Quantitative Relationship Between Pollen in the Surface Soil and Vegetation in the Yanshan Area

Abstract

This study explored the quantitative relationship between pollen in the surface soil and vegetation in the Yanshan area. Data were collected from the region between about 39°00′-40°50′ N and between 117°10′-119°50′ E from 2 082 m elevation in the Yanshan Mountains to 0 m at the seashore of the Bohai Sea. The samples of pollen in the surface soil were collected from 53 locations at about 100 m elevational intervals in Yanshan Mountainous area and at about 20 km level intervals in the plain between Yanshan mountain and Bohai Sea seashore. At the same time of pollen sampling in the surface soil, investigation of the vegetation was also done. Then, R value (representation of pollen) was calculated with pollen percentage and vegetation investigation. According to sampling of pollen in surface soil and vegetation investigation, the relationship between soil surface pollen and modern vegetation was quantitatively analyzed. Results showed that the surface pollen assemblages of all vegetation zones in Yanshan area basically represent vegetation composition, but the pollen assemblages are not equal to the vegetation composition. This is due to the influences of pollen preservation, pollen production, foreign pollen and pollen identification. The representation of pollen in surface soil is very different in families and genera. The tree pollens such as Pinus, Betula, Juglans and Castanea are over_represented, but Quercus, Carpinus and Populus are under_represented; the shrub pollen such as Zanthoxylum is over_represented, Rosaceae and Corylus are under_represented; the herb pollens such as Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae, Typha, Labiatae, Polygonaceae, Ranunculaceae, Umbelliferae and Thalictrum are over_represented, while others such as Gramineae, Saxifragaceae, Humulus, Cyperaceae, Leguminosae, Caryophyllaceae and Convolvulaceae are under_represented. The same pollen in different vegetation zones has different R value. Generally, R value of the pollen in the vegetation zones far away from the main pollen sources is lower than that in the places of main pollen sources. The change of R value is also influenced by pollen preservation, pollen production, and foreign pollen.