Rapid succession of plant associations on the small ocean island of Mauritius at the onset of the Holocene

► A high-resolution pollen record documents forest dynamics in upland Mauritius. ► Two stable forest states are registered during the Last Glacial and Holocene. ► Onset of Holocene is characterized by a cascade of four abrupt forest transitions. ► These transitions reflect forest response to climate change alternative to migration. ► Biodiverse gallery forest facilitates rapid species exchange with montane forests.