Abstract
Here, we describe pollen grains extracted from a Pleistocene-Holocene sediment core (BU-91-GL-05; 22°48'45S; 41°54'13W) taken from the Albacora Slope (22°48'45S; 41°54'13W), located in the Campos Basin of the northern region of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The analysis resulted in the identification and morphological description of 46 types of pollen: one of a gymnosperm genus (Podocarpus); and 45 of angiosperm taxa across 27 families-one family of monocotyledons (Poaceae) and 26 families (30 types) of dicotyledons. The most common angiosperm families were Amaranthaceae (Chenopodium, Amaranthus and Gomphrena); Fabaceae (Fabaceae type, Bauhinia, Inga and Canavalia); Malpighiaceae (Tetrapteris, Heteropteris and Peixotoa); Malvaceae (Sida, Abutilon, Hibiscus and Pseudobombax); Rubiaceae (Faramea, Borreria and Psychotria); Asteraceae (Eupatorium and tribe Vernonieae); Bignoniaceae (Bignoniaceae type, Adenocalymma and Tabebuia); and Onagraceae (Fuchsia and Ludwigia). The palynoflora in this study are associated with dense montane and submontane Atlantic Forest, semideciduous forest and restinga (coastal woodland), all of which are present in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Palynological analysis can provide important data about paleovegetation and paleoclimatic changes in the studied area during the Quaternary, specifically in the last 145,000 years.
Highlights
Morphological descriptions and taxonomic identification of quaternary pollen grains form marine sediments can allow inferences to be made about the paleovegetation, paleoclimate and paleoenvironment during the Upper Pleistocene-Holocene in coastal areas of southeastern Brazil
In the 43 samples taken from core BU-91-GL-05, we identified 46 pollen types (Fig. 2 and 3)
The wide spectrum of pollen types points to a dynamic paleovegetation environment throughout the Upper Pleistocene-Holocene in southeastern Brazil, especially in the north of the state of Rio de Janeiro
Summary
Morphological descriptions and taxonomic identification of quaternary pollen grains form marine sediments can allow inferences to be made about the paleovegetation, paleoclimate and paleoenvironment during the Upper Pleistocene-Holocene in coastal areas of southeastern Brazil. Based on palynological analysis of sediment from the Campos Basin, located in the northern region of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Behling et al (2002) observed changes in paleovegetation with a predominance of grasses in glacial cycles and increases in arboreal and semideciduous forests during interglacial cycles. Undertaking Pleistocene-Holocene palynological analysis of the BU91-GL-05 core, taken from the same basin, Freitas (2005) registered continental palynomorphs (cryptogamic spores, phanerogamic pollen grains, fresh water microalgae and microfungi). The morphological descriptions of spore and pollen types reveal a richness and diversity, in the same core, of pteridophyte and hydrophyte spores (Freitas et al 2007) of periodically or totally flooded environments such as inundated brackish swamps, lagoon systems and flooded areas of pioneer formations of restinga, salt marshes and mangrove
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