Atlas of Holocene pollen of Southern Italy (Mar Piccolo, Taranto)

Abstract

There have been plenty of palynological studies on Quaternary from the Mediterranean region in the past decades. However, few focused on the iconographic documentation of pollen grains.An illustrated, descriptive atlas of pollen from Holocene sediments (S05B core and surface samples) and mosses from Mar Piccolo (southern Italy) was compiled. The pollen atlas includes 143 taxa representative of local (wetlands including both freshwater and salt marshes), regional and extra regional sources as well as some alien taxa (e.g., Citrus medica and Eucalyptus). A total of 490 light microscopy images are organized in 15 plates concerning 27 species and 75 genera within 26 families. The atlas is intended to serve as practical guide for pollen investigations, aiming at reconstructions of flora and vegetation, as well as environmental and climate changes in southern Italy.