Development of pollen assemblage zones in soil profiles in southeastern England

Abstract

Four soil profiles within c. 4 ha of dry heathland on lping Common, southeastern England were studied. Two were podzols, one was a buried profile from beneath a Bronze‐age barrow and one was a profile buried beneath sediment in a small pond. Loss on ignition, particle size analysis, iron concentration and pollen concentration were determined and a pollen diagram prepared for each profile. It is suggested that discrete soil pollen assemblage zones arise from their incorporation by successively shallower‐burrowing earthworm populations as the soils and vegetation change from mull to mor types. The implications of this mode of incorporation to the interpretation of soil pollen diagrams are discussed. A sequence of vegetation and soils for this area is suggested as follows:(1) mixed deciduous woodland of Quercus. Tilia and Corylus with a fern‐rich understorey growing in a mull soil, (2) scrub woodland of Betula and Corylus with Pteridium and some Callunu, (3) Calluna heathland on podzolised soils. 14C dates obtained from podzol Bh horizons and the buried soil beneath the pond were inconclusive.