Comparison of pollen and macrofossil based reconstructions of Late Quaternary vegetation in western North America

Abstract

In western North America, vegetation reconstructions based on separate palynological and packrat ( Neotoma spp.) midden studies can be compared to explore the strengths and weaknesses of each technique. Agreement between interpretations based on the different data appears to decrease with increasing distance from the pollen site. Likely sources of disagreement can be found in both the pollen and plant macrofossil studies. For pollen-based interpretations, these include the association of fossil pollen spectra with modern vegetation types and assumptions regarding the nature of vegetation zonation during the last glacial age. Factors in midden analysis that contribute to disagreement include the restriction of macrofossil data to rocky habitats and its sparse geographic coverage. Along with providing novel tests of palynological reconstructions, balanced comparisons of plant macrofossil and pollen data allow greater understanding of interpretive factors affecting our view of Late Quaternary vegetation.