in Holocene overbank alluvium of central southern England and have been used to reconstruct floodplain environmental histories. One of the major features of these molluscan sequences is that certain species associations tend to be recurrent through both space and time. These taxocenes are assessed with respect to molluscan diagrams published to date and with respect to three previously unpublished sequences from the Rivers Wylye, (Wiltshire) and Itchen (Hampshire). Their relevance with respect to modern molluscan work from the same region is also explored. Finally, future research directions for studying the Mollusca from Holocene overbank alluvium are suggested. Small scale temporal and spatial studies are suggested for both sub-fossil and modern Mollusca.