Paludification and pollen representation: the influence of wetland size on Tilia representation in pollen diagrams

Abstract

The representation of taxa with poorly dispersed pollen grains in pollen diagrams is strongly influenced by basin size. Waterlogging and peat formation (paludification) can, by leading to an expansion in wetland area, produce changes in the representation of dry-land taxa. This phenomenon appears to be responsible for reductions in Tilia pollen at a number of sites across lowland England, reductions which formerly may have been wrongly attributed to anthropogenic activity. Distinguishing between these processes can be problematic as both are likely to produce increases in herb pollen.